The Virginian

Owen Wister

Feb 2013 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

The Virginian is a pioneering novel set in the Wild West describing the life of the foreman of the Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming. It was the first true western written, aside from the tiny dime novels. It paved the way for many more westerns by famous authors such as Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and several others.

Ratings and reviews

Not your "normal" western; only one gunfight and that almost second hand. A prosaic journey through a Wyoming of times past but of a beauty and majesty that will endure through eternity. The superb main two characters are almost a sideline to the true star of the piece.....Wyoming.

What a wonderful story! It was so hard to put down the book and go to bed each night - and now I'm hoping there's a sequel!!

A jolly good read with a bit of everything a western should have.

About the author

Owen Wister was born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1860. He graduated from Harvard University in 1882 and studied musical composition in Paris for two years. He spent the summer of 1885 in Wyoming for his health. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1888 and was admitted to the bar in 1889. He practiced law for two years in Philadelphia and continued to spend his summers in the West. In 1891, after the acceptance by Harper's of two of his Western sketches, he decided to pursue a literary career. His works included Lin McLean, The Virginian, Lady Baltimore, and Roosevelt: The Story of a Friendship, 1880-1919. He also wrote a number of children's books. He died on July 21, 1938.