The Pot of Gold and Other Stories

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

This novel is for those who are looking for a quick and easy read. The Flowers family lived in a small house in a wide grassy meadow that descended a few branches from the front door to a gentle silvery river. Directly across the river stood a lovely dark green mountain, and when a rainbow fell, as it often did, nothing could look more charming than it rose from the opposite bank of the stream against the backdrop of a wet, shady mountain.

The Power of Prayer

Max Brand

One of Max Brands greatest gifts as a storyteller is his ability to create unforgettable, larger-than-life characters. Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944) was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns under the pen name Max Brand. This is one of his novels. "The Power of Prayer" (1922) is an unusual and vexing Christmas story in which Gerald Kern, gentleman, gunman and fortune-hunter, must make a fateful choice when his cold-blooded nature and his love of a woman collide. Neatly plotted and briskly told, it illustrates Brands remarkable gift for storytelling. Another great read by Max Brand.

The Prince and the Pauper

Mark Twain

Tom Canty is a poor boy in the London slums. His birth only brings more poverty to his already dirt poor family. Edward VI is the long awaited heir to the English throne. They are born on the same day and look so alike they cant believe it. They exchange clothes and Edward VI ends up being thrown out of the palace by guards who think he is the poor boy he looks to be. Both boys have difficulty fitting into the others lives. After many adventures, matters are set right again, with one of the boys resuming his rightful, royal position and the other boy accepting a position that recognizes his innate intelligence and good heartedness.The bulk of the books is the mad life of the poor boy during which Edward VI learns how many of his subjects live. He resolves to change things if he can get back to the palace and be restored to his rightful place.

The Prince of India. Or Why Constantinople Fell

Lewis Wallace

On the pages of the works of Lewis Wallace characters lived, fell in love, fought and died, influencing the structure of public affairs. This novel tells about the events that led to the fall of Constantinople. Legendary wandering Jew under the guise of the Prince of India helps save the city. A wandering Jew served as the basis for several stories, and this is one of the best.

The Professors House

Willa Cather

When Professor Godfrey St. Peter and his wife move into a new home, he begins to feel dissatisfied with the new turn in life. He continues his scientific work in his dusty laboratory in an old house, trying to return to his old life. Two of his daughters get married and leave their home, two sons-in-law appear in the family. This provokes a midlife crisis, making the professor feel like he has lost his will to live due to a lack of purpose.

The Protector

Harold Bindloss

Vayne was 27 years old. And nine of which he spent on scott, canoeing, chopping trees and searching for minerals. He and his friend discovered valuable mineral property several months earlier. They were aiming for a better life and wanted to grow their business. However, not everything is so easy.

The Queens Necklace

Alexandre Dumas

French author of famous swashbuckler novels Alexandre Dumas again chooses 18th century France for his milieu. No musketeers in this one, for it is the Queen, Marie Antoinette, who needs defending. Set a few years before the deluge of the French Revolution this plot is convoluted beyond belief; schemes, counter-measures, vicious personal agendas, love-struck young people, royal revenge and ecclesiastical machinations all are present. Fans of historical fiction will love The Queens Necklace Dumas gripping retelling of the Affair of the Necklace a suspicious incident of theft in the court of Louis XVI. This episode further spoiled the already-tarnished reputation of the Queen. Although seeming to present an idealized picture of Marie Antoinette, it also illustrates the decay and impending decline of the contemporary nobility. Some experts say set into motion a chain of events that resulted in the eventual downfall of the monarchy.

The Quest of Lee Garrison

Max Brand

Lee Garrison, a solitary fence rider in the southwest, is entranced with stories he has read of daring medieval adventures. Then a dying Indian stumbles into his camp, telling of a magnificent wild mustang called Moonshine. Garrison pursues the elusive horse across the plains on a quest of self-discovery. The chase would lead him across thousands of miles of plains, deserts, and rivers, and before his quest had ended, Lee Garrison would learn the meaning of hope and the cost of dreams. And he would be forced to make a terrible, shattering decision - a decision that might destroy him. Highly recommended, especially for those who love the Old Western genre.

The Quirt

B.M. Bower

B.M. Bower was an American writer of Western novels and short stories who wrote over 55 novels. Several of her stories were subsequently adapted and made into movies. This story of the cow country concerns the efforts of the Sawtooth Cattle Company, who number their cattle by the tens of thousands, to eliminate the smaller outfits around. Al Woodruff, the evil eye of the Sawtooth, is efficient in his particular line of work, which is the reason why Brit Hunter of the Quirt ranch calls life in the Sawtooth country extra hazardous. Action and adventure there are a-plenty.

