Books by Owen Wister

Cowboy Lin McLean rides into Cheyenne, Wyoming at Christmastime. His plans quickly take an unexpected turn when he encounters the child of a person he once knew. In the spirit of Christmas, he finds himself going out of his way for the boy who has been living in harsh conditions and gives him a taste of a better life. A sweet tale about Christmas and warmth, "A Journey in Search of Christmas" is a classic by the master of western fiction, Owen Wister. Hear the novel from the early 20th century as read by B. J. Harrison.B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.Owen Wister (1860-1938) was an American writer and historian. Wister was a prolific writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays, and is prominently known as a pioneer in western fiction. His most notable works include the novel "The Virginian" (1902) and his biography of Ulysses S. Grant (1901). Wister’s impact on popular culture is significant, with "The Virginian" having seen several film adaptations, such as "The Virginian" (1929) with Gary Cooper. His novel has been considered to have directly influenced cowboy imagery in western fiction and Hollywood films.

This classic describes the life of a cowboy who is a natural aristocrat, set against a highly mythologized version of the Johnson County War and taking the side of the large land owners. The Virginian paved the way for many more westerns by such authors as Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and several others. Owen Wister (1860-1938) was an American writer and "father" of western fiction. When he started writing, he naturally inclined towards fiction set on the western frontier. Wister's most famous work remains the novel The Virginian.

Lin McLean The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains Red Man and White Red Man and White Little Big Horn Medicine Specimen Jones The Serenade At Siskiyuo The General''s Bluff Salvation Gap The Second Missouri Compromise La Tinaja Bonita A Pilgrim on the Gila The Jimmyjohn Boss A Kinsman of Red Cloud Sharon''s Choice Napoleon Shave-Tail Twenty Minutes for Refreshments The Promised Land Hank''s Woman Padre Ignacio: or, the Song of Temptation Owen Wister (1860-1938) was an American writer and "father" of western fiction. When he started writing, he naturally inclined towards fiction set on the western frontier. Wister''s most famous work remains the novel The Virginian, set in the Wild West. It describes the life of a cowboy who is a natural aristocrat, set against a highly mythologized version of the Johnson County War and taking the side of the large land owners. The Virginian paved the way for many more westerns by such authors as Zane Grey, Louis L''Amour, and several others. It is also widely regarded as being the first cowboy novel.

Reproduction of the original: Padre Ignacio by Owen Wister

Reproduction of the original: Mother by Owen Wister

This is the classic novel of the American West, which served as a model for thousands of later novels and films. It is a story of ranch life and cowboy living at the turn of the century. The hero of the novel, the "Virginian", the only name by which he is known, has left his native state at an early age to try his fortunes in the western country. After roughing it along the way, he settles on Judge Henry's cattle ranch in Wyoming, where the owner makes him his right-hand man. The Virginian is strikingly handsome, twetny-seven years old, and, though unversed in the ways of the world and ignorant as to book learning, he has character and personality that inspire respect from all who know him. He manages to force on a turbulent community his idea of law and order-- "getting the drop" on an enemy, vigilante committees, and lynch law. The novel recounts his adventures, including his romantic initiation at the hands of Molly Wood, the Vermont girl who became a western school techer. And it introduces him to Trampas, the legendary villain who is the prototype of the "bad guys" of future western novels and films. "The Virginian" has been filmed three times, most memorably with Gary Cooper, and also became a long-running television series.

Dime novels had featured some rather scrawny horse-bound tenders of cattle, but not until 1902 did the cowboy become a fully realized article of American culture. This work establishes the conventions of the western.