New Releases by Jack Schaefer

Rediscover the golden age of the Western with this collection of four unforgettable novels of honor, adventure, and violence set against the magnificent landscapes of the American frontier The heroic exploits and violent struggles of the Old West come alive once more through this one-of-a-kind collection of four thrilling novels. Edited by Ron Hansen, this deluxe hardcover edition shows that the 1940s and 1950s was a golden age for the Western novel. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Ox-Bow Incident, Walter van Tilburg Clark explores the thin line between civilization and barbarism through the story of a lynch mob that targets three innocent men, exposing a dark authoritarian impulse at work the American frontier. Set in Wyoming in 1889, a time when ranchers and cattle companies waged war with each other, Jack Schaefer''s iconic Shane deploys many of the genre''s most essential elements, brilliantly filtered through a boy''s perceptions. Alan Le May''s The Searchers, the basis for John Ford''s cinematic masterpiece starring John Wayne, follows the dogged quest of two men to rescue a young girl taken prisoner by Comanche warriors. And Oakley Hall''s Warlock, a novel that anticipates the later books of Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry, casts the battle for control of a southwestern outpost as a bloody saga pitting a marauding gang of cowboys and rustlers against the town''s defenders, led by the legendary gunslinger Clay Blaisedell. All four novels were memorably adapted for the screen, and their gripping stories--told with brisk narrative energy, psychological depth, and laconic humor--have contributed unforgettably to the Western''s enduring legacy in American culture.

This work is the first complete translation of the Morning and Evening Altar Recitations, 玄門早晚壇功課經 (Xuanmen zaowan tan gongke jing) also known as "The Gongke". The Gongke is the collection of liturgical scriptures recited at the altar at every Quanzhen Daoist Temple. These recitations occur in the early morning and in the evening, and can be as simple as a sole chanter or as complicated as the entire body of resident monks and nuns. There can be a simple accompaniment of a wooden fish bell, or the ornate accompaniment of the Daoist orchestra. Whether simple or complex, at the heart of these performances is the text itself. The corpus of texts is a fascinating journey through Daoist doctrine and practice. Prayers of purification, hagiographies of special deities, prayers of commitment, cosmology, meditation, theory, and much more all converge in this collection. It can be said that this is a pocket sized or mini Daoist Canon. Josh and Jack set about translating this as a response to a deep need to connect to the tradition and the most common practices as experienced in daily life at the temples. As Daoism continues to take root in the West, it is becoming more mature in its presence. The relationship to lineages in China is becoming the new norm. As such, there is a need to align with those practices that describe traditional lineage Daoism. The Gongke, and its recitation, is one such defining text. By having access to the translation and the original Chinese and pinyin pronunciation (all provided in this book), the English speaking person can now engage and understand this practice and the textual depth and meaning within.

The spirit of Christmas is contagious and overwhelming in this charming and unpredictable holiday tale. Orphaned at thirteen, the poorly paid, patched-clothed cowhand Stubby Pringle is now nearing twenty as he looks forward to whooping it up at the schoolhouse in the valley for the Christmas dance. His box of chocolates is tucked into his saddlebag for the gal who “appeals to him most and seems most susceptible.” But this Christmas Eve Stubby finds that the magic of the season may have something different in store for him. In true Schaefer fashion, Stubby Pringle delights readers and fills our hearts with the magic and spirit of Christmas.

Waiting out his last days, an aged cowman relives his life as a carefree ranch hand.

The classic Western short stories in this Jack Schaefer collection explore the changing and often challenging truths found throughout the American West. The featured novella, "The Kean Land," tells the story of young Ben Hammon as he arrives in western Colorado after the death of his parents to live with his small-town lawman uncle. The drama unfolds as Ben learns the ways of the land and the people who live there--including the Kean family. As "progress" pursues there is a dramatic price the Keans and others must pay to keep their land in this once hostile territory. How much blood must those who love the land pay in order to stay?

Originally published in 1963, Monte Walsh continues to delight readers as a Western classic and popular favorite. The novel explores the cowboy lives of Monte Walsh and Chet Rollins as they carouse, ride, and work at the Slash Y with Cal Brennan. As the West changes and their cowboy antics are challenged, the two must part ways to pursue new ways of life. Chet marries and goes on to become a successful merchant and then a politician, while Monte can only find solace in continuing the cowboy’s way of life until the very end.

"An elegiac account of one man who followed ''his own peculiar trail'' out of the Civil War, and the crippled, unrecorded company that went with him."--Kirkus Reviews

In the summer of 1889, a mysterious and charismatic man rides into a small Wyoming valley, where he joins homesteaders who take a stand against a bullying cattle rancher, and where he changes the lives of a young boy and his parents.

Readers searching for courage and adventure will find just that and more in the engaging prose of Jack Schaefer in this vintage collection of Western vignettes. Exploring varied tales of life in the West, Schaefer shares the stories of exceptional characters conflicted with humanity as they navigate the challenges and opportunities that can only be found on the frontier. From the humor in “Cat Nipped” to the common concerns found in “Prudence by Name,” Jack Schaefer again places himself as the authentic voice of the West. Other stories in the collection include “Something Lost,” “Leander Frailey,” “That Mark Horse,” “My Town,” “Harvey Kendall,” “Out of the Past,” “Old Anse,” “Takes a Real Man,” and “Hugo Kertchak, Builder.” Published throughout the early 1950s, these stories have captured our hearts and imaginations as true classics in Western fiction and will continue to do so time and time again.

