The Lawless West [Mass Market Paperback]

Louis L'Amour (Author), Zane Grey (Author), Max Brand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2007

In the field of Western fiction, three authors stand unmatched: L’Amour, Grey and Brand. Now three of their best short novels are collected in a single volume. Zane Grey’s From Missouri has been restored from the author’s own manuscript and is appearing in paperback in its corrected form. Max Brand’s Over the Northern Border is a classic tale of stage coach robbery and relentless pursuit, also corrected and restored from the author’s original manuscript. Louis L’Amour’s Riders of the Dawn debuted in Giant Western magazine in 1951 and appears here in that original version, as L’Amour himself first intended it. Enjoy these three classic tales and experience the Western the way it was meant to be.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Louis L'Amour, a #1 New York Times bestselling author in both hardcover and mass market, wrote 120 novels and dozens of short stories during his lifetime! L'Amour released his first novel, Hondo, in 1953 and consistently produced 3 novels a year until his death in 1988. Since his death, over 80 million additional copies of his work have been sold. There are more than 300 million copies of his books in print. He was the first American author ever to be awarded a Special National Gold Medal by the United States Congress for lifetime achievement. He also received the Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan.

One of America's most prolific novelists, Zane Grey is the author of nearly 90 books. He published his first novel in 1910. His early work was serialized in pulp magazines, but by 1918 he had graduated to the slick magazine market. There are 109 films based on his works.

Max Brand is the best-known pen name of Frederick Faust, creator of Dr. Kildare, Destry, and many other fictional characters popular with readers and viewers worldwide. He wrote for a variety of audiences in many genres. His enormous output, totaling approximately thirty million words or the equivalent of 530 ordinary books, covered nearly every field: crime, fantasy, historical romance, espionage, Westerns, science-fiction, adventure, animal stories, love, war, big business, big medicine, and fashionable society. 80 motion pictures have been based on his works, as well as TV series, radio shows, and a Broadway musical.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843957875
• ISBN-13: 978-0843957877
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,254,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Westerns > Louis L'Amour

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Novellas by Three Western Top Guns!, October 6, 2007

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lawless West (Mass Market Paperback)

LAWLESS WEST is the third and final collection of short novels written by Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour and Max Brand to be published by Leisure Books. (The other volumes were UNTAMED WEST and GOLDEN WEST). Considering how important Grey, Brand and L'Amour were to the genre, Leisure's trilogy is an excellent way to rediscover each author in turn.

First off, I have to admit it's been 40 years plus or minus since I've read works by Grey or Brand. And I never was a L'Amour fan; quantity not equaling quality in my book.

In any case, Grey's "From Missouri" leads off the trio of stories, being a short novel about a Missouri schoolmarm who is lured out west under somewhat false pretenses. She eventually finds true love in this quaintly charming piece.

Max Brand's "Over the Northern Border" is the best story in the book. It's a wonderful tale of Jack Trainor, a fugitive from justice who winds up in the Canadian Rockies. Lost in the wilderness, he is saved by a simple-minded trapper. Over the course of some months, he repays the trapper by embroidering the letters the trapper sends to his fiance. When Trainor meets the lady in question he too is smitten but nevertheless helps the trapper find happiness. Brand's tale is a marvelous story populated by believable, likable human beings who value honor and friendship.

To be honest, Louis L'Amour's "Riders of the Dawn," the longest novel in the book, is a bit much to take. Matt Sabre, the story's hero, is a cocky gunfighter who wanders into a town and, in short order, sees a woman, decides he's going to marry her - and tells her to her face! - and then gets himself involved in a range war. The subsequent events that play out are interesting enough but the Sabre character is way too much in love with himself for my tastes.

In short, LAWLESS WEST is a mixed bag. The Zane Grey and Max Brand stories make it a worthwhile purchase though.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Ridiculous Comment, September 18, 2007

By 

Robert J. Millikin "renowned know-it-all" (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lawless West (Mass Market Paperback)

What a ridiculous opinion expressed by the gentleman from Arkansas. Max Brand was an American who graduated from Berkley and worked on ranches in the summers. In short, he knew the West. I believe he is confusing Max Brand with Karl May.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Max Brand's Over The Northern Border, November 4, 2007

By 

GrayTexan (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lawless West (Mass Market Paperback)

Max Brand's "Over the Northern Border" is a short story of 80 pages or so, and I enjoyed it very much. The main character takes the rap for a crime he didn't commit in order to protect his brother-in-law. In so doing, he becomes a fugitive, and the story expands nicely from there. As for the reviewer from Arkansas, with all due respect, we are reviewing a book, not reviewing the author's skill on a horse or with a gun.