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Showing 16-19 of 19 books
Cover of Bully McGrane

Bully McGrane

Haycox, Ernest (author)
Doubleday, Doran and Company (in Short Stories Magazine) • 1930
Keywords: classic Western short story, frontier boomtown noir, mining camp Western fiction, outlaw redemption Western, marshal and gunmen standoff, dance hall saloon frontier, gritty canyon town setting, romantic Western suspense, lawlessness and frontier justice, pulp era Western literature

In the hard-edged frontier town of Pistol Gap, life burns fast—worked hard, played harder, and ended without warning. When miner-turned-rider Tud Drury returns with a heavy stake and a plan to start clean, the town’s brutal marshal and a trio of dangerous men begin to close in. Drawn to the seamy glow of the Pride of the Hills and the promise of escape, Tud and the woman he won’t abandon must navigate a night where power writes the law and mercy is never guaranteed. A tense Western tale of redemption, devotion, and survival at the ragged edge of the hills.

Cover of Buckin’ the Air

Buckin’ the Air

La Mar, Bud (author), Hoban, Frank (illustrator)
Short story • The Consolidated Magazines Corporation (in Blue Book Magazine) • 1929
Keywords: western comedy fiction, cowboy adventure story, early aviation humor, rodeo riders tale, Old West humor, vintage airplane adventure, comic Western novel, 1920s cowboy story, slapstick Western fiction, aviation frontier comedy

When two down-on-their-luck cowboys strike gold at a rodeo and receive a crooked judge's invitation to split prize money, their celebration lands them in hot water with the law. Fleeing an angry mob—led by a marshal wielding a pistol and a vengeful shopkeeper brandishing a mannequin leg—they hitch a ride that turns into their most dangerous adventure yet: a flight in a questionable airplane with dubious fuel reserves. A wild, humorous tale of Old West mischief colliding with early aviation.

Cover of Conversation

Conversation

Davis, J. Frank (author)
Short story • The McCall Company (in Blue Book Magazine) • April, 1930
Keywords: Western short story, Texas gunfighter fiction, 1930s pulp Western, showdown duel, psychological Western, frontier justice tale, classic Western literature, gunslinger confrontation, Old West honor code, vintage Western pulp

In a Texas town where deadly quarrels are settled with guns and justified by honor, young Curly Stewart faces an impossible choice: flee before a notorious gunman returns to kill him, or stand his ground despite knowing he can't outdraw his opponent. When Jim Begley forces a showdown after Curly criticizes his cowardly killing methods, Curly must rely on something deadlier than a fast draw—nerve-shattering conversation that turns the tables on a man who once hid behind a bulletproof vest.

Cover of The Coast Guardsman

The Coast Guardsman

Carleton, W. E. (author), Molt, William (illustrator)
Short story • The McCall Company (in Blue Book Magazine) • February, 1930
Keywords: Coast Guard historical fiction, Cape Cod adventure, Prohibition era smuggling, maritime suspense, rum-runners, betrayal and redemption, New England setting, nautical fiction, vintage pulp adventure

When a young Coast Guard surfman is falsely branded a coward by his superior, he risks everything to clear his name on the fog-shrouded shores of Cape Cod. Caught between duty and honor, Aubrey Sears must confront smugglers, treacherous colleagues, and his own doubts in a desperate fight that will determine not only his future in the service but his chance at love. In the shadowy world of Prohibition-era rum-runners and opium smugglers, one man's courage will expose a web of lies that reaches to the heart of his own station.