How the West Was Written - Volume 2 - 1907-1915 -- Ron Scheer

This is, natch, the follow-up to Ron Scheer's first book on western fiction, and it's an absolute must-have for fans of the genre.  I think it's also a must-have for anybody interested in the history of American fiction, and it's the kind of book that every library should have on its shelves.  The same goes for the first volume, too, of course.

What Scheer does is analyze a novel by just about everyone who write about the American west between 1907 and 1915.  He talks a little about the writer of each one, but the main focus is on the books.  Scheer goes over a number of topics for each book, topics like Villainy, Themes, Storytelling Style, the West,and so on.  He doesn't write in a turgid academic style but in clear, straightforward prose that's a pleasure to read.  And speaking of being a pleasure to read, each of the essays here is just that.

The writers covered include the expected and familiar (Robert W. Service, James Oliver Curwood, Hamlin Garland, Zane Grey, William MacLeod Raine, O. Henry, and Clarence E. Mulford, among others) and writers that will be completely unfamiliar to most people (Vingie E. Roe, Edgar Beecher Bronson, Agnes Christina Laut, and a lot more).  All are interesting and worth your time.  Whether you like to read in short bursts or go straight through, you'll enjoy this book.