Stand Proud [Mass Market Paperback]

Elmer Kelton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2001

In Stand Proud, one of his most controversial novels, legendary Western writer Elmer Kelton takes on a character who is not as easy to like as he is to admire. Frank Claymore is cantankerous, stubborn, and intolerant--just the qualities that make him a success as an open-range cattle rancher on the West Texas frontier. Stand Proud follows Claymore form the time of the Civil War to the dawn of the twentieth century--through marriage, births, deaths, and a creeping change in the society that once hailed him as a hero, and which later has him condemned as a despoiler and tried for murder. Based in part of legendary rancher Charles Goodnight, Claymore is only one example of the many men who dreamed of cattle, and through their dedication to that dream came to change the face of Western history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Elmer Kelton is a Texas treasure." -El Paso Herald-Post

"Recently voted 'the greatest Western writer of all time' by the Western Writers of America, Kelton creates characters more complex than L'Amour's."-Kirkus Reviews

"Elmer Kelton writes of early Texas with unerring authority. His knowledge of the state's history is complete, too-drawn from the lives of real people . . . . The fate of Texas is at hand, and Kelton will have readers eager to find out what happens."-Fort Worth Star-Telegram

About the Author

Elmer Kelton, author of more than forty novels, grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. For forty-two years he had a parallel career in agricultural journalism.

Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Among his best-known works have been The Time It Never Rained and The Good Old Boys, the latter made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones.

He served in the infantry in World War II. He and his wife, Ann, a native of Austria, live in San Angelo, Texas. They have three children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1 edition (February 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812561619
• ISBN-13: 978-0812561616
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,772,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elmer Kelton of San Angelo, Texas is a native Texan and author of over 50 Western novels. He has won many awards for his work and has been recognized as the Greatest Western Writer of all time by the Western Writers of America, Inc. He is the author of Forge's Texas Ranger series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Epic Tale Of Change, August 28, 2001

By 

LJF - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stand Proud (Mass Market Paperback)

Story of Frank Claymore, Texas cattleman, and the settling of America's western frontier. It spans roughly fourty years, beginning during the Civil War, and subtly shares morality lessons throughout. It paints generational change, both on a personal level and that of greater society's mindsets and needs. Touching and epic, it isn't monumental. In barely three hundred pages, Elmer Kelton takes the reader on a fascinating ride through the fight for and taming of West Texas land as seen through the life of Frank Claymore. The story has an understated tone, yet tugs emotions at deftly plotted moments. Kelton writes to the beat of the human heart. His characters are so real, they could be your neighbors, your family, yourself. I saw a bit of Claymore in myself and am not proud to admit that fact. Claymore isn't a typical hero. He's a rough, difficult, keep-your-emotions-in-check business man. He has high expectations of himself, is a tireless worker, and expects the same of every one else. He's an "A" personality to the nth degree. He has few, but extremely loyal, friends. They're loyal because he is to them. Because he had proven to be a decent, though contentious man, who would put his life on the line and keep it there. Kelton keeps the breadth of this epic to a comfortable size by alluding to many events and stories rather than expositing first hand on every scene. Most of the story is told in flashback sequences which work well with the style Kelton used to tell this tale. By the end of the book, you understand Claymore enough to admire him and feel deeply sorry for him. It's a story of pride, determination, want, and humanity's stoic, unrelenting nature. Elmer Kelton is a writer with tremendous talent. He's a journalist who doesn't write like one. He's loaded with imagination and Stand Proud is one of finer efforts. I didn't give it five stars is because the book didn't take my life over to the degree of being compelled to read it in one sitting. That is a rareity for me to do, so, the books that compel me that way deserve five stars. Stand Proud deserves four and a half.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KELTON SHOULD "STAND PROUD", July 24, 2001

By 

Mac Blair "Mac Blair" (Huntingdon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stand Proud (Mass Market Paperback)

I had read a lot of Kelton books and if I remember right they have all been pretty good. "Stand Proud" is one of the best. It is the story of Frank Claymore. A man who has nothing but his love for a woman. Does he get the woman?? NO way. This make him a bitter man. The story takes him from the Civil War, to fighting Indians to building a hugh cattle ranch. He finally gets married to another woman but is unable to tell her his true feelings. The story line is very good. Lots of action and true to life cowboy adventures. He is brought before a Judge and jury for killing a man. He did not do it but he cannot make anyone believe he did not. He is now an old man and not in good health. The book goes back and forth between the courthouse and his life as he lived it. The ending is great and very good. Kelton writes so in your mind you can see the valley he calls home. Would like to be there myself. If you like stories about the west of long ago and the hard times people had, you will like this book. A very good western read.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kelton at his best!, February 24, 2000

By 

Stephen W. Stuckert (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stand Proud (Texas Tradition Series) (Hardcover)

I have had the good fortune to read most of Elmer Kelton's books, however, "Stand Proud" has somehow eluded me until just recently. I have often said that, in my humble opinion, "The Man Who Rode Midnight" was Kelton's finest. Now, I'm not so sure.