Last of the Duanes - Softcover

Grey, Zane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0893406562 ISBN 13: 9780893406561

Publisher: John Curley & Assoc

Synopsis

When this unforgettable novel was first published—in a much shorter form—in a magazine in 1914, it was a rousing success and was made into a movie four times by 1941. Yet when Zane Grey submitted the full-length manuscript to his book publisher, it was rejected because it contained too much gunplay. And so a masterpiece of Western fiction remained unpublished in book form for more than 80 years. Finally, this powerful tale is available in its entirety.

About this title

About the Author:

Pearl Zane Grey (1872 – 1939) was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the American frontier. Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence when adapted as films and television productions. As of 2012, 112 films, two television episodes, and a television series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, had been made that were based loosely on his novels and short stories.

From Publishers Weekly:

Western legend Grey (Lorna Doone, Riders of the Purple Sage) wrote this novel in 1913, but it was rejected by his early publishers, who believed it contained too much gunplay and not enough sentimentality. Buck Duane is the son of an infamous gunfighter. Although Buck is warned by his family to avoid the outlaw trail, his quick temper, steady nerve and lightning-quick hand promptly get him into trouble. After killing a bully, Buck flees the law and heads off into the harsh badlands of southwest Texas, where outlaw gangs roam the Mexican border. Buck falls in with a bad crowd, but an exaggerated reputation and a couple of nifty shootings keep him alive among the ornery rustlers and robbers. He grows into a steely-eyed gunfighter with a conscience and a saddlebag full of regrets. Despite the notches multiplying on his gun, however, Buck is a decent fellow. He rescues a young girl, Jennie Lee, from the abusive clutches of the Bland gang, only to see her abducted again. In despair, Buck hides out for several more years, dodging the law and the bushwhackers, all the while searching for Jennie Lee. When the Texas Rangers finally catch up with Buck, it's not to kill him but to make him an offer he can't refuse. This may have been too bloody a story for 1913, but it follows formula in the end, as the outlaw settles down, albeit with a haunted mind, to a life of humble domesticity.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Curley & Assoc
• ISBN 10: 0893406562
• ISBN 13: 9780893406561
• Binding: Paperback