The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Paperback)

~ B. Traven (Author) "The bench on which Dobbs was sitting was not so good..." (more)
Key Phrases: fifty centavos, emergency train, palm hat, Holy Virgin, Sierra Madre, Mexico City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Traven's philosophical anarchism, his disengagement, his scorn for regimentation and material goods and his love of individual liberty and the primitive past could, conceivably, command as much reverence form the new generation as does Henry David Thoreau."--William Weber Johnson, Los Angeles Times

"He tells his story better than the best storytellers; delves deeper into characters than most so-called psychological writers. All the virility, terseness and tension that Hemingway worked so hard for...seem to be Traven's by birthright."--John Anthony West, Books and Bookmen
-- Review

Review

"Traven's philosophical anarchism, his disengagement, his scorn for regimentation and material goods and his love of individual liberty and the primitive past could, conceivably, command as much reverence form the new generation as does Henry David Thoreau."--William Weber Johnson, Los Angeles Times

"He tells his story better than the best storytellers; delves deeper into characters than most so-called psychological writers. All the virility, terseness and tension that Hemingway worked so hard for...seem to be Traven's by birthright."--John Anthony West, Books and Bookmen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 1st THUS edition (June 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809001608
• ISBN-13: 978-0809001606
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Haney's Book Review, December 16, 2004

By	Will "Phishfan" (Scituate) - See all my reviews

This was a exceptional novel written by a brilliant author. B. Traven captivated the readers mind in this exciting tale about a man with no sense of direction in life and finding two companions to travel along with while finding gold; and what greed can do to a persons psychological thinking. Traven sets the scene in Mexico in the early 1930's right about the time of the oil boom. Dobbs is an a American nobody looking for work in Mexico. He finds work but decides not to stay because he was getting cheated. He met the other main character Curtin while working. Dobbs was in his hotel one night and heard a story about a gold hunt from an old man. He told this story to Curtin and their quest began. They took the old man (Howard) with them because of the fact that he had great knowledge of prospecting. Traven does a magnificent job in describing the trials and tribulations the group of 3 had to go through and what they endured. I loved this book because it had so many captivating stages in the story. Some parts could drag on a little bit but when getting past that it was hard to stop reading. I first saw the movie a couple of years ago and was infatuated with the adventure. My father told me we had the book in our dusty book case. I tried reading it but I just couldn't get into it. Probably because I was to young to understand Traven's perspective. This past couple of months I decided to pick it up and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this daring book about adventure and discovery to anybody who loves adventures.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story about the power and dangers of gold, July 29, 2004

By	T O'Brien (Chicago, Il United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a great story from mysterious author, B. Traven, that was later turned into a movie that was as good as the novel. Treasure begins by introducing Dobbs, a WWI veteran now trying to make a living in Mexico doing oddjobs. After countless failed attempts at keeping a job, Dobbs decides to team up with another wayward American, Curtin, and go mining for gold in the mountains of the Sierra Madre. The two men team up with a grizzled old prospector, Howard, and begin mining. This is an excellent novel about the power gold can have over someone. It has the ability to turn a normal man into a greedy, murderous, violent creature who will do anything for money, gold, and power. Highly recommended.

What makes this novel so appealing is B. Traven's writing style. He is very straightforward in telling the story of three men hoping to hit it big. Also, Traven tells several stories about the history of gold in Mexico through the grizzled old prospector, Howard. These asides help to support the idea of the effect of gold and its power over anyone who comes across it. And if you enjoy this book, I highly recommend seeing the John Huston movie starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt. For a great read that brings the reader into a completely different world, check out The Treasure of the Sierra Madre!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to a Genius, March 17, 2002

By	Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Hardcover)

I read this book when I was in the 7th grade. I did so primarily because I was a real Bogart fan way back then. I hadn't seen this particular movie at the time so the book was a whole new adventure for me. And an adventure it was. For years I was convinced that I, too, would eventually go gold mining in Mexico. I would spend hours trying to think about how I would sneak all my gold back into the country. Mind you, I don't believe I missed the point of the story even in my youth. It is a brilliantly told tale of how greed can destroy a man. Sounds simple enough but the beauty of the book lies in our being able to witness the gradual transformation of Fred C. Dobbs from a likeable, down-on-his-luck vagabond to a despicable, paranoid SOB who is obsessed with his gold. It wasn't until years later that I came to appreciate the politics of the book. As a social (not political) commentary it can stand alone. It worked fine for me that way until I had read his Jungle Books and others novels. Traven is an anarchist first and foremost and he articulates his case in all of his books; often in ways that may not seem readily apparent. Looking back at "Treasure" with this perspective, the images of anachism suddenly seem clear. We see three men down on their luck (read that to mean victims of industrialized society-two of the men were just cheated out of their pay after working, indirectly, for an oil company). They form a pact among themselves and go away from society to make their fortune. While away from society all is idyllic as the men work in harmony with each other, obeying the rules that they agreed on for themselves. A crisis arises when one briefly returns to society for supplies. When he returns, he is followed by others who corrupt the idyllic state. Soon after, there are some indications of changes in Dobbs character but the true changes occur when the decision to return to society is made.

Well, I'm no anarchist and you don't have to be either to enjoy this masterpiece. That, by the way, is true about all of Traven's works.