The Rainbow Trail

Zane Grey

Originally published in 1915, The Rainbow Trail is the sequel to Riders of the Purple Sage. At the end of that famous novel, a huge boulder had rolled down to shut off the entrance to Surprise Valley, leaving Lassiter, Jane Withersteen, and little Fay Larkin to a singular fate. Twelve years later a young, disillusioned, ex-preacher in Illinois, hears about the wonderful secret canyon where a couple with their young foster daughter had fled to for safety, knowing they could not likely get out ever again without help from outside. He heads out West and, without any experience, journeys into the unforgiving desert to fulfill this quest. He is helped along the way by a friendly Mormon, traders and a wise Navajo Indian. The author, Zane Grey, gives a vivid panoramic view of the mountains, meadows full of wildlife and challenges faced in the desert to survive.

The Ranch at the Wolverine

B.M. Bower

The Ranch at the Wolverine follows an intrepid group of settlers who made a home in the land now known as Idaho. Billy Louise has given up her childhood play and her schooling in order to run the ranch near the Wolverine River after her father dies in an accident. One winter she takes Ward, a young cowboy with mysterious past, to her ranch to work as hired man. After Ward shares his secret with Billy, strange events start to occur. Adventure, danger and a beautifully detailed description of life in the Old West fill out the story, which, as with most B.M. Bower novels, has a sad/happy ending. From one of Americas most loved novelists in the western genre this is a classic and a great addition to the collection.

The Ranchers Revenge

Max Brand

The story of young, hardworking rancher John Saxon who suffers abuse from the mean-spirited Bob Witherell. With a great show of self-discipline and character, Saxon gains skill as a gunsman, and takes down Witherell in a duel ... but Witherell is not ordinary bully, he is also the brother of the notorious outlaw, The Solitaire, of national repute and a "list of dead men ... long and crowded with important names. One of many recommended Westerns by this prolific author. Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944) was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns under the pen name Max Brand.

The Ranchman

Charles Alden Seltzer

In the style of the early writers of the modern western, the Charles Alden Seltzer paints a vivid story of the depths to which any person can sink without discipline, charity and love. This is one of the best Seltzers work. He wrote his westerns from the experience of living on his uncles ranch in New Mexico. Seltzers best works also include The Two-Gun Man, The Boss of the Lazy Y, etc. Many of his novels were turned into Hollywood movies. The Ranchman is a rootin-tootin western love story. Non-stop action, good guys and bad guys, and no shortage of gun-fighting to keep you guessing until the end whether the hero will actually get the girl. A real page turner, with action and romance trailing at every turn.

The Range Boss

Charles Alden Seltzer

In this 1916 western by American writer Charles Alden Seltzer, Ruth Harkness inherits a western ranch from her uncle. Rex Randerson plays the central role as her range boss and rescuer. Randerson meets her on her arrival, rescues her from a mired buckboard and is devotedly in love with her from that moment. Ruth however is engaged to Willard Masten who comes west as a member of her party. Masten who is a double dyed villain finds companions of his own caliber in Chavis and Pickett two typical bad men and there is much gun play before the story comes to an end with Ruth and her range boss happy in their mutual love and understanding. Seltzers Western novels are jam-packed with action, adventure, and romance.

The Range Dwellers

B.M. Bower

Rich west coast spoiled brat meets rich east coast girl. Both are spending the summer in cattle country and neither expected the outcome of their adventures. Of course there is a feud involved here, a pretty young woman, some cowboy hijinks, and some amazing coincidences to bring all the characters together. This short but engaging novel contains all of the elements that made B. M. Bowers books a mainstay of the genre of classic Westerns. B. M. Bower was one of the most prolific and popular writers in the early days of the Western genre, and stories like The Range Dwellers explain the authors abiding popularity.

The Rangeland Avenger

Max Brand

If you enjoy a fast moving Western dealing with vengeance and well-deserved payback, youll like "The Rangeland Avenger" by Max Brand. When Riley Sinclair heads into the town of Sour Creek to seek vengeance for the death of his brother, he doesnt expect any trouble given his reputation and his skills with a gun. He is not prepared for Cold Feet, however, a man locally known for his abject lack of courage and his non existent fighting skills. A soft spoken but ruthless gunman cuts a path of deadly payback across the Wild West in this exciting adventure. Classic old time Western. Revenge, treatise on what a friend is, gun-play, loyalty, what makes a man a man, twists and turns.