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The Western: Four Classic Novels of the 1940s & 50s: The Ox-Bow Incident / Shane / The Searchers / Warlock
In literature as in film, the 1940s and 1950s were a high-water mark for the Western as a genre. In this landmark Library of America volume novelist Ron Hansen collects four unforgettable masterpieces from the period.
Set in Nevada in 1885, The Ox-Bow Incident is a gripping story about the perils of lynch law and the fragility of civilized norms in the West. Outraged by reports of the murder of a rancher and the theft of cattle, a posse of vigilantes sets out to find the culprits but instead targets three strangers who are innocent of the crime. Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s novel, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for 1940, offers a powerful exploration of group psychology and the authoritarian impulse.
The newspaper editor Jack Schaefer made his unforgettable fiction debut with a tale meant to encapsulate, in his words, “the basic legend of the West.” In Shane (1949), Schaefer’s narrator looks back at his boyhood fascination with a taciturn, charismatic ranch hand. Inspired by the Johnson County War in late-nineteenth-century Wyoming, Shane, Ron Hansen writes, “mythologizes those deadly skirmishes” into a story “that has the grandness of chapters in The Iliad.”
The Searchers (1954), written by Alan Le May at the height of his career as a novelist and Hollywood screenwriter, is a story of dogged fortitude that embodies the quintessential Western qualities of endurance, persistence, and, as Le May writes in the book’s epigraph, “the courage of those who simply keep on, and on.” Embarking on a mission to rescue a girl captured in a Comanche raid, Amos Edwards and Martin Pauley spend six years wandering across Texas on a quest to deliver young Debbie Edwards from captivity.
In Warlock (1958), a bloody saga that anticipates the novels of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy, Oakley Hall shows himself in complete command of the Western genre even as he upends its conventions. The southwestern mining town of Warlock has been plagued with lawlessness and brutality at the hands of cattle rustlers led by the vicious Abe McQuown. The local Citizens’ Committee enlists Clay Blaisedell, renowned for his prowess with a six-shooter, to serve as Marshal. The story unfolds in scenes of tough-minded realism interspersed with the diary entries of Henry Holmes Goodpasture, a thoughtful citizen who quotes Shakespeare and the Bible as he laments Warlock’s descent into violence and chaos.
Set in Nevada in 1885, The Ox-Bow Incident is a gripping story about the perils of lynch law and the fragility of civilized norms in the West. Outraged by reports of the murder of a rancher and the theft of cattle, a posse of vigilantes sets out to find the culprits but instead targets three strangers who are innocent of the crime. Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s novel, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for 1940, offers a powerful exploration of group psychology and the authoritarian impulse.
The newspaper editor Jack Schaefer made his unforgettable fiction debut with a tale meant to encapsulate, in his words, “the basic legend of the West.” In Shane (1949), Schaefer’s narrator looks back at his boyhood fascination with a taciturn, charismatic ranch hand. Inspired by the Johnson County War in late-nineteenth-century Wyoming, Shane, Ron Hansen writes, “mythologizes those deadly skirmishes” into a story “that has the grandness of chapters in The Iliad.”
The Searchers (1954), written by Alan Le May at the height of his career as a novelist and Hollywood screenwriter, is a story of dogged fortitude that embodies the quintessential Western qualities of endurance, persistence, and, as Le May writes in the book’s epigraph, “the courage of those who simply keep on, and on.” Embarking on a mission to rescue a girl captured in a Comanche raid, Amos Edwards and Martin Pauley spend six years wandering across Texas on a quest to deliver young Debbie Edwards from captivity.
In Warlock (1958), a bloody saga that anticipates the novels of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy, Oakley Hall shows himself in complete command of the Western genre even as he upends its conventions. The southwestern mining town of Warlock has been plagued with lawlessness and brutality at the hands of cattle rustlers led by the vicious Abe McQuown. The local Citizens’ Committee enlists Clay Blaisedell, renowned for his prowess with a six-shooter, to serve as Marshal. The story unfolds in scenes of tough-minded realism interspersed with the diary entries of Henry Holmes Goodpasture, a thoughtful citizen who quotes Shakespeare and the Bible as he laments Warlock’s descent into violence and chaos.
1110 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2020
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About the author
Walter Van Tilburg Clark
44 books54 followersWalter Van Tilburg Clark was an American novelist, short story writer, and educator. He ranks as one of Nevada's most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century and is known primarily for his novels, his one volume of stories, as well as his uncollected short stories. As a writer, he taught himself to use the familiar materials of the western saga to explore the human psyche and to raise deep philosophical issues.
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June 29, 2021
The Western In The Library Of America
The Library of America Series preserves and introduces readers to the best of American thought and writing. It has helped show the breadth of American literature and American experience. In addition to classical works by writers such as Melville, Whitman, Faulkner, and the like, the series has published a wide variety of genre literature, including crime novels, noir, and science fiction. The LOA, however was slow in covering the Western genre. In 2018, the LOA published a volume of Westerns by Elmore Leonard to accompany its three earlier volumes of Leonard's crime fiction. The LOA has now gone further in giving the Western its due with this new volume, "The Western: Four Classic Novels of the 1940s and 50s", edited and with a short Introduction by novelist Ron Hansen. This outstanding volume will introduce readers to thoughtful and moving novels that transcend the stereotypes associated with the Western genre.
