RARA-AVIS: RE: Northerns

From: Duane Spurlock ( duane@emazing.com)
Date: 21 Jun 2001


 Kevin Burton Smith < kvnsmith@colba.net> wrote:

<< But you claim the ones you read were accurate. Who were some of the writers who knew what they were writing about? ... I wouldn't mind reading a few more of these. As fantasy some of those stories are pretty good, even if, as historicals, they leave much to be desired.
>>

James Oliver Curwood wrote some Northerns that in some cases featured Mounties. His books, like those of contemporary Zane Grey, are a bit romanticized, but are readable and enjoyable.

Ryerson Johnson was a pulp writer (he ghost-wrote some Doc Savage tales for his pal Lester Dent) who wrote some Mountie stories for NORTHERN STORIES, WEST, TOP-NOTCH and ACE HIGH, among others. They are straight adventure yarns. You'll find some of this work, along with a memoir of his writing days, in THE BEST WESTERN STORIES OF RYERSON JOHNSON edited by Bill Pronzini and the ubiquitous Martin H. Greenberg (1990, Ohio University Press, and a Large Print edition that's 1995, G.K. Hall & Co.).

There's another collection of Ryerson Johnson stories titled TORTURE TREK AND ELEVEN OTHER ACTION-PACKED STORIES OF THE WILD WEST, also edited by Pronzini and Greenberg (1995: Barricade Books). I have this on order, but I don't know how the contents compare to the previous book. I do know that
"Torture Trek" is one of the stories included in the BEST OF... book. I don't think they're the same book, because the BEST OF... doesn't mention a different title on its copyright page, but I may be wrong.

-- Duane

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