Best of
Western

1971

The Village Horse Doctor


Ben K. Green - 1971
    In old Doc's books, they recognize a man who knew horses and cattle to the bone and could tell about them with honest prose and a sly cowboy sense of humor. I've read them all, as have most of the cowboys I know."-John R. Erickson, rancher and author of the Hank the Cowdog series. Ben K. Green takes us back to the deep Southwest and the never-a-dull-moment years he spent as a practicing horse doctor along the Pecos and the Rio Grande. With precious little formal schooling but a perfect corral-side manner and plenty of natural wit, Green became the first to hang up a shingle in the trans-Pecos territory. Hear him tell the tales of his struggles with mean stockmen, yellowweed fever, banditos, poison hay, and "drouth." His canny mix of science and horse sense when treating animals "that ain't house pets" is 100-proof old time pleasure. A veterinarian in the far Southwest for much of his life, Ben K. Green retired to ranch in Texas until his death in 1974.

The Day the Cowboys Quit


Elmer Kelton - 1971
    Cowboys refuse to be stigmatized as drinkers and exploited by the wealthy cattle owners who don't pay liveable wages. Those very same ranchers want to take away the cowboys' right to own cattle because this ownership, the ranchers believe, would lead to thieving. So, in 1883, the dictum is set: If you're a cowboy, you can't own a cow. When rumors of such legislation travel from wagon to wagon, the cowboys decided to rally and fight for their rights--they gather together and strike.

Tucker


Louis L'Amour - 1971
    Two of the men he hunted, Doc Sites and Kid Reese, were his friends. Dreaming of adventure, Tucker had wanted to join their gang. But now, with his father gone and the people back home desperately in need of the proceeds from the cattle drive, Shell was determined to uphold his father's reputation and recover their money. He knew the odds were against him. Finding his friends would be difficult. Getting the money back would be nearly impossible.

The Cowboys


William Dale Jennings - 1971
    Will Anderson, a flinty old rancher, has a huge herd of cattle ripe for market when his regular hands, inflamed by gold fever, desert him. In desperation, he hires the only "men" available for the perilous 400 mile drive - a pack of scraggly schoolboys. Through skill and harsh discipline, Wil Anderson whips them from greenhorns into seasoned cowhands. But before the long drive is over, the boys discover that the price they must pay for manhood is a terrible one- murder and revenge! the stunning, heartbreaking climax of this extraordinary story will surprise you - and perhaps even sock you.

Eye of the Wolf


T.V. Olsen - 1971
    The only thing in his way was her husband. So Ulring killed him. But Ulring hadn't planned on the half-breed Navajo, Will-Joe, seeing him do it. Now, before he could have Bethany, Ulring had to track down Will-Joe and tie up that loose end...for good.

Man From The Desert


Luke Short - 1971
    Trouble I owed. Trouble I’m glad I had.” This is Hanaway speaking. Hanaway—a new kind of hero for the Old West. He’s tall, long-jawed, stubble-bearded, covered with dust. He ain’t handsome but he’s pleasant. Even when he rides into a Cowtown on a dead man’s errand: clean up the dirty business surrounding the Kittrick Consolidated Gold Mine. Nothing stops Hanaway—not the sheriff, not the town, not a killer, not even a pretty little lady named Carrie. Man From the Desert, Luke Short’s engrossing novel of a big man with a big conscience—as big as the West.