Ten Most Wanted

In this groundbreaking work, Blake Allmendinger leads the search for a new literature of the American West. He expands the field from within by discovering works by women and children, religious minorities and people of color which have long been ignored by scholars. Reflecting Western literature's creative diversity from the Civil War to the present, these works include the only existing black cowboy autobiography, the first novel by a Native American, an obscure book about a woman living in a mining camp, novels and treatises describing the life of Mormon polygamy, and the diary of a young girl who lived in a logging camp and claimed to be a daughter of French aristocracy. Allmendinger also revisits well-known works outside the field--and outside the region as well--and rediscovers their "western" emphasis. "Ben "Hur, Treasure Island, In Cold Blood, The Good Earth, and even the popular television series "Twin Peaks all yield up their concerns with western themes. Provocative and intelligent, "Ten Most Wanted is a bold first step in the redefinition of the literature of the American West.