A YOUNG BOY MUST LEARN THE WAYS OF A WARRIOR IF HE IS EVER TO BECOME A PIT GUARD Far to the north of Ananduil, in the province of Kedielewen, a peaceful fishing village celebrates the harvest year when raiders attack. Orphaned and left to fend for himself after the massacre of his entire village, the tanner’s boy chances upon an encounter with a seasoned soldier, Commander Steigauf. A Pit Guard of Dendadia. Taken under Steigauf’s wing, the boy begins his training at the Shiverwind barracks and quickly gathers the skills to defend himself and fight for others. When a rider from across the land arrives seeking help with an investigation of the heinous murder of an unknown traveller, the boy accompanies Steigauf and a small band of unskilled soldiers, to Mountainfall, a place with a terrifying history and reputation. Along the way, the boy battles his inner demons, discovers love, and prepares to stare into the face of death. But nothing could prepare him for what awaits at Mountainfall.

“This book constitutes a very welcome contribution to the public appreciation and scholarly study of Henry Ossawa Tanner, a painter of considerable significance in both Europe and America, and one whose religious imagery merits careful consideration. These well-researched essays by an international team of scholars offer substantial reflections on complex issues of race and religion, and situate the artist’s work and career within the context of his life and times. This is a robust framing of Tanner as a cultural phenomenon and one that readers will find quite rewarding.”—David Morgan, Professor of Religion at Duke University and author of The Embodied Eye: Religious Visual Culture and the Social Life of Feeling “Henry Ossawa Tanner has finally been recognized as an important artist in the last twenty years, and is now firmly part of the American canon as the first major African American painter to emerge from the academy. This book enriches our understanding of Tanner’s historic place in American art by considering his work as an early modernist religious artist—a status entwined with his race, but not defined by it. These essays, by an impressive collection of scholars, are full of substantially new material, and succeed in broadening our conception of Tanner’s life and work.”—Bruce Robertson, Professor of Art and Architecture at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

A series debut from America’s greatest Western storytellers. One man’s epic fight for justice begins as so many legends do: in a hailstorm of bullets. After spending most of his young life driving cattle from Texas to Nevada, Will Tanner is ready to wash the trail dust from his throat. Maybe it’s fate that brings him to the Morning Glory Saloon near Fort Smith—or just plain bad luck—because no sooner does he sit down than three rough-looking characters walk into the bar with vengeance in their eyes, guns at their sides . . . and fingers on their triggers. The trio’s target is the famous U.S. Deputy Marshal Dove who arrested one of their kin—and who’s sitting in the bar near Will Tanner. Seeing that Dove is facing losing odds, Will Tanner makes a decision that changes his life forever. He draws, takes aim, and saves the deputy’s life. Tanner has himself a new job, a badge, and enough grit to make him a legend on the American frontier. Praise for the novels of William W. Johnstone “For most fans of the Western genre, there isn’t a bet much surer than a book bearing the name Johnstone.”—True West “[A] rousing, two-fisted saga of the growing American frontier.”—Publishers Weekly on Eyes of Eagles “There’s plenty of gunplay and fast-paced action as this old-time hero proves again that a steady eye and quick reflexes are the keys to survival on the Western frontier.”—Curled Up with a Good Book on Dead Before Sundown

Will Tanner is no ordinary lawman. He’s a force of nature. But when he’s outnumbered by rustlers, outgunned by outlaws—and stalked by a killer fresh out of jail—he’s in for the fight of his life… Johnstone Country. Forecast: Deadly. There’s a storm brewing in Oklahoma Territory, and this time, it’s deadly serious. Local cattle ranches are being targeted by Texas rustlers—and the only man who can keep it from turning into a bloodbath is U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Tanner. The newly married lawman hates to leave his beautiful bride Sophie, but duty calls—for better or worse. In Tanner’s experience, it’s usually worse. An unexpected confrontation with outlaws is just the bloody beginning. Then an escaped convict catches wind of the fact that Tanner killed his brother. Now Will’s really in the crosshairs. Tanner knows he’s riding straight into a perfect storm of vengeance and slaughter, with only one way to end it—a hailstorm of hot lead. Live Free. Read Hard.

