In 'The Greatest Westerns of Robert E. Howard,' readers are transported to the dynamic and thrilling world of the Wild West through Howard's vivid storytelling and action-packed narratives. Known for his gripping tales of adventure, Howard's literary style combines fast-paced action with rich character development, making his Western stories stand out in the genre. This collection showcases some of Howard's most iconic Western works, offering readers a glimpse into the rugged landscapes and complex personalities that define the frontier era. As a pioneer in the genre of Western fiction, Howard's stories continue to captivate audiences with their timeless themes of courage, honor, and the struggle for justice. Through his detailed descriptions and compelling dialogue, Howard brings the Wild West to life in a way that is both authentic and entertaining. Fans of Western literature and readers seeking thrilling tales of the American frontier will find 'The Greatest Westerns of Robert E. Howard' to be a captivating and memorable read.

“[Behind Howard’s stories] lurks a dark poetry and the timeless truth of dreams.” –Robert Bloch “Howard’s writing seems so highly charged with energy that it nearly gives off sparks.” –Stephen King The classic pulp magazines of the early twentieth century are long gone, but their action-packed tales live on through the work of legendary storyteller Robert E. Howard. From his fecund imagination sprang an army of larger-than-life heroes–including the iconic Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull of Atlantis, Solomon Kane, and Bran Mak Morn–as well as adventures that would define a genre for generations. Now comes the second volume of this author’s breathtaking short fiction, which runs the gamut from sword and sorcery, historical epic, and seafaring pirate adventure to two-fisted crime and intrigue, ghoulish horror, and rip-roaring western. Kull reigns supreme in “By This Axe I Rule!” and “The Mirrors of Tuzan Thune”; Conan conquers in one of his most popular exploits, “The Tower of the Elephant”; Solomon Kane battles demons deep in Africa in “Wings in the Night”; and itinerant boxer Steve Costigan puts up his dukes of steel inside and outside the ring in “The Bulldog Breed.” In between, warrior kings, daring knights, sinister masterminds, grizzled frontiersmen–even Howard’s stunning heroine, Red Sonya–tear up the pages in stories built to thrill by their masterly creator. And in such epic poems as “Echoes from an Anvil,” “Black Harps in the Hills,” and “The Grim Land,” the author blends his classic characters and visceral imagery with a lyricism as haunting as traditional folk balladry. Lavishly illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, here is a Robert E. Howard collection as indispensable as it is unforgettable. “Howard had a gritty, vibrant style–broadsword writing that cut its way to the heart, with heroes who are truly larger than life.” –David Gemmell “For stark, living fear . . . What other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard?” –H. P. Lovecraft

"I was born in the little ex-cowtown of Peaster [Texas],” Robert E. Howard wrote to a friend, and the first story he ever published (in 1922) was a Western sketch. Although he went on to write hundreds of fantasy tales set in Conan’s Hyborian kingdoms, Kull’s ancient Atlantis, and Solomon Kane’s darkest Africa, his heart always remained in the West. In 1929 he began publishing Western tales, but they were unlike any the genre had ever seen—they didn’t have happy endings or perfect heroes. They were grimmer, more action packed, even cataclysmically violent. Howard was fascinated by outlaws and gunmen, especially those who “crossed over” to become lawmen, and he knew and interviewed many “old-timers—old law officers, trail drivers, cattlemen, buffalo hunters, and pioneers.” The twelve stories collected here show a West stripped down to essentials, where internalized codes of personal honor, loyalty, and courage matter more than laws, progress, or civilization. Also included are four articles, suggestive of his wide-ranging interests—from Billy the Kid to the eerie and unexplained happenings on the frontier. “To me the annals of the land pulse with blood and life,” Howard wrote, and his Western stories are full of memorable characters, heart-pounding action, and the distinctive prose generations of fans have come to know, and expect, and appreciate.

The Vultures of Whapeton is a collection of four of Robert E. Howard's serious Western stories. You will enjoy the breakneck adventures of a well-known and beloved cowboy. Contents: The Vultures of Whapeton, Showdown at Hell's Canyon, Drums of the Sunset, Wild Water, Afterword.

