Saturday 4 October 2008

CLASSIC WESTERNS EDITED BY PETER HAINING


Classic Westerns
Pan paperbacks £5.99
Collected and with an introduction by Peter Haining


This is a collection of short stories that provided inspiration for Hollywood television and films. Between these pages you will find 3 10 to Yuma by Elmore Leonard which has been filmed twice as well as the stories that inspired John Wayne's breakthrough movie, Stagecoach. As well as A man called Horse, The Virginian, Destry Rides again.

The copy I have is a UK edition from 1997 but the book was first published that same year in the USA by Severn House.

The full index is:
Three ten to Yuma by Elmore Leonard
Hopalong Cassidy by Clarence E Mulford
The Cisco Kid by Ernest Haycox
Destry Rides Again by Max Brand
Western Union by Zane Grey
The Virginian by Owen Wister
Shane by Jack Scharfer
Hondo by Louis L'amour
The Misfits by Arthur Miller
A Man called horse by Dorothy M. Johnson
Lonesome Dove by Larry Mcmurty

Though quite often the titles are the movies the author's have inspired and not the actual story/novel the films was based on. For instance the story that goes under the Lonesome Dove piece is actually a short called The Legend of Billy and quite often the stories were originally known by different titles.

Haining's wonderful introduction makes full note of this though and sets up the book well. This is a great collection for anyone wanting to check out the sometimes hard to find stories that provided the source material for some classic films.

4 comments:

Ray said...

Tempted to pick this up on Ebay but there was a bid on it.
I would be interested on Peter Haining's comments for the inclusion of Arthur Miller's 'The Misfits'.
There are some who say that 'The Misfits' does not qualify as a true western - but concede that it is a modern day western. Of course, there are those who don't but there you go.

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

I'll email you Peter's comments on Misfits if you want.

Ray said...

That will be interesting to read - please send it on.
Just took a week out - no computer, no Playstation - just me, the wife and a pile of books. Bliss.
How did the filming go?

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

Filming's been good but we're mostly on location shooting at the moment and the weather's turned. Still one month to go and then we've wrapped. Will get those questions to you this week.

Glad you had a week out - think I'm going to have to do that...

VAPING IS SAFER THAN BREATHING

 The UK's new tax on vaping which will come into force in 2026 is not only immoral but patently insane, and will hit those reformed smok...