Schaefer shares the individual stories of seven people--rancher, sheepherder, homesteader, town settler, soldier, miner, and cowboy--in this collection. He tells the tales as they can only be told: in the open spaces of the Old West. In these memorable narratives Schaefer depicts the unique conflicts of settler life and captures the spirit of the resolute, willful, determined, and broken characters found on the Western frontier.

In these classic stories acclaimed author Jack Schaefer yet again captures the spirit and adventure of the Old West. First Blood, Schaefer’s follow-up to Shane, tells the tale of Jess Harker, a young stagecoach driver finding his way in this coming-of-age story. Jess admires Race Crimm, the Company’s top messenger, for his stature and wild abandon and would have “shucked ten years of [his] life to be driving beside him.” Jess, eager to ride the big trails, has the chance to prove himself by driving an important shipment when trouble arises. Facing hard choices of honor and justice, he must pick a side because his life might just depend on it. “Jacob,” “Salt of the Earth,” and “One Man’s Honor” complete this engaging collection of stories by award-winning American treasure Jack Schaefer.

Based on a Cheyenne legend, this novel holds universal appeal as it explores the theme of a man''s conflict with his culture. It is the story of how Little Bear, a Cheyenne warrior who opposes war, reconciles the conflict between his personal values and the demands of his tribe. The dilemma faced by Little Bear gives rise to a story that is at once a compelling adventure tale, an authentic description of Indian life and ritual, and a parable of self-realization. First published in 1953, The Canyon remained one of Schaefer''s personal favorites. This new release will be welcomed by Schaefer''s enduring admirers and by new Western literature enthusiasts. It is a classic not to be missed.

This collection of essays features twelve “heroes” from the American West. Schaefer profiles pioneers of the West—the doctors, explorers, and cowboys who settled the challenging landscape and built communities in the Old West. These unsung champions highlight the unglorified work of the West that was achieved without violence and gunslinging. Schaefer shares the lives of Grizzly Adams, George A. Ruston, John “Snowshoe” Thompson, John Phillips, Washakie, John S. Chisum, Thomas J. Smith, Valentine T. McGillycuddy, Charles Fox Gardiner, and Elfego Baca. Western enthusiasts and history buffs will welcome the refreshing biographies of the men found in this volume.

Awarded a 1961 Newbery Honor, Old Ramon tells the timeless coming-of-age story of a young boy who spends a summer with an old shepherd in the Mojave Desert. He leaves his textbooks behind for real life lessons with Ramon as his mentor. He learns not only how to care for the sheep but how to overcome fear, how to face death and responsibility, and the difference between being alone and being lonely. Written in Schaefer’s charming and engaging style, the novel details a boy’s discovery of both the value of friendship and the hardship of life.

1889. Un cavalier solitaire s’arrête l’espace d’une saison dans une ferme du Wyoming dont il va bouleverser le quotidien. Refusant de porter une arme alors qu’il sait parfaitement s’en servir, peu bavard, évitant l’affrontement physique bien que personne ne l’effraie, cet homme semble tout à la fois une légende et un mystère. Il est l’homme des vallées perdues, celui auquel une seule balle suffira pour rétablir sa vérité avant de disparaître. L’une des plus belles figures inventée par la littérature de l’Ouest américain et racontée par les yeux d’un enfant bouleversé par cet homme.

Ce court roman (1946), considéré comme le modèle absolu du "western" en littérature, traduit en une trentaine de langues, n''avait fait l''objet en français que d''une adaptation " pour la jeunesse " (en 1953, au moment où sortait sur les écrans l''Homme des vallées perdues, le film tiré du livre). L''action - décrite à travers le regard d''un gamin - a la force et la netteté d''une épure. Un cavalier inconnu fait halte l''espace d''un saison (l''été de 1889) dans une ferme du Wyoming. Il est le seul homme du coin à ne pas porter de revolver, et cela se remarque. Sommé de prendre parti dans la sale guerre qui oppose petits fermiers et gros éleveurs, il paraît d''abord vouloir éluder l''affrontement et n''est pas loin de passer pour un lâche... jusqu''à ce que poussé, poussé dans ses retranchements, il se décide enfin à montrer au monde qu''il sait aussi se servir d''une arme. Une balle, une seule, lui suffira. Tout le livre, d''un exemplaire dépouillement, est à l''image de cette conclusion : rien n''est jamais dit, mais la force de suggestion est telle qu''on est soi-même comme empêché de respirer au long de ces pages où plane une indicible menace. Aucun mot plus haut que l''autre, et pourtant un récit d''un romanisme absolu. "Inoubliable!" avait clamé le critique du Chicago Tribune à la sortie du roman, avant que la glose universitaire ne s''empare de cette œuvre aussi lisse qu''un caillou (l''une des plus commentées de la littérature de l''Ouest) et n''en fasse ce qu''elle était de toute façon destinée à devenir: un classique.

Classic stories of the old West, this collection includes Shane, Cooter James, The Coup of Long Lance, That Mark Horse, Jacob, and Harvey Kendall.

"Notes of an amateur naturalist"--Jacket subtitle.