Westerns, of course were everywhere in the 1940s and 50s, including novels, film, radio, and later television. The genre suffered from over-exposure. More importantly, I think, the Western suffered from a change in cultural values in the 1960s with a strong sense of skepticism about the United States. An important virtue of this book is the opportunity it affords to think freshly about the portrait of the United States and the West offered in these four novels. The books feature much more than violence and shoot-outs. I have found much of value to be learned about the ideals of our country and about the development of the West into a place of community during the past few years while I have been exploring the genre. Perhaps other readers will as well.
Western novels and Western films are inextricably tied together. Each of the four novels in this collection was interpreted and adapted into film. Walter Van Tilburg Clark's "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1940) which opens this anthology became a 1943 film directed by William Wellman and starring Henry Fonda. Jack Schaefer's "Shane" (1949) became an iconic 1953 film directed by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd. In 1956, John Ford directed and John Wayne starred in the celebrated film "The Searchers", adopting the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. Oakley Hall's 1958 novel "Warlock" was filmed in 1959 under the direction of Edward Dmytryk and featured a large cast of stars, including Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda. These novels included in this anthology are valuable in their own right, separate from the excellent films they inspired.
There follows brief comments on each of the novels in this volume.
Clark's "The Ox-Bow Incident" is set in a small fictitious Nevada town in 1885. The novel is a philosophical meditation on the nature of justice and on the dangers of jumping to conclusions. A posse sets out to find a group of cattle rustlers and alleged murderers. They summarily hang a group of three innocent people. Written during the rise of fascism in Europe, the book suggests the dangers of mob action and poses questions about the nature of community, responsibility, and justice in addition to telling a good story.
Jack Schaefer's short novel "Shane" offers a sense of promise and change in the development of the West and a sense of vision and myth-making, qualities our country needs in the current difficult times. The book is set in Wyoming in 1889 and involves the encounter between a struggling family of homesteaders and the mysterious stranger who comes passing through. The romantic gunfighter, Shane, comes symbolically to usher in a new more settled way of life in the West. The change comes with its costs. Shane and his mystery becomes a symbol for the romance and individualism of the American way of life while the homesteaders that Shane assists show an idealized version of settlement, education, the value of hard work, and restraint.
Alan Le May's "The Searchers" tells an epic story of wandering in the Texas and New Mexico of the 1870s in search of home and of a woman. Two radically different characters, Amos, 40, Martin 18, set out on a six year search in pursuit of a young woman who has been carried off by the Comanches during a raid. The long search carries the searchers away from the possibility of happiness and a settled home life. As the search continues, the reader comes to feel more sympathy for the dispossessed Comanches. The older searcher, Amos, is motivated primarily by hatred for the Indians while Martin is dedicated to recovering the young woman and ultimately to pursuing a life of peace. Le May's thoughtful novel differs from the iconic film in several respects and is more than worth reading on its own.
The final novel in this anthology, Oakley Hall's "Warlock" is also the longest and the most demanding to read. The book is set in the fictitious town of Warlock in the Southwest from 1880 -- 1881. The primary character, the gunman Clay Blaisedell, is loosely based upon Wyatt Earp, and a scene in the novel brings to mind the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral. But the novel includes much more than this frequently rehashed gunfight as Hall introduces a variety of characters, including cattle rustlers, stage coach robbers, miners, gamblers, business people, prostitutes and others. The journal of a town businessman, Henry Holmes Goodpasture also is quoted extensively in reflection on the actions and characters in the story. The book is a mixture of harsh realism and of idealism in its portrayal of the West. For all their human frailties and for all the violence of the story, the characters and the Old West are portrayed affectionately and as larger than life. The book suggests that Warlock and its inhabitants are worth the effort to understand, difficult as that understanding may be, and to learn from and celebrate.
The Western novel often has been slighted by serious readers. This fine collection shows, as Hansen points out in his introduction that the best Westerns are "intellectual, literary, and classic". The Library of America has done a service in its exploration of American literature with the publication of this volume of Westerns.
Robin Friedman
The Library of America Series preserves and introduces readers to the best of American thought and writing. It has helped show the breadth of American literature and American experience. In addition to classical works by writers such as Melville, Whitman, Faulkner, and the like, the series has published a wide variety of genre literature, including crime novels, noir, and science fiction. The LOA, however was slow in covering the Western genre. In 2018, the LOA published a volume of Westerns by Elmore Leonard to accompany its three earlier volumes of Leonard's crime fiction. The LOA has now gone further in giving the Western its due with this new volume, "The Western: Four Classic Novels of the 1940s and 50s", edited and with a short Introduction by novelist Ron Hansen. This outstanding volume will introduce readers to thoughtful and moving novels that transcend the stereotypes associated with the Western genre.
