Features Walt Coburn’s complete western novel:
“Guns could never win back for Smoke O’Hay the brave wagon-train girl his wild Irish heart had lost . . . But, even as a hunted fugitive, he might blot the murder brand from his name – in the blood of three who were spreading terror across the rangeland.” [Prologue]
Walt Coburn (1889–1971) was a prolific American author renowned for his Western fiction. Born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, he grew up on the Circle C Ranch, founded by his father. His early experiences as a cowboy deeply influenced his writing, lending authenticity to his stories.
Coburn served in the Army aviation corps during World War I before transitioning to a career in writing. He began publishing in pulp magazines in the 1920s, earning the nickname "The Cowboy Author." Over his career, he wrote more than 1,000 stories and 40 books, becoming a leading figure in Western pulp fiction. His works often appeared in magazines like “Western Story Magazine” and “Dime Western Magazine.”
Later in life, Coburn moved to Arizona, where he continued writing until the decline of pulp magazines in the 1950s. His autobiography, “Western Word Wrangler,” was published posthumously in 1974. Coburn's legacy endures as a key contributor to the Western genre.
[Sources: Wikipedia, and Archives.Library.Arizona.edu]
