Max Brand

Alcatraz is an exciting western novel by the great western author Max Brand that tells the story of a wild horse that was said could not be caught or broken, and the man who was determined to do the impossible. "He was perfect of that type of cowboy which she detested most: handsome, lithe, childishly vain in his dress. About his sombrero ran a heavy width of gold-braid; his shirt was blue silk; his bandana was red; his boots were shop-made beauties, soft and flexible; and on his heels glittered--gilded spurs "

Peter Dunstan is a big rancher who wants to become bigger, to control more land. So when he buys Dr. Henry Morgan's ranchland that has been unsuccessfully converted to farming, it is his intention to return it to open range. The only stipulation the doctor makes is that Dunstan must retain Sandy Sweyn, who has more or less been Dr. Morgan's ward. Though the man is of age, he is generally considered a half-wit, even by the doctor. Still, Sandy has a fabulous gift: he can communicate with animals. The most refractory and savage bronco will yield to his subtly persuasive methods even when expert horse breakers have failed. After Sandy gentles the totally recalcitrant gelding that Dunstan has been trying to break to the reins, he claims that his mare, Cleo, though used only for drudgery, could easily outrun the gelding in a race. Dunstan is so contemptuous of this boast that he bets $5,000 and ownership of the gelding if he loses the race. As it turns out, Cleo readily wins. Rather than indulging his anger, Dunstan decides to use Sandy's gifts to his advantage by getting him seemingly impossible tasks. The problem is that after each of these incredible tasks is accomplished, some personal misfortune befalls Dunstan. Finally Dunstan drives Sandy into the mountain wilderness, where his prowess eventually becomes legendary. But banishment is no solution for Dunstan when he comes to need Sandy more than ever, and his only way of getting him back is to resort to trickery.

Three legendary authors Three classic novels including newly restored material When it comes to Western adventure, no author comes close to the three giants included in this landmark volume. These are the men who created the Western, shaped it, and perfected it. The Golden West collects three of their finest short novels. Max Brand's powerful Jargan is carefully restored to its original, full-length glory, with material never before seen. Tappan's Burro has long been considered one of Zane Grey's masterpieces, but only a shorter, edited version has been in print. The version included here was taken directly from Grey's actual manuscript. Louis L'Amour's The Trail to Crazy Man was rewritten years later as Crossfire Trail, which became the basis for the movie of the same name. Presented here is L'Amour's original version. These authors are the stuff of Western legend, and at last you can read their finest work as they themselves intended.

THE MASTER THIEF Through the years, James Geraldi has proven to be one of Max Brand's most exciting and enduring characters, and this volume contains three of his greatest exploits. Geraldi has been dubbed the "Frigate Bird" because of his habit of stealing from thieves, and Edgar Asprey knows just how apt the name is. Geraldi once prevented Asprey from swindling his family out of a fortune, and managed to get rich doing it. That's exactly why Asprey now wants to form an alliance with him. Asprey has his eye on a rare, invaluable treasure, and he knows no one stands a better chance of stealing it than his old enemy, the Frigate Bird.

THREE OF BRAND'S BEST Here are three of Max Brand's classic short novels, all carefully restored from Brand's own manuscripts, and collected in paperback for the first time. In "Range Jester," Barry Home, once a free spirited cowboy, now an ex-convict, returns to the small town of Loomis. His return is scarcely a welcome one, least of all by the rancher whose testimony was vital in securing Barry's conviction. "Slow Bill" is the story of young Jim Legrange, who feels he can never live up to the success of his father, a millionaire rancher. He leaves home for an abandoned gold rush town, where he runs into Jack Rooney. Rooney, an old prospector, has a photograph of Jim's father in a place of honor, but he calls the man in the picture Slow Bill and says he was once his partner. And in "The Rock of Kiever," the best friend of Texas Ranger Charlie Stayn is killed during a raid. Charlie swears vengeance against the killers and defies the ranger code, heading into the Kiever Mountains to track them down.

THE LAW OF THE WEST No one knew--or wrote about--the West like Max Brand, as shown brilliantly in the three classic short novels collected in this volume. Each novel has been carefully restored to Brand's original version, and each is a jewel of Western fiction. In the title novel, Reata, one of Brand's most popular heroes, is enlisted to retrieve a hidden treasure in gold--little knowing that it's stolen goods. In "Sheriff Larrabee's Prisoner," a lawman must lead a posse to track down a murder suspect. But the lawman's own daughter is convinced the man is innocent. "A Shower of Silver" finds an innocent train passenger framed for murder. Whichever side of the law they're on, the unforgettable characters in these tales will fight for what they believe...and to survive.

NO LAST NAME If he had a last name, no one knew it, and he didn't give it. He was known simply as Chip, and he was only fifteen when he wandered onto a Nevada range and got himself hired to operate a hay press. But Chip wouldn't stay there long. Life--and the sheriff--had other plans for him. Chip had a dangerous trail ahead of him, from a confrontation with a lynch mob, to a trip South of the border to rescue a beautiful woman, to a trek across the Nevada desert with the law in pursuit. Max Brand wrote three short novels about Chip, and they all appear here for the first time in paperback, just as Brand wrote them.

When Harry French left home he was just another kid looking to make his way. But when he comes back four years later, things are different. He's different. Or at least the town thinks so. Now nobody looks him in the eye. He isn't just Harry anymore, he's the Shifter, a gunfighter who brings trouble with him wherever he goes. And as hard as Harry tries, he finds that a reputation is a lot harder to put down than a gun.

