Classic Western Literature

America's richest legends come from the frontier - from the land where the events of a single moment might erase the lines between law and lawlessness, between safety and mortal danger, between heroes and villains. The carefully selected stories in this collection are vibrant proof that the great American West is a fertile ground to storytellers. Here is the most varied collection of short stories by 17 highly acclaimed Western writers.

Tiny yet prospering Benficklin, Texas, wants a clean, respectable town marshal to safeguard their pristine community from the kind of riffraff that turned neighboring Santa Angela into a raucous string of blood-spattered saloons and bawdy sporting houses. Former Texas Ranger Emmett Strong seems to be just the man Benficklin’s town fathers are looking for. Reputations aside, Benficklin - not Santa Angela - is the town with the next scandal on its hands, when the ravaged body of a young, murdered Mexican girl is found lying in the middle of Main Street.

In this short essay, Mark Twain discusses the patriot William Tell, the city of Interlaken, and the Jungfrau mountain. He describes the beauty of the landscape with great admiration.

Mat Karney knew the score in Toltec Valley. A man needed enough land and water for his cattle or he was through. When Mat's neighbor, Big Tom Parks, began sneaking in nesters, a showdown was inevitable. Especially when Parks had the Law in his vest pocket. But Mat never figured that the blow-off would have the savage ferocity of a maddened herd on a rampage. Nor did he expect to find himself hunted by hardcases and deputies alike.

In When East Met West, W.C. Tuttle brings his signature blend of wit and Western action to the story of a polished Easterner who finds himself out of his element in the rugged frontier. When city manners collide with cowboy code, sparks—and laughter—fly. What starts as a culture clash becomes an unlikely alliance as both men confront local trouble, outlaws, and misunderstandings that can only be solved with grit, charm, and a whole lot of humor.

A narrative of the unparalleled adventures of Matthew Brayton is compiled for the satisfaction of those who wished to preserve a memorial of his romantic history. Extraordinary as the incidents may appear, there is abundant proof of their entire truth. Living witnesses bear testimony to the circumstances of the mysterious loss of the hero, and his identity is established by incontrovertible proofs. Numerous circumstances also confirm the account given by him of his adventures during the 34 years spent among the Indians.

The five children have grown up, and World War I has begun in earnest. The sand fairy has become a creature of stories...until, for the first time in 10 years, he suddenly reappears. Before this last adventure ends, all will be changed; the two younger children will have seen the Great War from every possible viewpoint, and the war's impact will be felt right at the heart of their family.

Francis Bret Harte (1839-1902) was an American short story writer and poet, best remembered for his short stories set against the background of the California gold rush. He himself set off at the age of 15 to become a gold miner and absorbed the rough atmosphere of the mining camps, which he used as a setting against which the interplay of human emotions stands out poignantly. 'Miggles' is an outstanding example of his humorously tender style which made his stories so popular.

TEXAS EMPIRE MATT BRAUN Jack Jordan, an Indian fighter turned trailblazer and cattleman, is willing to risk it all for a spread of Texas land in the uncharted Llano Estacado—and for the adventure of a lifetime. Already a legend before turning thirty years old, Jordan's greatest quest still...

First published in 1934, this new Raging Bull edition contains the original text as well as background articles.

Fresh from West Point, Second Lieutenant Marcus Cavanaugh arrives with a platoon of recruits from the East into territory seething with Indian trouble. Two Eagles and his renegade band of Cheyenne warriors have broken the peace, raiding railroad crews and wagon trains, slaughtering men, women, and children, then disappearing into the hills. Scouting for Two Eagles' war party, Cavanaugh, at last, discovers their winter village, barely escaping with his life to report back to the fort. But nothing in his military training has prepared him for the danger he encounters.

The St. Charles Players present a unique telling of Owen Wister's classic Western, in a new multi-cast dramatization performed in exciting Radio Theatre style.

Beliefs and passions become intertwined with betrayal and violence in this classic adventure tale, performed in exciting Radio Theatre style by a full cast.

In der afrikanischen Wüste erlebt der Hörer spannende Abenteuer. Von Mursuk bis Kairwan stammt aus dem Hörbuch Halbblut (Band 38 der Gesammelten Werke).

Die Geschichte führt in den Wilden Westen, wo der Jäger Tim Summerland dem Dichter Richard Forster das Leben rettet. Doch dies ist erst der Anfang des Abenteuers... Der Pfahlmann stammt aus dem Hörbuch Halbblut (Band 38 der Gesammelten Werke).

Der junge Robert Surcouf hilft in Beausset einem von Soldaten bedrängten Priester. Viele Jahre später wird er als Kaperkapitän gefürchtet. Der Kaperkapitän stammt aus dem Hörbuch Halbblut (Band 38 der Gesammelten Werke).

Doc Holiday Matt Braun He came from the American South, a gentleman by breeding, a dentist by training, a gambler by vocation. But as Dr. John H. Holliday, a man fleeing his tragic past, drifted across the West, living among some of the roughest men on the frontier, word spread quickly he never...

Winnetou und Old Shatterhand treffen auf einen gewissen Mr. Fletcher, der zwei Indianer getötet haben soll, dies jedoch bestreitet. Werden die Blutsbrüder Beweise finden? Der Flucher stammt aus dem Hörbuch Auf fremden Pfaden (Band 23 der Gesammelten Werke).

Based on some of Zane Grey's own real-life adventures exploring the rugged West with professional guides, including the Grand Canyon area, he here tells the story of hunters with their hounds that go to the rim of the Grand Canyon in hopes of capturing mountain lions alive. This is one of Zane Grey's stories that is especially appealing to young listeners.

Buck, Snort, and Skeeter are still trailing a herd of dragons to Skrintax in hopes of selling them for enough to get off Terul and maybe get better pay, easier work, and something to drink. But the obstacles keep mounting - including a tcheka-smoking interlude, hungry dragons, insolent Terullians, and... well, you'll see.