Westerns, of course were everywhere in the 1940s and 50s, including novels, film, radio, and later television. The genre suffered from over-exposure. More importantly, I think, the Western suffered from a change in cultural values in the 1960s with a strong sense of skepticism about the United States. An important virtue of this book is the opportunity it affords to think freshly about the portrait of the United States and the West offered in these four novels. The books feature much more than violence and shoot-outs. I have found much of value to be learned about the ideals of our country and about the development of the West into a place of community during the past few years while I have been exploring the genre. Perhaps other readers will as well.
Western novels and Western films are inextricably tied together. Each of the four novels in this collection was interpreted and adapted into film. Walter Van Tilburg Clark's "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1940) which opens this anthology became a 1943 film directed by William Wellman and starring Henry Fonda. Jack Schaefer's "Shane" (1949) became an iconic 1953 film directed by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd. In 1956, John Ford directed and John Wayne starred in the celebrated film "The Searchers", adopting the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. Oakley Hall's 1958 novel "Warlock" was filmed in 1959 under the direction of Edward Dmytryk and featured a large cast of stars, including Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda. These novels included in this anthology are valuable in their own right, separate from the excellent films they inspired.
There follows brief comments on each of the novels in this volume.
Clark's "The Ox-Bow Incident" is set in a small fictitious Nevada town in 1885. The novel is a philosophical meditation on the nature of justice and on the dangers of jumping to conclusions. A posse sets out to find a group of cattle rustlers and alleged murderers. They summarily hang a group of three innocent people. Written during the rise of fascism in Europe, the book suggests the dangers of mob action and poses questions about the nature of community, responsibility, and justice in addition to telling a good story.
Jack Schaefer's short novel "Shane" offers a sense of promise and change in the development of the West and a sense of vision and myth-making, qualities our country needs in the current difficult times. The book is set in Wyoming in 1889 and involves the encounter between a struggling family of homesteaders and the mysterious stranger who comes passing through. The romantic gunfighter, Shane, comes symbolically to usher in a new more settled way of life in the West. The change comes with its costs. Shane and his mystery becomes a symbol for the romance and individualism of the American way of life while the homesteaders that Shane assists show an idealized version of settlement, education, the value of hard work, and restraint.
Alan Le May's "The Searchers" tells an epic story of wandering in the Texas and New Mexico of the 1870s in search of home and of a woman. Two radically different characters, Amos, 40, Martin 18, set out on a six year search in pursuit of a young woman who has been carried off by the Comanches during a raid. The long search carries the searchers away from the possibility of happiness and a settled home life. As the search continues, the reader comes to feel more sympathy for the dispossessed Comanches. The older searcher, Amos, is motivated primarily by hatred for the Indians while Martin is dedicated to recovering the young woman and ultimately to pursuing a life of peace. Le May's thoughtful novel differs from the iconic film in several respects and is more than worth reading on its own.
The final novel in this anthology, Oakley Hall's "Warlock" is also the longest and the most demanding to read. The book is set in the fictitious town of Warlock in the Southwest from 1880 -- 1881. The primary character, the gunman Clay Blaisedell, is loosely based upon Wyatt Earp, and a scene in the novel brings to mind the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral. But the novel includes much more than this frequently rehashed gunfight as Hall introduces a variety of characters, including cattle rustlers, stage coach robbers, miners, gamblers, business people, prostitutes and others. The journal of a town businessman, Henry Holmes Goodpasture also is quoted extensively in reflection on the actions and characters in the story. The book is a mixture of harsh realism and of idealism in its portrayal of the West. For all their human frailties and for all the violence of the story, the characters and the Old West are portrayed affectionately and as larger than life. The book suggests that Warlock and its inhabitants are worth the effort to understand, difficult as that understanding may be, and to learn from and celebrate.
The Western novel often has been slighted by serious readers. This fine collection shows, as Hansen points out in his introduction that the best Westerns are "intellectual, literary, and classic". The Library of America has done a service in its exploration of American literature with the publication of this volume of Westerns.
Robin Friedman
November 3, 2022
The Ox-Bow Incident - 3 Stars - A first novel written by a high school English teacher often assigned to high school students to read. The characters often drift into philosophical argument about what is law, what is justice and who should decide what is just. The setting feels true to the west and the Sierras, written by an author who grew up in Reno, NV in the 1920's.
Shane - 4 Stars - Jack Schaefer's first novel written in 1949, made into the movie starring Alan Ladd in 1953. Shane reads tougher than how I remember the movie. More blood and violence in the fight scenes. In the novel, the young narrator's farmer father, Joe Starrett is cast as an equal to the sequestered gun fighter Shane and holds his own in the story. In the movie Shane, I remember Joe Starrett being weaker and overshadowed by Shane's heroic casting. I feel the movie wanted to play up the appeal and mystery of the gunfighter leading the audience to guess when he would break out in violence. The novel is a more well-rounded story.
