On loan from CTLS Large Print Circuit.

The Ultimate Western Collection is a monumental anthology that captures the rugged ethos and sweeping landscapes of the American frontier. Through a rich tapestry of narratives, this compilation spans a wide array of literary styles, from the gritty realism of pioneer life to the romanticized vistas of the Wild West. The anthology showcases the diversity and significance of the genre, including standout pieces that have shaped the cultural imagery of the American West. The esteemed array of authors contributes stories that vary from high adventure to introspective character studies, each adding depth and nuance to the understanding of the Western ethos. The contributors to this anthology, including luminaries like Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Jack London, among others, bring with them backgrounds as diverse as the landscapes they describe. Their collective works, rooted in different epochs of American history, offer a panoramic view of the cultural, social, and economic forces that have shaped the American West. By aligning with historical, cultural, or literary movements, these authors enrich the anthology's thematic coherence, providing readers with an immersive experience into the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of Western life. The Ultimate Western Collection offers readers a unique opportunity to delve into the multifaceted world of Western literature. It is an educational journey through the heart and soul of America, encouraging exploration of its vast and varied narratives. Through its comprehensive selection, the anthology fosters a dialogue between the works of established masters and lesser-known authors, each contributing distinct voices to the collective story of the American frontier. It is a must-read for anyone eager to explore the depth and breadth of Western literature, and to understand the enduring allure of the Wild West.

The story of the American West is that of a journey. It is the story of a movement, of a geographical and human transition, of the delineation of a route that would soon become a rooted myth. The story of the American West has similarly journeyed across boundaries, in a two-way movement, sometimes feeding the idea of that myth, sometimes challenging it. This collection of essays relates to the notion of the traveling essence of the myth of the American West from different geographical and disciplinary standpoints. The volume originates in Europe, in Spain, where the myth traveled, was received, assimilated, and re-presented. It intends to travel back to the West, in a two-way cross-cultural journey, which will hopefully contribute to the delineation of the New—always self-renewing—American West. It includes the work of authors of both sides of the Atlantic ocean who propose a cross-cultural, transdisciplinary dialogue upon the idea, the geography and the representation of the American West.

Combining a breadth of scholarship, insightful critical thinking, and an engaging personal interaction with Mary Hallock Foote’s substantial collection of illustrations and writings, Megan Riley McGilchrist provides a significant contribution to western literature and the lives of western writers. Exile, Nature, and Transformation in the Life of Mary Hallock Foote opens a window into the remarkable, little-known nineteenth-century personal history of accomplished American author and illustrator, Mary Hallock Foote, a woman both of her time, and ahead of it. When Mary gave up a successful career as an illustrator in New York to follow her husband, a mining engineer, to the West, she found herself in a new, unfamiliar, and often challenging world—sometimes feeling like an exile. The thousands of pages of her unpublished letters, which form the foundation of this book, give rare insight into the process of acculturation and eventually the transformation that she experienced. This wide-ranging analysis also examines the role that nature and Mary’s lifelong connection with the natural world played in her adaptation to the western mining towns where she spent much of the rest of her life. In many ways, Mary’s life mirrored that of author Megan Riley McGilchrist, whose parallel exile began in 1977 when she left America for England. Drawing equivalences with Mary’s life as an exile and her own life as an expatriate American woman, Megan provides a meditation on her own transformation, as much as on Mary’s. Megan demonstrates what it has been like to be a twenty-first-century American expatriate, Californian-turned-Londoner—to find common ground in the life of a nineteenth-century woman. Comprising elements of biography, literary analysis, history, and personal history, and containing many unpublished excerpts from Mary’s voluminous correspondence, Exile, Nature, and Transformation in the Life of Mary Hallock Foote offers insight into the ways Mary perceived the world around her. It also provides insight into the experiences of exiles of any time—people who have left a familiar environment to embark on a new life in a new and not necessarily comfortable setting.