Historical Dictionary of Westerns in Literature

Most of us today are probably more familiar with Westerns on the screen than in print, and this book is a useful corrective in shedding light on the books that often underlie the films. (Film buffs will be pleased to know that Varner has also written a Historical Dictionary of Westerns in Cinema (Varner, 2008) (RR 2009/240)). After a brief introduction and chronology, the book consists of a series of entries and articles in alphabetical order, and ends with a systematic bibliography.

According to Varner, Westerns may be said to have begun with captivity narrative (1682) of...