Sixteen In Nome is narrated by young Joe May, an Arizonian who has come to Alaska to -make his stake for a ranch.- Joe finds being on his own difficult as he reflects -Sixteen is a bad age for a boy. It is too full of growing and not enough full of strength.- Joe's coming of age story in Alaska during the gold rush of the 1890's is an intertwining backdrop to the conflict between Hugh Massey and Arnie Calmont. Massey and Calmont were a legend in the Yukon, partners in all until they clash over a most extraordinary and powerful dog known as Alec the Great, and over a mystery woman, Marjorie, who puts herself up for auction to the highest bidder among the Nome miners. Calmont wins the auction but Massey wins Marjorie's heart, just as he had won Alec's heart when Alec belonged to Calmont.

THE HONORABLE OUTLAW James Giraldi is that most extraordinary kind of thief, one who steals only from other thieves. In fact, he's running away from one whose pocket he just picked when he meets Louise Asprey. Louise begs Giraldi to help find her father, a fugitive since he was falsely accused of murder five years ago. And Edgar Asprey, who manages the estate in his cousin's absence, offers Giraldi ten thousand dollars to locate the missing man. That's a lot of money to find one man, but Giraldi's still not interested--until a cold-blooded mercenary named Dick Renney takes the case.

GOLD FEVER The great gold rush of 1898 drew many men to Alaska, each of them determined to find the mother lode and strike it rich. Joe Harney didn't have the experience some of the others had, but he was no less eager and he kept his eyes open. One of the first things he noticed was the great wolf dog, Chinook. He belonged to Andrew Steen, a surly and foul-tempered sourdough with no time for newcomers like Joe. But after Joe saved Steen's life, Steen agreed to let Joe travel overland with him to the gold fields. Along the way, the men met Kate Winslow, a mysterious woman traveling alone. Her secrets attracted Joe and Steen like flies to honey...but they also attracted more danger and intrigue than any of them could handle.

Max Brand was able to breathe life into his Western characters, and perhaps none was more exciting than James Geraldi, the -honest thief- who stole only from other thieves. In this trio of tales, Geraldi has some of his greatest adventures, including a quest for the elusive Golden Horus, a gold statue inlaid with four perfect emeralds and a large, flawless yellow diamond. But whether he's seeking a treasure, protecting an innocent girl, or handling other thieves who may not be quite so honest, Geraldi is a classic figure of the West. And one whom no reader could forget.

In Cuttle's Hired Man Bill Warner and Chick Newton are two cowboys who formed a friendship. Seven years later, Chick Newton encounters Bill Warner again in a small desert town in Arizona Territory. Time has aged them both, but Chick is sure that it is the same man, only Bill Warner denies it. His name, he insists, is Joe Tucker. The Girl They Left Behind Them is an extraordinary story about big Jack Innis, who finds himself attracted to Stella Cornish, daughter of the local sheriff. The problem for Jack is that Miles Ogden claims Stella as his girlfriend and has terrified or intimidated every other man who has ever dared show any interest in her. Speedy is a loner, able to outwit and outmanoeuvre even the deadliest men without the use of a gun. Speedy lives in obscurity because of his enemies, but in Red Rock's Secret, Jessica Fenton Wilson is on his trail.

Speedy does not usually use a gun, although in "Nighthawk Trail" he does, but it is only an elaborate illusion. Regarded as one of the most dangerous men in the West, the object of his quest is to find the great horse Nighthawk. Bob Nelson in "The Vamp's Bandit" started out as merely a rowdy ranch hand, but he stepped over the line, and began robbing, such as the night he held up the stage in Porter's Pass. Bart Chambers is convinced that there is one trap that will catch Nelson—often-married but currently single Maybelle Crofter. In "Rifle Pass," ageing Sheriff Thomas Weller has one major problem: his son Dick Weller. Dick cannot seem to apply himself to anything. In a desperate attempt to have Dick's courage tested, the sheriff deputizes his son and charges him with the capture of Harry Sanford.

James Geraldi, one of Max Brand's most intriguing and enduring characters, has been dubbed the -Frigate Bird- because of his penchant for stealing from thieves. This duo both continues and concludes the saga of his adventures. Believing that his long-standing game against the Naylor clan is ended, Geraldi thinks he can cash in his wealth and jewels and enjoy himself with only a weather eye out for trouble. But he is woefully wrong.

The three novellas collected here showcase Max Brand's outstanding ability to create living, breathing characters whose unforgettable exploits linger long after the last page is turned. In -The Canon Coward, - you'll meet Harry Clonnell, a tracker who refuses to carry a gun and shuns violence yet has somehow earned the reputation of one of the most notorious bandits around. Outlaw Lefty Richards is put in quite a bind when his dying friend asks him to turn over his guns to the local sheriff in -A Wolf Among Dogs.- And Speedy, one of Brand's most enduring characters, takes on the job of sheriff in -Seven-Day Lawman---a job where no man has ever lasted longer than a week.

He was trussed like a calf for branding and dragged from the wilderness, the only home he had ever known. Then they made him fight, turning him into a prize possession for a greedy manager. Caught between two worlds, Harry Camden drifted into a life of drunkenness and crime until he met Crusader. More than sixteen hands of horseflesh and muscled like Goliath--a true king stallion. But only responsive to Camden's gentling touch. Could these two broken spirits make each other whole again? With Crusader, Max Brand has created an unparalleled novel of adventure, conflict and human achievement, a deeply touching portrait of the spirit of the American West.

The wily Speedy returns--and now he has to help an old enemy if he wants to keep a friend alive.