The Searchers 5 Stars - An epic journey over post-civil war Texas and the southwest as two survivors, one a grizzled veteran and the other a young man who was orphaned in a Comanche raid on his home, set out on a five-year journey to track down a young girl believed to have been taken captive by a Comanche raid on a neighboring ranch. The author, Alan Le May, sets the scene by describing the physical environment on the natural clues that surround them. The relationships with Native American allies and antagonists are compelling. Le May's story delves into the psychology of what is driving each man's search.
Warlock - 5 Stars - A western novel with all of the tropes, outlaw cowboy gangs vs. the justice of marshals, deputies, posses and judges, down-trodden miners vs. crooked, thug-backed mine ownership, gun-fighters with a focus on a quick draw justified by self-defense, a post-Civil War cavalry stationed west to pursue menacing tribes, cattle rustlers, stage hold-ups, barroom gamblers, women of either saintly virtue or a whore with a heart of gold. Author Oakley Hall weaves together all of these in a story as he gradually unveils the motivations and interactions of all of these characters.
Written in 1958, Warlock captures the fearful and suspicious mind-set of a post WWII, Cold War America. Answering questions about who has power and how the mind-set of the populace can quickly make demons of heroes. About how the spin on stories and the spread of rumor drives action and influences justice.
Just as Shane and the Searchers drove the mainstream 1950's Hollywood picture of the West, I feel Warlock drove the Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood pictures of the West seen in the movies of the 60's
Shane - 4 Stars - Jack Schaefer's first novel written in 1949, made into the movie starring Alan Ladd in 1953. Shane reads tougher than how I remember the movie. More blood and violence in the fight scenes. In the novel, the young narrator's farmer father, Joe Starrett is cast as an equal to the sequestered gun fighter Shane and holds his own in the story. In the movie Shane, I remember Joe Starrett being weaker and overshadowed by Shane's heroic casting. I feel the movie wanted to play up the appeal and mystery of the gunfighter leading the audience to guess when he would break out in violence. The novel is a more well-rounded story.
The Searchers 5 Stars - An epic journey over post-civil war Texas and the southwest as two survivors, one a grizzled veteran and the other a young man who was orphaned in a Comanche raid on his home, set out on a five-year journey to track down a young girl believed to have been taken captive by a Comanche raid on a neighboring ranch. The author, Alan Le May, sets the scene by describing the physical environment on the natural clues that surround them. The relationships with Native American allies and antagonists are compelling. Le May's story delves into the psychology of what is driving each man's search.
Warlock - 5 Stars - A western novel with all of the tropes, outlaw cowboy gangs vs. the justice of marshals, deputies, posses and judges, down-trodden miners vs. crooked, thug-backed mine ownership, gun-fighters with a focus on a quick draw justified by self-defense, a post-Civil War cavalry stationed west to pursue menacing tribes, cattle rustlers, stage hold-ups, barroom gamblers, women of either saintly virtue or a whore with a heart of gold. Author Oakley Hall weaves together all of these in a story as he gradually unveils the motivations and interactions of all of these characters.
Written in 1958, Warlock captures the fearful and suspicious mind-set of a post WWII, Cold War America. Answering questions about who has power and how the mind-set of the populace can quickly make demons of heroes. About how the spin on stories and the spread of rumor drives action and influences justice.
Just as Shane and the Searchers drove the mainstream 1950's Hollywood picture of the West, I feel Warlock drove the Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood pictures of the West seen in the movies of the 60's
August 21, 2020
The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
Shane by Jack Schaefer
The Searchers by Alan Le May
Warlock by Oakley Hall
I have this deep-rooted belief that you can't go wrong with a Western, but these 4 books show just how right they can be. Westerns seem to be looked down upon, even sneered at, and I don't understand why. Especially with older novels in this genre (the ones included here prove my point), there is an honesty in the writing that you can't knock. Seemingly simple plots that make you realise they are anything but if were they actually happening to you. Characters that span the whole range of human personalities and become almost historical figures in the imagination. This is an outstanding collection that delivers everything it promises.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and Edelweiss+ for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
Shane by Jack Schaefer
The Searchers by Alan Le May
Warlock by Oakley Hall
I have this deep-rooted belief that you can't go wrong with a Western, but these 4 books show just how right they can be. Westerns seem to be looked down upon, even sneered at, and I don't understand why. Especially with older novels in this genre (the ones included here prove my point), there is an honesty in the writing that you can't knock. Seemingly simple plots that make you realise they are anything but if were they actually happening to you. Characters that span the whole range of human personalities and become almost historical figures in the imagination. This is an outstanding collection that delivers everything it promises.
My thanks to the author, publisher, and Edelweiss+ for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
October 25, 2020
I’m a great fan of westerns, and feel that they are a much underrated and often dismissed genre. This collection should convince anyone that they are worth exploring. The four included here are some of the best ever written and will hopefully encourage readers to discover other titles.
