All-Time Favorite Cowboy Stories

A corral of cattle rustlers, outlaws, and other desperadoes ride the range in this bronco-busting anthology of nineteen tales set in the Old West. Spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the diverse stories prove there's no "average" cowboy, but a wide range of rugged individuals. Yet these vividly portrayed characters all seem to possess a sense of freedom, a strong relationship with the land, and a desire to live by their own standards. The result is an action-packed collection that's a feast for anyone smitten by frontier fiction.

The roundup is an adventurous mix -- from genre favorites Zane Grey and Frederic Remington to unexpected contributions from Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt. There's a romanticized spin from a female author, a unique viewpoint from a former slave, plus a 1902 story by Owen Wister taken from The Virginian, which molded the future of cowboy novels. In "The Caballero's Way" by O. Henry, the Cisco Kid discovers his lady love has strayed into the arms of a scheming ranger -- and concocts a devious plan for revenge. In "The Trouble Man" by Eugene Manlove Rhodes, a battle over territory between sheepherders and cattle owners leads to a deadly confrontation. With a short biography of each author, this anthology celebrates the courage and spirit that won the West