"THE RIDER OF THE RUBY HILLS" - читать интересную книгу автора (L'Amour Louis)

often with a surprise ending, had been made popular by O. Henry and usually ran to
1,500 words, more or less. A "short story" rarely was more than 6,000 words. A "novelette,"
or "novella," usually amounted to 9,000 to 15,000 words. A "novel," which the stories
collected here are, rarely consisted of more than 40,000 words. By comparison, a
novel published as a book is usually at least 60,000 words, but there's no upward
length limit.
The editors of the magazines in which these stories originally appeared, affectionately
known then and now as "pulps," demanded I stress action-swift and hard hitting. Little
time was to be devoted to atmosphere, characterization, or background. Yet a good
writer knows that action always derives from character and situation, so some of
us tried to push on to tell a better story in a more complete fashion. Yet some stories
need development, time and space, and the "pulps" gave neither.
Often a writer will live so closely with a character he has created that he cannot
leave him alone but must return to relate more of his story. Once accepted as a novelist
I was able to realize my long-held
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viii FOREWORD
wish to redo my "magazine novels" for publication as books. Over the years, the works
herein were revised and slightly expanded, often with new characters and additional
plot lines, into novels I published as full-length paperbacks under other titles.
These particular early magazine versions of my books seem to be a source of considerable
speculation and curiosity among fans who have requested the opportunity to read all
the stories I have written. So much so is this the case of late, that I've decided
to bring four of my "magazine novels" back into print in this book.
The title story of this volume, "The Rider of the Ruby Hills," was my first telling
of the novel Where the Long Grass Blows.
It was also once filmed as
The Treasure of Ruby Hills,
a movie with Zachary Scott, Carole Matthews, and Raymond Hatton among the players.
"Showdown Trail," the original version of
The Tall Stranger, was the basis for a movie with the latter title, starring Joel
McCrea and Virginia Mayo.
"A Man Called Trent" became The Mountain Valley War
and is the second in a trilogy of stories about Lance Kilkenny. "The Trail to Peach
Meadow Canyon" was the original version of
Son of a Wanted Man.
In it, I was able to follow in more detail what happened to the various groups of
outlaws operating out of their canyon hideout and bring them into contact with two
law officers of the time and area, Tyrel Sackett and Borden Chantry, neither of whom
is aware that they are distantly related. (Nor did I tell the reader, for that is
Another Story!)
I do not think of the protagonists of these or any of my stories as heroes. They
are simply people living their lives within the circumstances of their time. Most
stories cover only a few hours, days, or weeks in the life of a character. The characters
in my stories are
people.
They are horn, they live, and they die. Much happens in the lives of the people you'll
meet in the following pages that I haven't told you. Perhaps I'll do that in future
books.