February 6, 2021
Beautiful collection of four great western novels—I have read these novels at a number of different times of my life and I keep coming back to them for their exciting stories encapsulating the truths of our lives. Moving , thrilling and full fo history I can unequivocally whole heartedly recommend each novel in this collection. Congratulations to Library of America for another great anthology of American writing.
October 4, 2020
The Searchers *** -- This review will be a rarity: A review of the book written by someone who has not yet seen the movie. I’ve heard of it, of course, and I think I know the basic plot. It was one of my dad’s favorite movies. (I plan to watch it soon.)
This is a very well written book. The characterization isn’t particularly deep or unconventional, but it is consistently good and believable, with a couple surprises to add some spice. Le May pushes the limits of the traditional Western/Adventure, but not so far that it is noticeable. In fact, in his writing and characterization, Le May smoothly tells the stories and creates the characters without a lot of attention to the writing itself.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
The story is basically a revenge plot. And Amos and Marty go to extreme lengths. What is it, six years of hardship living off the land?
The story is presented as a rescue or recovery, but it is really about revenge. (Although it evolves into a love quest at the very end.) It’s interesting that at the start Amos is presented as planning to kill Debbie when they find her because she was defiled by the Comanches, and Marty’s purpose is to stop Amos. By the end, Marty wants the Comanches, and presumably Debbie, wiped out. He doesn’t care if she lives through the massacre – she’s given up on her white heritage. The irony is that Amos is killed in his attempt to rescue a Comanche woman he thinks is Debbie.
There is a lot of irony in this novel. Amos’ death mentioned above. Debbie’s belief that Yellow Buckle’s ornament says on the back “Ethan to Judith” when it actually said “Made in England.” And, of course, after six years of suffering and finally tracking down Debbie, her wanting to stay with the Comanches.
The Comanches in the novel are cruel and vengeful, but they are not necessarily presented as grossly or comically stereotypical. But this is written from the perspective of white settlers and the Comanches are made consistently the aggressors and law breakers. The laws to protect the natives in particular are derided throughout the book, and their softness is blamed for the massacre of ranchers and other sins.
In the end, the book seems to come to the conclusion “what are you going to do?” other than severely defeat/punish or even render the Comanche people extinct. The novel isn’t really clear on which is approves of most. It certainly doesn’t try to make a case for any of the grievances the natives faced. There is no attempt to understand the forces at play in a larger context than a military one. The novel simply presumes without question that the white man has a right to be on those lands. And presumably the natives must be harshly dealt with if there is to be any peace.
It is a gripping story, but a six-year search is very long. I read that this was originally serialized in a magazine, and 100 pages were added for the printing of the book. I’d like to read the original serialized version. This felt a bit long at times.
As I noted, though, it is a very well written adventure story. It includes subtleties and details, but without drawing a lot of attention to itself. However, although it is full of complex emotions and ideas, it chooses not to dig too deeply into them. (It goes deeper than most adventure books, but this is still primarily an adventure novel.)
If you like adventure novels with strong characters and some very good writing, this is certainly worth checking out. If you are of a more literary mind, this is good but there are probably other things you want to read. (09/20)
Warlock *** -- Hall’s Warlock explores the idea of rule of law by examining an anarchic Western town where violence and intimidation rule the street. The merchants of Warlock, lacking any state or federal marshal, hire a noted gunman, Clay Blaisedell, to bring order to the town and, primarily, confront Abe McQuown, a local cattle man and cattle rustler.
I’ve only read the first section, or Book One, which parallels the Gunfight at OK Corral. It presents some intriguing characters and a good bit of action while exploring the idea of law and order. By what law, the novel asks, does Blaisedell act? Who is he accountable to? (Interestingly, I think the actual OK Corral gunfight might have presented more moral and legal ambiguities.)
The book is well written and interesting. The worst parts of the book are when the theme comes to the forefront and it feels forced and clunky and as subtle as a brick to the head.
That, and the book’s length (500 pages), stalled me after Book One (of three). (I just finished an 1,100-page book so I need to read shorter books for a while.) I’d like to pick it up again, but I’m often sidetracked and there are many other books to read.
If you are prepared for a long haul and you enjoy the Western adventure novel, I highly recommend this. If you’re merely dipping a toe in the genre, this book is good but it may be more than you’ll want to wade into. (10/20)
This is a very well written book. The characterization isn’t particularly deep or unconventional, but it is consistently good and believable, with a couple surprises to add some spice. Le May pushes the limits of the traditional Western/Adventure, but not so far that it is noticeable. In fact, in his writing and characterization, Le May smoothly tells the stories and creates the characters without a lot of attention to the writing itself.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
The story is basically a revenge plot. And Amos and Marty go to extreme lengths. What is it, six years of hardship living off the land?
The story is presented as a rescue or recovery, but it is really about revenge. (Although it evolves into a love quest at the very end.) It’s interesting that at the start Amos is presented as planning to kill Debbie when they find her because she was defiled by the Comanches, and Marty’s purpose is to stop Amos. By the end, Marty wants the Comanches, and presumably Debbie, wiped out. He doesn’t care if she lives through the massacre – she’s given up on her white heritage. The irony is that Amos is killed in his attempt to rescue a Comanche woman he thinks is Debbie.
