A strong silent stranger rides into the lawless lands of the western frontier battles horse thieves deals with unyielding scoundrels and wins the heart of a schoolmarm. Owen Wister's 1902 classic-the first great novel of the American West-is rich in moral drama and vernacular wit. His hero-like knights of old-lives by an enduring code of chivalry and is governed by quiet courage and a deep sense of honor.<br><br><br><br>Set in the vast Wyoming territory this masterpiece helped establish the code of the West and its stereotypical characters: the genteel but brave cowboy the pretty spinster from back East and villains beyond redemption. The novel is also on record for incorporating the first known 'shootout' in American literature.<br><br><br><br>In 1977 <I>The Virginian</I> was voted by the Western American Writers as the greatest western novel of all time. Brimming with action romance and atmosphere it remains a classic of frontier fiction.