"The Tanners is a contender for Funniest Book of the Year."—The Village Voice The Tanners, Robert Walser’s amazing 1907 novel of twenty chapters, is now presented in English for the very first time, by the award-winning translator Susan Bernofsky. Three brothers and a sister comprise the Tanner family—Simon, Kaspar, Klaus, and Hedwig: their wanderings, meetings, separations, quarrels, romances, employment and lack of employment over the course of a year or two are the threads from which Walser weaves his airy, strange and brightly gorgeous fabric. Robert Walser—admired greatly by Kafka, Musil, and Walter Benjamin—is a radiantly original author. He has been acclaimed “unforgettable, heart-rending” (J.M. Coetzee), “a bewitched genius” (Newsweek), and “a major, truly wonderful, heart-breaking writer” (Susan Sontag). Considering Walser’s “perfect and serene oddity,” Michael Hofmann in The London Review of Books remarked on the “Buster Keaton-like indomitably sad cheerfulness [that is] most hilariously disturbing.” The Los Angeles Times called him “the dreamy confectionary snowflake of German language fiction. He also might be the single most underrated writer of the 20th century....The gait of his language is quieter than a kitten’s.” “A clairvoyant of the small” W. G. Sebald calls Robert Walser, one of his favorite writers in the world, in his acutely beautiful, personal, and long introduction, studded with his signature use of photographs.

This book explores the life of a colonial tanner and his importance to the community, as well as everyday life, responsibilities, and social practices during that time.

Johnstone Country. Keeping the West wild. U.S. Marshal Will Tanner is one hell of a manhunter. But this time, he’s chasing six men across three states with one gun and no backup. This isn’t justice. This is a suicide mission . . . DIG YOUR OWN GRAVE It starts with a prison break in Missouri. When notorious bank robber Ansel McCoy busts out, he teams up with five other outlaws. Then he and his gang rob a bank in Kansas. Now they’re crossing state lines into Oklahoma Indian Territory. And that’s where U.S. Marshal Will Tanner steps in. Other marshals from Kansas and Missouri have already lost the trail. Which means Tanner has to go it alone. Deep in the wilderness. Outnumbered and outgunned. One good man against six blood-crazed killers. Even if he manages to survive the elements and find McCoy’s hideout, it’s not just the end of his search. It’s his funeral . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

America’s greatest western storytellers continue the explosive new legend of Will Tanner, a U.S. deputy marshal who deals in red-hot lead. The train grinds to a halt somewhere in the Creek Nation, and the bandits get onboard. They take everything on the train worth stealing and gun down a guard to make their escape—just another notch on the belt for Ben Trout and Zack Larsen, two of the most savage killers in the west. U.S. Deputy Marshal Ed Pine follows them to Muskogee. There the trail runs cold, and Ed Pine disappears. To save his friend, Deputy Will Tanner rides for Muskogee, where justice extends only as far as the range of a Colt .45. Tanner earned his badge in a blistering gunfight, when he got the drop on a trio of killers and saved the life of another fellow marshal. Now, he’ll have to be just as quick—and just as deadly. To bring in Trout and Larsen, Tanner must set his badge aside, and resort to the law of the gun. Praise for the novels of William W. Johnstone “For most fans of the Western genre, there isn’t a bet much surer than a book bearing the name Johnstone.”—True West “[A] rousing, two-fisted saga of the growing American frontier.”—Publishers Weekly on Eyes of Eagles “There’s plenty of gunplay and fast-paced action as this old-time hero proves again that a steady eye and quick reflexes are the keys to survival on the Western frontier.”—Curled Up with a Good Book on Dead Before Sundown

Maybe tomorrow it will be better... Zander Baker has spent years forcing a smile onto his face to make the world believe he is a happy man. In reality, it's a facade for the battered person he truly is. Living a life imprisoned in an abusive relationship, Zander doesn't know how to break free. Ordinary enjoyments are not within his reach. Not only has he lost all his friends, but over the last seven years, he's lost himself as well. Tanner Mathews has recently returned to the city and needs to start life all over again. New job, new friends and a new relationship are top of his list. When he meets his niece's new preschool teacher he is drawn in by his good looks and shy personality. Sadly, Zander is involved with someone else. Settling for friendship, Tanner soon realizes there is a lot more to Zander than what he shows the world. As their friendship struggles to grow, and details about Zander's life come to the surface, Tanner finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. His heart aches for Zander and all he wants to do is help the man break free. Can Tanner help Zander reclaim his life? Will his feelings for his friend interfere with his intentions? What happens if it all goes wrong? Will love conquer all in the end?"