The Riot At Bucksnort And Other Western Tales (The Works of Robert E. Howard series) - Hardcover

Howard, Robert Ervin; Gentzel, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803224257 ISBN 13: 9780803224254

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 2005

Synopsis

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of the stories were published between 1934 and 1937 in Action Stories, Argosy, or Cowboy Stories; the other remained unpublished for more than thirty years.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.

About this title

About the Author

Robert E. Howard (1906–36) lived and wrote in Cross Plains, Texas. From 1924 until his death, he sold hundreds of stories to pulp-fiction magazines such as Weird Tales, Argosy, Action Stories, Fight Stories, and Cowboy Stories. As a twentieth-century American master of fantastic adventure, he rivals Edgar Rice Burroughs. David Gentzel is a noted Howard scholar and collector, specializing in the humorous Western stories. He is the editor of Busted Ribs and Broken English and a textual consultant for the Wandering Star editions.

Review

"The University of Nebraska Press collections are an important contribution to anyone interested in Robert E. Howard, or just how good pulp fiction can be."—Southwest BookViews (Southwest BookViews)

“An entertaining selection of Western tales, many of which were originally published between 1934 and 1937, features such inimitable characters as Breckinridge Elkins, Pike Bearfield, and Buckner J. Grimes, as they make their bumbling way through the colorful landscape of the American West.”—Paper Clips (Paper Clips)

“These sixteen stories collected here are all ‘tall tales’ featuring larger than life characters such as Breckinridge Elkins, Pike Bearfield, and Buckner J. Grimes. Told in dialect, these tales are a combination of slapstick and action. . . . Sit yourself down with a jug of corn juice—‘half a gallon is enough for any man’—and enjoy.”—Mike Ashworth, Historical Novels Review (Historical Novels Review)

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0803224257
• ISBN 13: 9780803224254
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 255
• Editor: Gentzel David