There is a lot of irony in this novel. Amos’ death mentioned above. Debbie’s belief that Yellow Buckle’s ornament says on the back “Ethan to Judith” when it actually said “Made in England.” And, of course, after six years of suffering and finally tracking down Debbie, her wanting to stay with the Comanches.
The Comanches in the novel are cruel and vengeful, but they are not necessarily presented as grossly or comically stereotypical. But this is written from the perspective of white settlers and the Comanches are made consistently the aggressors and law breakers. The laws to protect the natives in particular are derided throughout the book, and their softness is blamed for the massacre of ranchers and other sins.
In the end, the book seems to come to the conclusion “what are you going to do?” other than severely defeat/punish or even render the Comanche people extinct. The novel isn’t really clear on which is approves of most. It certainly doesn’t try to make a case for any of the grievances the natives faced. There is no attempt to understand the forces at play in a larger context than a military one. The novel simply presumes without question that the white man has a right to be on those lands. And presumably the natives must be harshly dealt with if there is to be any peace.
It is a gripping story, but a six-year search is very long. I read that this was originally serialized in a magazine, and 100 pages were added for the printing of the book. I’d like to read the original serialized version. This felt a bit long at times.
As I noted, though, it is a very well written adventure story. It includes subtleties and details, but without drawing a lot of attention to itself. However, although it is full of complex emotions and ideas, it chooses not to dig too deeply into them. (It goes deeper than most adventure books, but this is still primarily an adventure novel.)
If you like adventure novels with strong characters and some very good writing, this is certainly worth checking out. If you are of a more literary mind, this is good but there are probably other things you want to read. (09/20)
Warlock *** -- Hall’s Warlock explores the idea of rule of law by examining an anarchic Western town where violence and intimidation rule the street. The merchants of Warlock, lacking any state or federal marshal, hire a noted gunman, Clay Blaisedell, to bring order to the town and, primarily, confront Abe McQuown, a local cattle man and cattle rustler.
I’ve only read the first section, or Book One, which parallels the Gunfight at OK Corral. It presents some intriguing characters and a good bit of action while exploring the idea of law and order. By what law, the novel asks, does Blaisedell act? Who is he accountable to? (Interestingly, I think the actual OK Corral gunfight might have presented more moral and legal ambiguities.)
The book is well written and interesting. The worst parts of the book are when the theme comes to the forefront and it feels forced and clunky and as subtle as a brick to the head.
That, and the book’s length (500 pages), stalled me after Book One (of three). (I just finished an 1,100-page book so I need to read shorter books for a while.) I’d like to pick it up again, but I’m often sidetracked and there are many other books to read.
If you are prepared for a long haul and you enjoy the Western adventure novel, I highly recommend this. If you’re merely dipping a toe in the genre, this book is good but it may be more than you’ll want to wade into. (10/20)
February 6, 2025
“Lookin’ for trouble?”
“Aimin’ to make some, I suppose.”
And with WARLOCK (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s on its own), my time in down the dusty trails of the 40s and 50s comes to the end of its path. And with four stone cold classics now under my hat.
I promise that’s the end of the western speak, but truly, this was a tremendous collection. And a very interesting cross section of what this sort of genre was capable of at even this early era.
And I think better still, each novel is WILDLY different from the next. I would maybe argue that Shane and The Searchers are probably the most “traditional” of the efforts but even those have all these moves and tones that set it apart from their movie counterparts and give us readers a whole experience.
And then the opening and closing volumes, The Ox-Bow Incident and Warlock respectively, are just pure pulp! Shakespearean, highly operatic pulp of the S-tier. I truly loved it. So much so that I know for sure I can’t really cover it properly here.
Just get it. Luxuriate in it. And now I want to read basically every American Library edition book now.
WIN-WIN YA VARMENTS
“Aimin’ to make some, I suppose.”
And with WARLOCK (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s on its own), my time in down the dusty trails of the 40s and 50s comes to the end of its path. And with four stone cold classics now under my hat.
I promise that’s the end of the western speak, but truly, this was a tremendous collection. And a very interesting cross section of what this sort of genre was capable of at even this early era.
And I think better still, each novel is WILDLY different from the next. I would maybe argue that Shane and The Searchers are probably the most “traditional” of the efforts but even those have all these moves and tones that set it apart from their movie counterparts and give us readers a whole experience.
And then the opening and closing volumes, The Ox-Bow Incident and Warlock respectively, are just pure pulp! Shakespearean, highly operatic pulp of the S-tier. I truly loved it. So much so that I know for sure I can’t really cover it properly here.
Just get it. Luxuriate in it. And now I want to read basically every American Library edition book now.
WIN-WIN YA VARMENTS
February 24, 2021
In all honesty, I did not think highly of the Western as a genre prior to requesting the ARC on NetGalley. Then I realized I loved Cormac McCarthy's later works as well as Butcher's Crossing by John Williams, so maybe I was wrong about my own tastes. And I'm glad I second guessed myself.
It gets off to a shaky start as The Ox-Bow Incident takes its sweet time to introduce the characters and plot and I found it very easy to put down and put off reading for a while. At around the halfway mark, it starts moving and doesn't stop until that gut punch of an ending.
Shane felt a little simplistic in terms of prose, but was an enjoyable story. Disappointed my schools never taught it as it would have had a much more significant impact on a younger me.
It ends with two absolute contemporary classics, The Searchers and Warlock.
A great addition the Library of America canon that would convert anyone in doubt of the legitimacy of the genre
It gets off to a shaky start as The Ox-Bow Incident takes its sweet time to introduce the characters and plot and I found it very easy to put down and put off reading for a while. At around the halfway mark, it starts moving and doesn't stop until that gut punch of an ending.
Shane felt a little simplistic in terms of prose, but was an enjoyable story. Disappointed my schools never taught it as it would have had a much more significant impact on a younger me.
It ends with two absolute contemporary classics, The Searchers and Warlock.
A great addition the Library of America canon that would convert anyone in doubt of the legitimacy of the genre
October 18, 2020
Four books that provide four distinct slices of the western genre. Of the four, The Ox-Bow Incident was my favorite. The themes of justice and regret, while universal, are given poignancy in this setting. Shane is a classic hero of the west novel, probably as well consumed in the movie. The Searchers is most analogous to The Odyssey, a years-long search for a lost girl. the story is in the journey, not in the finding. Finally, the book concludes with Warlock, story of a mining town in the early 1880's. It is a portrait of how these pioneers tried to establish some semblance of civilization on the edge of it, when duels were an acceptable form of score-settling. It provides the most morally ambiguous tale of these four novels that all tussle with justice, honor, right and wrong. All are worth a read.
May 15, 2023
These are outstanding western stories! I didn't realize how literate they would be. They are not just simple westerns. They are very thought provoking and give a great depiction of America during the mid to late 1800's.
The Searchers and Shane were my favorites. The Searchers is a true story and gives an interesting look at the wars with the Native American people and how they unfolded. Both sides could be very vicious. I've seen the film so many times it was difficult not to picture Duke Wayne playing the part of Ethan.
And it was a real treat reading Shane after seeing the movie 20+ times. The story is very similar with some added depth. Jack Shaefer is an outstanding writer. One of the western genre's all time greats. I'll have to read more of his books.
The Library of America series has some great titles.
The Searchers and Shane were my favorites. The Searchers is a true story and gives an interesting look at the wars with the Native American people and how they unfolded. Both sides could be very vicious. I've seen the film so many times it was difficult not to picture Duke Wayne playing the part of Ethan.
And it was a real treat reading Shane after seeing the movie 20+ times. The story is very similar with some added depth. Jack Shaefer is an outstanding writer. One of the western genre's all time greats. I'll have to read more of his books.
The Library of America series has some great titles.
March 15, 2021
I bought this anthology so that I could read The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark for a book club. Although published in 1940, this book is still relevant as racism and defending the rule of law against mob rule are major themes. Even job displacement by modern technology is mentioned (one of the characters is bitter about how railroads have ruined is his living as a stagecoach driver). Nevertheless, the novel is not unrelentingly gloomy. Mixed with violence and cruelty there is heroism, comradery, and compassion. Besides that, I was blown away by the dialogue, character development, explorations of psychology and group dynamics, and descriptions of everyday life in late 19th century Nevada. The introduction by author Ron Hansen is concise and provides helpful context.
February 5, 2022
Highly recommended, especially to readers like myself who have never considered themselves fans of the western genre. Four great stories that are packed with unforgettable characters, vivid descriptions of western life, and plenty of pulse quickening action.
I had heard of three of these titles because of Hollywood adaptations, and thankfully I never watched any of these movies prior to reading the novels. I don’t plan on ever watching them now and risk altering the vivid images these novels invoked with the written word. The character and scenery descriptions are wonderful in each remarkably different writing style and storyline.
Kudos to Ron Hansen for bringing four American west classics together in this collection.
I had heard of three of these titles because of Hollywood adaptations, and thankfully I never watched any of these movies prior to reading the novels. I don’t plan on ever watching them now and risk altering the vivid images these novels invoked with the written word. The character and scenery descriptions are wonderful in each remarkably different writing style and storyline.
Kudos to Ron Hansen for bringing four American west classics together in this collection.
September 1, 2020
The classic western is a "feel good" story where the good guys and the bad guys are clearly defined and the law is enforced with a gun and a rope. These 4 stories should be required reading for everyone. The territories are defined by the strength of their residents with clear, wonderfully defined backgrounds on both. When they say CLASSIC, these stories are what they are speaking of. SHANE alone has been read, watched and quoted so many times, most people do not know where the lines began. Good stories, great characters and awesome descriptions of the territories without gore and sex on every page, make these four authors a must read.
