The Rider of the Ruby Hills
by Louis L'Amour
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Ross Harney had made his decision. He sat in the middle of all he owned: a splendid Appaloosa gelding, a fine California saddle, a .44 Winchester rifle, and two walnut-stocked Colt .44 pistols. These were his all. It was a life that had left him rich in experience, but poor in goods of the world. He had known the hard-fisted reality of cold winters, dry ranges, and the dusty bitterness of cattle drives. He had fought Comanches and rustlers, hunted buffalo and horse thieves. But now he was show more going to ride for himself, fight for himself.. show less
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If I recall rightly, this is one of the first collections of L'Amour stories I read. As I've said elsewhere, I prefer his short stories (in this csse novelettes) to most of his long novels. These were originally pulp magazine stories he later turned into longer novels. Personally, I prefer the pulp versions.
It was interesting seeing different versions of stories I've already read in stand-alone novels, though aside from L'Amour fans and readers new to his work, this book is a bit redundant. Since this is a collection of 4 novels, it does make a good choice for folks wanting a western to take on vacation.
Product Description
"Almost four decades ago, when my fiction was being published exclusively in 'pulp' western magazines, I wrote a number of novel-length stories, known back then as 'magazine novels'. In creating them, I lived with my characters so closely that their lives were still as much a part of me as I was of them long after the issues in which they appeared went out of print. Proud as I was of how I presented the characters and their adventures in the pages of the magazines, I wanted to tell the reader more about my people and why they did what they did. So, over the years, I revised and expanded these magazine works into novels that I published as full-length paperbacks under different titles. These particular early magazine show more versions of my books have long been a source of considerable speculation and curiosity among many of my readers, so much so of late, that now I've decided to bring four of my 'magazine novels' back into print in this latest volume of my short fiction. I Hope you enjoy them."--Louis L'Amour
From the Publisher
"Almost four decades ago, when my fiction was being published exclusively in 'pulp' western magazines, I wrote a number of novel-length stories, known back then as 'magazine novels'. In creating them, I lived with my characters so closely that their lives were still as much a part of me as I was of them long after the issues in which they appeared went out of print. Proud as I was of how I presented the characters and their adventures in the pages of the magazines, I wanted to tell the reader more about my people and why they did what they did. So, over the years, I revised and expanded these magazine works into novels that I published as full-length paperbacks under different titles. These particular early magazine versions of my books have long been a source of considerable speculation and curiosity among many of my readers, so much so of late, that now I've decided to bring four of my 'magazine novels' back into print in this latest volume of my short fiction. I Hope you enjoy them."--Louis L'Amour show less
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Born in Jamestown, North Dakota on March 22, 1908, Louis L'Amour's adventurous life could have been the subject of one of his novels. Striking out on his own in 1923, at age 15, L'Amour began a peripatetic existence, taking whatever jobs were available, from skinning dead cattle to being a sailor. L'Amour knew early in life that he wanted to be a show more writer, and the experiences of those years serve as background for some of his later fiction. During the 1930s he published short stories and poetry; his career was interrupted by army service in World War II. After the war, L'Amour began writing for western pulp magazines and wrote several books in the Hopalong Cassidy series using the pseudonym Tex Burns. His first novel, Westward the Tide (1950), serves as an example of L'Amour's frontier fiction, for it is an action-packed adventure story containing the themes and motifs that he uses throughout his career. His fascination with history and his belief in the inevitability of manifest destiny are clear. Also present and typical of L'Amour's work are the strong, capable, beautiful heroine who is immediately attracted to the equally capable hero; a clear moral split between good and evil; reflections on the Native Americans, whose land and ways of life are being disrupted; and a happy ending. Although his work is somewhat less violent than that of other western writers, L'Amour's novels all contain their fair share of action, usually in the form of gunfights or fistfights. L'Amour's major contribution to the western genre is his attempt to create, in 40 or more books, the stories of three families whose histories intertwine as the generations advance across the American frontier. The novels of the Irish Chantry, English Sackett, and French Talon families are L'Amour's most ambitious project, and sadly were left unfinished at his death. Although L'Amour did not complete all of the novels, enough of the series exists to demonstrate his vision. L'Amour's strongest attribute is his ability to tell a compelling story; readers do not mind if the story is similar to one they have read before, for in the telling, L'Amour adds enough small twists of plot and detail to make it worth the reader's while. L'Amour fans also enjoy the bits of information he includes about everything from wilderness survival skills to finding the right person to marry. These lessons give readers the sense that they are getting their money's worth, that there is more to a L'Amour novel than sheer escapism. With over 200 million copies of his books in print worldwide, L'Amour must be counted as one of the most influential writers of westerns in this century. He died from lung cancer on June 10, 1988. (Bowker Author Biography) Louis L'Amour, truly America's favorite storyteller, was the first fiction writer ever to receive the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States Congress in honor of his life's work, & was also awarded the Medal of Freedom. There are over 260 million copies of his books in print worldwide. (Publisher Provided) show less
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Rider of the Ruby Hills
- Original publication date
- 1986-09
- People/Characters
- Ross Haney; Walt Pogue; Chalk Reynolds; Bob Vernon; Sherry Vernon; Bob Streeter (show all 27); Repp Hanson; Emmett Chubb; Westbrook Scott; Vin Carter; Star Levitt; Smite Emmons; Allan Kinney; May; Sydney Berdue; Jim Burge; Charlie Hastings; Rolly Burt; Kerb Dahl; Voyle; King Fisher; Bill Mabry; Tolman; Clyde Aubury; Dolph Turner; Ward Clymer; Ralph Vernon
- Important places
- Ruby Hills and Valley, Soledad, Nevada, USA.; Hitson Spring, Soledad, Nevada, USA.; Thousand Springs, Soledad, Nevada, USA.; The Bullhorn, Soledad, Nevada, USA.; The Box N Ranch, Soledad, Nevada, USA.; The Twin V Ranch, Soledad, Nevada, USA.
- Related movies
- Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955 | IMDb)
- First words
- There was a lonely place where the trail ran up to the sky.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)From the kitchen they heard the rattle of dishes and the smell of bacon frying, and Rolly was pouring the coffee.
- Disambiguation notice
- This is the lead story from a book with the same name. The book contains three other western stories. This story has also been published in other formats.
This is a collection containing The Rider of Ruby Hills; Showdown Trail; A Man Called Trent; and The Trail to Peach Meadow Canyon
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Statistics
- Members
- 508
- Popularity
- 59,469
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.88)
- Languages
- English, Russian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 24
- ASINs
- 10
