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Raw Land
Mystery surrounds Pitchfork Ranch after Will Danning buys the infertile land and three men threaten his life in order to gain posession of it
- GenresWesterns
273 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Luke Short
128 books36 followersLuke Short (real name Frederick Dilley Glidden) was a popular Western writer.
Born in Kewanee, Illinois Glidden attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two and a half years and then transferred to the University of Missouri at Columbia to study journalism.
Following graduation in 1930 he worked for a number of newspapers before becoming a trapper in Canada then later moved to New Mexico to be an archeologist's assistant.
After reading Western pulp magazines and trying to escape unemployment he started writing Western fiction. He sold his first short story and novel in 1935 under the pen name of Luke Short (which was also the name of a famous gunslinger in the Old West, though it's unclear if he was aware of that when he assumed the pen name.)
After publishing over a dozen novels in the 1930s, he started writing for films in the 40s. In 1948 alone four Luke Short novels appeared as movies. Some of his memorable film credits includes Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948). He continued to write novels, despite increasing trouble with his eyes, until his death in 1975. His ashes are buried in Aspen, Colorado, his home at the time of his death.
Born in Kewanee, Illinois Glidden attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for two and a half years and then transferred to the University of Missouri at Columbia to study journalism.
Following graduation in 1930 he worked for a number of newspapers before becoming a trapper in Canada then later moved to New Mexico to be an archeologist's assistant.
After reading Western pulp magazines and trying to escape unemployment he started writing Western fiction. He sold his first short story and novel in 1935 under the pen name of Luke Short (which was also the name of a famous gunslinger in the Old West, though it's unclear if he was aware of that when he assumed the pen name.)
After publishing over a dozen novels in the 1930s, he started writing for films in the 40s. In 1948 alone four Luke Short novels appeared as movies. Some of his memorable film credits includes Ramrod (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948). He continued to write novels, despite increasing trouble with his eyes, until his death in 1975. His ashes are buried in Aspen, Colorado, his home at the time of his death.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 23, 2020
A classic shoot-em up western, but with a deeper story about land grabbing and double crossing.
August 4, 2022
A fun, easy read for anyone. No sex, excess violence or untoward situations in this western themed book. I first heard about this author from a YouTube video and thankful I gave him a try.
December 9, 2020
I was wavering between 4 and 5 stars because I did not like the ending much. However, with the constant action, twists and turns I had to give it 5 because it kept me entertained and wanting to find out what would happen next. I know most will enjoy this book.
January 12, 2014
An easy read. I thought it was a pretty good story given it was so short.
April 16, 2022
An easy read. I thought it was a pretty good story. it kept me entertained and wanting to find out what would happen next with a story about land grabbing and double crossing.
May 14, 2020
This is perhaps the only Western novel I've ever read. Picked it up because I loved the cover art (mine has an old pulp fiction-style cover. Turned out to be not only a fantastic Western but an excellent novel all around. Did a bit of research on Mr. Short (who I knew nothing about) and discovered he was a prolific author and screenwriter back in the day. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews