The Golden Spurs: The Best of Western Short Fiction

by Dale L. Walker (Editor), Loren D. Estleman

From out of the west comes THE GOLDEN SPURS--the best Western short stories selected by the Western Writers of America.

From the Indians before the coming of the white man, from the deadly shootouts to steadfast wagon trains, from women in horrifying Indian captivity to life and death battles between cattlemen and sheepmen, this is the Western short story at its very best.

Included are the most popular, most read, and most loved of Western writers: James Bellah, author of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Dorothy M. Johnson, author of A Man Called Horse and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, and Will Henry, the most detailed and authentic Western writer of them all. The Golden Spurs is a prize for anyone who loves the west as it used to be.

Genres: Westerns

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so nice to read an anthology where every story is a winner (literally and metaphorically.) But out of a stellar bunch, I liked Fred Grove's story "Comanche Woman" best. That and Robert J. Conley's "Yellow Bird: An Imaginary Biography" give a much more realistic look at what American Indians had to go through than the large and small screens often portray.



If you've never read Westerns before because you think you know what Westerns are all about, give this book a try and maybe you'll change your mind. If you like fantasy novels, you'll find much to like with this Western anthology.



Selections:

* "Foreward" by Elmore Kelton.
* "Introduction" by Our Editor.
* "Gun Job" by Thomas Thompson. (1953)
* "Bad Company" by S. Omar Barker. (1955)
* "Lost Sister" by Dorothy S. Johnson. (1956)
* "Thief In Camp" by Bill Gulick. (1958)
* "Isley's Stranger" by Will Henry. (1962)
* "Commanche Woman" by Fred Grove. (1963)
* "A Season for Heroes" by Carla Kelly. (1978).
* "Jason Glendauer's Watch" by James Bellah. (1979)
* "One Man's Code" by Wayne Barton. (1980)
* "Horseman" by Oakley Hall. (1982)
* "The Ten Sleep Mail" by William F. Bragg, Jr. (1983)
* "Sale of One Small Ranch" by Paul St. Pierre. (1984)
* "The Way it Was Told to Me" by Bill Brett. (1985)
* "The Bandit" by Loren D. Esteban. (1986)
* "Yellow Bird: An Imaginary Autobiography" by Robert J. Conley. (1988)

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great award winning short stories.

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You cannot go wrong with this selection of short stories assembled by the Western Writers of America. The foreword by Elmer Kelton is what drove me to purchase this book, and I was not disappointed.