March 8, 2021
This is a beautiful edition, enhanced by an insightful introduction and the kind of ribbon place-marker I would wish on every book. I’ve finished two of the four novels—The Searchers and Warlock—both wonderful. I’m now westerned-out, so will come back for Shane. I won’t touch The Ox-Bow Incident. My assigned 8th grade reading of it was ruined by my teacher’s ponderous overlay of symbols and themes and…well, this was where my gaze would drift to the window.
May 12, 2021
I collect LOA books and picked this one because I thought I should branch out into genre fiction and check out Westerns. I consider myself 'very American' and am realizing it's disturbing how much of my cultural filters and inputs are much more intensively American than I realized.
Westerns, like Jazz, are uniquely American. The landscape and 'strong, self-sufficient white man' mythic comes from the land which was an integral part of creating out American Experience. Out of the hundreds of books in the genre, LOA picked these four as important from a critical acclaim point of view, not from sales.
I read the Ox-Bow Incident. It's a genre buster where the good white guys are not really the good guys. It's vigilantism and a lynching mob novella. What I hadn't realized is that lynching in America was a very, very real thing in the not distant past. It was a very real thing. While this book is white on white violence, lynching was a real white on black act. By chance, I started listening to Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents after finishing The Oxbow Incident and was reflecting on the lynching of blacks in America only to find out Caste directly references The Oxbow Incident. Henry Fonda has a lead role in the movie version and says he was deeply shaken by witnessing the 1919 lynching and burning of Willy Brown. If you want to see an extremely disturbing picture check out the Wikipedia page for The Omaha Race Riot of 1919
The Ox-Bow incident was written in 1939. The author may have been aware of the Willy Brown lynching, or many others like it, but knowing that makes this seem so much more real.
It's worth reading.....200 pages long, it's a novella really. I think the time frame of the book is 24 hours.
Westerns, like Jazz, are uniquely American. The landscape and 'strong, self-sufficient white man' mythic comes from the land which was an integral part of creating out American Experience. Out of the hundreds of books in the genre, LOA picked these four as important from a critical acclaim point of view, not from sales.
I read the Ox-Bow Incident. It's a genre buster where the good white guys are not really the good guys. It's vigilantism and a lynching mob novella. What I hadn't realized is that lynching in America was a very, very real thing in the not distant past. It was a very real thing. While this book is white on white violence, lynching was a real white on black act. By chance, I started listening to Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents after finishing The Oxbow Incident and was reflecting on the lynching of blacks in America only to find out Caste directly references The Oxbow Incident. Henry Fonda has a lead role in the movie version and says he was deeply shaken by witnessing the 1919 lynching and burning of Willy Brown. If you want to see an extremely disturbing picture check out the Wikipedia page for The Omaha Race Riot of 1919
The Ox-Bow incident was written in 1939. The author may have been aware of the Willy Brown lynching, or many others like it, but knowing that makes this seem so much more real.
It's worth reading.....200 pages long, it's a novella really. I think the time frame of the book is 24 hours.
April 27, 2022
[Full disclosure -- I haven't yet read Warlock of this set, so my review pertains to the other three books only.]
I don't usually read westerns because they tend to be pulp fiction and there are too many good books out there to take time out for trite writing: "triting." All were well written and by no means a waste of valuable reading time. Shane came closest to fitting the stereotype of a "western" novel, but it was still well done.
I don't usually read westerns because they tend to be pulp fiction and there are too many good books out there to take time out for trite writing: "triting." All were well written and by no means a waste of valuable reading time. Shane came closest to fitting the stereotype of a "western" novel, but it was still well done.
November 10, 2020
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So refreshing to re-read these classic westerns, especially The Searchers. All of these novels are landmarks of the Western genre, and greatly deserve a read.
So refreshing to re-read these classic westerns, especially The Searchers. All of these novels are landmarks of the Western genre, and greatly deserve a read.
August 9, 2021
Of the 4 novels in this book the most heroic is Shane, the most thoughtful is The Oxbow Indicent,and the best adventure is The Searchers. Warlock is the longest and can get tedious, but it is still a good read
March 22, 2023
‘Shane’ was the standout, so good and intense it was hard to read — five stars; and ‘The Ox-bow Incident’ was a very well-told tale— four stars; but ‘The Searchers’ was overlong, though not bad — three stars; and ‘Warlock’ just didn’t have enough going for it, and there was no call for its monstrous length, so I didn’t get to the end of it — two stars.
January 24, 2021
This is another fine collection from Library of America. Physically, the product is excellent, and the content is well-curated.
July 13, 2021
Great introduction to the Western genre for those who have not read it before, or want to establish a foundation. Selections are short enough that they would work for a class assignment.
November 7, 2024
Interesting reading the Ox-Bow Incident and Shane--the themes of justice and sacrifice are particularly poignant when considering the time frame they were written.
July 25, 2022
horse girl Bible
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