Terror Stalks the Border

by Bradford Scott

Book Overview

The tales of two legendary Texas Rangers--Walt Slad and Jim Hatfield--in one volume. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843955236
• ISBN13: 9780843955231
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 211 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

PULP WRITING FROM LONG AGO

There are two stories in this paperback from Leisure Book westerns, the first Knight of the Silver Star appeared in Thrilling Western, March, 1940, while the other appeared in Texas Rangers, September, 1937. Both magazines were published by a company then called Standard Magazine. As anyone of age and some appreciation will understand these stories were tightly controlled by heavy handed editors with little lattitude as to content and direction. Most authors wrote because they needed to earn a living and artistic design on their part came in a distant second. If they were accomplished enough to have their work re-published at a later time, say 1950s or 1960s they generally revised what had earlier been published. That held true for such writers as Walt Coburn, Peter Dawson, Les Savage, and yes, even Louis L'Amour. Whether these two stories, and two others published by Leisure Book westerns as The Texas Ranger, satisfy today's readers is another question. I appreciate them for the sole reason if no other of being born in 1943 and thereby missed the great era of the western pulps. Another reason for their importance is their obvious historical value in the long trail leading up to today's westerns. And in my opinion with our published so-called "adult westerns" the pendulum has swung too far to the other side, and we can find little to really satisfy or be pleased with in those so-called westerns. Should a reader not keep some of these things in mind, nor care at all what was written in the 30s and 40s, I assume he or she will care little for the classic film westerns such as Hopalong Cassidy with William Boyd, or Bob Steele, or early John Wayne, or Buck Jones, or Colonel Tim McCoy movies. And that is a true shame for education should always be a part of a reader or film viewer's activity. As stated, these westerns though not fitting today's western market with exact cohesion can be for intelligent, sensitive readers interested in both history and the earlier westerns, a true find. Each reader must decide for themselves on the evidence, i.e.,the stories themselves, not necessarily from another reviewer. If interested at all, stop by your local library and check these two out. Oh, by the way this author also wrote under several names: Leslie Scott, Scott Bradford, and Bradford Scott, and he was a very accomplished and lasting author. He later published several dozen books in the Walt Slade Ranger westerns that are seen as classics yet today, and sell for rather high prices by dealers, some in the hundreds of dollars. Semper Fi.