In 'The Greatest Westerns of Charles Alden Seltzer', readers are immersed in a collection of masterfully crafted western tales that capture the essence of the American frontier. Seltzer's vivid descriptions and authentic dialogue transport the reader to a time of rugged landscapes and daring adventures. Each story is filled with action, suspense, and moral dilemmas, showcasing Seltzer's depth of character development and plot intricacies. The book stands out in the Western literary genre for its realistic portrayal of life in the Wild West, making it a must-read for enthusiasts of the genre. Seltzer's writing style is both engaging and historically accurate, making his works timeless classics that continue to captivate readers today.

Robert E. Howard turned to writing comic and dialect Western tales only late in his career, but he found an immediate and continuously successful market for them, and they are in many respects his most accomplished and polished works. The sixteen tales collected here are some of the best of his stories, featuring Breckinridge Elkins, Pike Bearfield, and Buckner J. Grimes—three inimitable characters who lead well-intentioned lives of perpetual confusion, mischance, and outright catastrophe. Fifteen of the stories were published between 1934 and 1937 in Action Stories, Argosy, or Cowboy Stories; the other remained unpublished for more than thirty years. Many of these stories were rewritten for book publication and have never been reprinted in their original form. They are reminiscent of traditional southwestern tall tales, told in dialect, featuring larger-than-life characters, swift action, broad satire, and wry humor.

Here are Robert E. Howard’s greatest horror tales, all in their original, definitive versions. Some of Howard’s best-known characters—Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, and sailor Steve Costigan among them—roam the forbidding locales of the author’s fevered imagination, from the swamps and bayous of the Deep South to the fiend-haunted woods outside Paris to remote jungles in Africa. The collection includes Howard’s masterpiece “Pigeons from Hell,” which Stephen King calls “one of the finest horror stories of [the twentieth] century,” a tale of two travelers who stumble upon the ruins of a Southern plantation–and into the maw of its fatal secret. In “Black Canaan” even the best warrior has little chance of taking down the evil voodoo man with unholy powers–and none at all against his wily mistress, the diabolical High Priestess of Damballah. In these and other lavishly illustrated classics, such as the revenge nightmare “Worms of the Earth” and “The Cairn on the Headland,” Howard spins tales of unrelenting terror, the legacy of one of the world’s great masters of the macabre.

"A Gent from Bear Creek" is the title of both an original short story, as well as a novel created by combining several previous short stories with some new material; the previously published short stories were altered a little to create chapters with a continuous story line, and new material was added as additional chapters. The the new stories are: "Striped Shirts And Busted Hearts", "Meet Cap'n Kidd", "Educate Or Bust", and "When Bear Creek Came To Chawed Ear".

In this pathbreaking book one of America’s most distinguished philosophers brilliantly explores the status and authority of law and the nature of political allegiance through close readings of three classic Hollywood Westerns: Howard Hawks’ Red River and John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Searchers.Robert Pippin treats these films as sophisticated mythic accounts of a key moment in American history: its “second founding,” or the western expansion. His central question concerns how these films explore classical problems in political psychology, especially how the virtues of a commercial republic gained some hold on individuals at a time when the heroic and martial virtues were so important. Westerns, Pippin shows, raise central questions about the difference between private violence and revenge and the state’s claim to a legitimate monopoly on violence, and they show how these claims come to be experienced and accepted or rejected.Pippin’s account of the best Hollywood Westerns brings this genre into the center of the tradition of political thought, and his readings raise questions about political psychology and the political passions that have been neglected in contemporary political thought in favor of a limited concern with the question of legitimacy.

In 'The Greatest Westerns of Ernest Haycox', readers are transported back to the American West through a collection of riveting and historically accurate tales. Haycox's unique blend of action, adventure, and realism captivates readers with his vivid descriptions of the Western landscape and the characters who inhabit it. His straightforward and engaging writing style makes the stories accessible to a wide range of readers, while still maintaining a high level of literary quality. This collection showcases Haycox's ability to capture the essence of the Western genre while delving into deeper themes of morality, justice, and the human experience. Ernest Haycox's works continue to be influential in the realm of Western literature, inspiring generations of writers and readers alike to explore the frontier of the American West. His intimate knowledge of the Western landscape and history shines through in each story, making his works a must-read for any fan of the genre or lover of American history.