Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bob Zane is the MAN! Great desert mysteries!,
This review is from: Pay Dirt: And Other Whispering Sands Stories of Gold Fever and the Western Desert (Hardcover)
Gardner's 2nd collection of Bob Zane stories is as good as the first, maybe a little better! These stories are, to me, the written equivalent of Duane Eddy's best music: both men powerfully evoke the desert southwest in a cool, thundering, unpretentious way that is above imitation. Read these stories wherever you can find them, especially if you live in the SW USA. Tight pulp fiction from the golden age (the '30s) by a man who obviously knew and greatly loved the desert.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stories About Life in the Desert,
By Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pay Dirt: And Other Whispering Sands Stories of Gold Fever and the Western Desert (Hardcover)
Erle Stanley Gardner was the most popular writer of all time, his paperback sales exceeded every other author who has ever lived (p.7). These "Whispering Tales" were written in the early 1930s and take place in those days. The main character is "Bob Zane", a middle-aged prospector whose adventures provided entertainment in the days before radio and TV. Those opinions may reflect the society of that time in order to be published. Charles Waugh and Martin Greenberg include many quotes about "life, civilization, and the desert" from a fictional character. Even if they are true they are still one-sided and unrepresentative of most people's realities, then or now. "Bob Zane" could be a composite character derived from the stories of old prospectors in the desert. These nine stories were first published in `Argosy' magazine and run about 30-40 pages. "Bob Zane" exists to comment on the events that he is involved with (like in Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"). This tales involve "gold, crime, and romance" (the usual ingredients for murder mysteries). Their importance is to illustrate the fast-paced writing style of Erle Stanley Gardner. There is another volume titled "Whispering Sands".
"Singing Sand" tells how Bob Zane guided Harry Karg into Yaqui country. Lots of men went there but few have returned. Does Karg seek gold or a missing woman? The ending is ironic but expected. [Did those silver bullets inspire a radio serial?] "The Land of Painted Rocks" explains why a yellow metal became a curse to the Navajo Indians. This story illustrates the perils of the desert to unwary strangers. "The Big Circle" tells about gold mining in Nevada. An old prospector stumbles into a restaurant. Why would anyone want to hurt him? Could evidence be planted to convict the wrong man? "Pay Dirt" begins with a man lost in the desert, dying of thirst and exposure to the sun. He made a new will naming Pete Harder as trustee. What will happen to the dead man's son? Can he unlearn the lessons of college? There is a surprise ending. "The Land of Poisoned Springs" has Bob Zane being hired by George Fargo to lead a party to Burro Springs. Will they find fortune or failure? The story tells about treachery in the desert, and the triumph of rough justice. "Stamp of the Desert" tells of a newcomer who travels out on the desert and makes mistakes. Hi-grading is the taking of gold by hired miners for their personal use. Could an innocent man be framed as a cover-up of the real hi-graders? "Law of the Ghost Town" is a story about personalities, property, and the law. Could a tenderfoot swindle an old prospector? Could the swindled prospector even things up? "The Law of Drifting Sand" explains the method of constructing railroads or highways in the desert. The story is how a young woman and her friend were able to find buried gold in spite of attempts of robbery and murder. "The Whip Hand" tells how Bob Zane encountered a woman fleeing from a band of crooks who want to rob murder her for her gold claim. Zane misdirects the crooks and saves his life, the girl's life and her gold claim.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
