Stories, a Century of Great Western

John Jakes is the New York Times 1 bestselling author of such acclaimed novels as North and South and The Kent Family Chronicles A Century of Great Western Stories is a retrospective of Western writing over the past hundred years showing the evolution of the genre as well as a glimpse into what the future might hold for Western fiction John Jakes 1 New York Times bestselling author of such acclaimed historical novels as North and South and The Kent Family Chronicles has long been both a fan and a distinguished author of novels and stories of the American West Now with the turning of the millennium he has compiled in one volume a century s worth of his favorite Western fiction To illustrate the evolution of the genre Jakes has included such legendary authors as Owen Wister Louis L Amour and Zane Grey along side their more contemporary peers such as Loren Estleman and Elmer Kelton While the stories have changed over the years certain timeless themes of Western fiction remain constant At the heart of the stories are ideas that have become synonymous with the American dream the frontier spirit individual freedoms and man s relationship with the land A Century of Great Western Stories is essentially a retrospective of western writing over the past century but Jakes also sets out to give readers a glimpse of what the future might hold for western fiction While trends in publishing might not always be promising the current crop of contemporary Western authors show that the old west will always have a place in the world of fiction Like the American dream which it celebrates Western fiction will perservere