The Collected Stories of Max Brand [Hardcover]

Max Brand (Author), Robert Easton (Editor), Jane Easton (Editor), William Bloodworth Jr. (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 1994

Max Brand's novels and stories have defined the West for thousands of readers attracted to his bright, vigorous prose. John Cawelti, Russel G. Nye, and other scholars of the Western view his work as key in the development of the genre. Between 1917 and 1944 he wrote prolifically, making Max Brand one of America's most popular writers.

But Max Brand wasn't his real name, and his work extended well beyond boots and saddles. Born Frederick Schiller Faust, he realized his name would be a hindrance when World War I was raging. He took the name Max Brand and made it famous. Along the way he invented characters who became famous, too: Dr. Kildare, for instance, and secret agent Anthony Hamilton.

This volume collects eighteen of the very best of Brand's short fiction, taken from different genres and different times of his life. Included are "Above the Law," "Outcast Breed," "The Sun Stood Still," and others of his greatest Western stories. Brand's versatility is shown with "Internes Can't Take Money" (the debut of Dr. Kildare), "John Ovington Returns," an early story with elements of fantasy and autobiography, and "The Strange Villa," an action-packed spy story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brand (the pen name of Frederick Schiller Faust) was one of the most prolific and protean pulp writers of the century. (Born in 1892, he was killed while serving as a war correspondent in Italy during WWII). Though best known for his westerns, Brand also wrote spy thrillers and created the character of Dr. Kildare. According to Bloodworth's introduction, in one three-year period during the early '30s, Brand produced more than five million words-equivalent to 75 pulp-length books. The breadth of Brand's work-written under 20 pseudonyms and totaling nearly 900 stories and novels-is well represented in the 18 stories collected here, which range from early tales ("John Ovington Returns," a surprisingly tender love story) to posthumously published selections (including another fine love story, "Honor Bright"). Among the high points are "Internes Can't Take Money," the first Dr. Kildare tale, and "The Strange Villa," which introduces suave Secret Service Agent-and James Bond precursor-Anthony Hamilton and is set in Monte Carlo. Brand's western fiction is also well represented.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Max Brand, whose real name was Frederick Schiller Faust, was one of the most prolific writers of the pulp-fiction era. He is best known for his western novels, but as Brand (he also used more than 20 other pseudonyms), he produced almost 900 short stories. These 18 selections represent his nonwestern work--with a couple of exceptions--and showcase Faust's "serious" fiction. Of particular interest is "A Special Occasion," which features an autobiographical central character who shares with Faust a failing marriage, a clinging mistress, a drinking problem, and serious doubts about his profession. Also of interest is "Interns Can't Take Money," which marks the debut of young doctor Jimmy Kildare, perhaps Faust's most well-known character. Strangely enough, it's not the medical soap opera one might expect. Rather, it's a surprisingly good hard-boiled tale of hoods, blackmail, and ethical choices. Each entry is preceded by a detailed description of the story and its context within Faust's career. The Brand name will generate interest, and the overall quality of the stories will please even those readers who were expecting chaps and six-guns. Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 346 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (August 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803212445
• ISBN-13: 978-0803212442
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,286,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WORTHY COLLECTION, June 1, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Collected Stories of Max Brand (Hardcover)

To many, the stories of Max Brand embodied the West. However, Max Brand was not his real name; he published under 20 different pseudonyms, and his oeuvre encompassed much more than trail drives, cowboys and Indians. He is the creator of Dr. Kildare and Destry.

Although the task seems insurmountable, the editors selected 18 stories from the nearly 900 penned by the man whose real name was Frederick Schiller Faust. Arranged chronologically, the collection opens with the very early "John Ovington Returns," written in 1918. Slightly autobiographical, Faust had told his young wife that he was about to leave her and their baby daughter to go to war, just as the fictional John Ovington reveals to the woman he loves.

The concluding piece, "The King," was written when Faust hoped to bring his Arthurian legends to the screen. Instead, he was put to work script doctoring or upgrading other people's work. "The King," which was found among Faust's papers after his death concerns illusions, and an aging king of Hollywood actors.

In between these two tales, the reader is treated to the breadth of Faust's fiction, some of which, such as "Our Daily Bread," placed the focus on more current cultural mores and themes.

First published to honor the centennial of Faust's birth, "The Collected Stories of Max Brand" is a richly woven tapestry of one man's literary gifts.

- Gail Cooke

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Internes Can't Take Money" by Max Brand, January 26, 2008

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Collected Stories of Max Brand (Hardcover)

Say the name Max Brand and people generally think Western. But this prolific writer from the pulp era dabbled in many genres, from spy stories to fantasy and even poetry (the work he saw as his true calling).

Brand even created the character of Dr. Jimmy Kildare, featured in over a dozen movies and two television series. The Collected Stories of Max Brand showcases mainly his non-Western work to great effect, including the first Kildare tale, "Internes Can't Take Money" (published in Cosmopolitan of all places in 1936).

Crime fans will likely enjoy this first foray into the medical drama, since it is contains a touch of the noir. Internist Jimmy Kildare gets involved in a Damon Runyon-esque (only without as much humor) cadre of criminal types in a situation that eventually folds in on itself in a manner more than somewhat reminiscent of O. Henry but still very satisfying.

Throughout, as Kildare is patching up various gunshot wounds and the like, he stays true to his calling and never accepts a dime for his work -- until a friend of his desperately needs money. Then he is more than willing to accept the cash.

Though "Internes Can't Take Money" is not a great story, it is highly entertaining and, more importantly, inspired a film the next year (starring Joel McCrea) that eventually gave rise to the series (movie, radio, and TV) that would make the now-surprising idea of a good doctor who is also ethical into a pop-culture icon. The character also made its author a very rich man. And it all started with this story.