The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains (Dover Thrift Editions) - Softcover

Owen Wister

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486449041 ISBN 13: 9780486449043

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2006

Synopsis

A strong, silent stranger rides into the lawless lands of the western frontier, battles horse thieves, deals with unyielding scoundrels, and wins the heart of a schoolmarm. Owen Wister's 1902 classic — the first great novel of the American West — is rich in moral drama and vernacular wit. His hero — like knights of old — lives by an enduring code of chivalry and is governed by quiet courage and a deep sense of honor.
Set in the vast Wyoming territory, this masterpiece helped establish the code of the West and its stereotypical characters: the genteel but brave, white-hatted cowboy, the pretty spinster from back East, and villains beyond redemption. The novel is also on record for incorporating the first known "shootout" in American literature.
Performed in theaters before it was made into several motion pictures and a television series, The Virginian was voted by the Western American Writers in 1977 as the greatest Western novel of all time. Brimming with action, romance, and atmosphere, it remains a classic of frontier fiction.

About this title

About the Author:

Owen Wister (1860-1938) is the author of The Virginian, the most popular Western ever, as well as numerous short stories, operas, plays, poetry, and nonfiction, including biographies of Ulysses S. Grant and George Washington.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0486449041
• ISBN 13: 9780486449043
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304