Horton, Robert J. 1885-1934

PERSONAL:

Born 1885, in Coudersport, PA; died 1934.

CAREER:

Writer and newspaper sports editor.

WRITINGS:

The Prairie Shrine: A Western Story, Chelsea House (New York, NY), 1924.

Rider o' the Stars: A Western Story, Chelsea House (New York, NY), 1924.

The Man of the Desert: A Western Story, Chelsea House (New York, NY), 1925.

The Spectacular Kid, Chelsea House (New York, NY), 1925, Center Point Large Print, 2005.

Lennister of Blue Dome: A Western Story, 1926, Children's Press, 1950.

The Two-Gun Kid: A Western Story, Chelsea House (New York, NY), 1927.

The "Killer's" Protégé, A.C. McClurg (Chicago, IL), 1928.

The Trail of the Buzzard, 1930 Isis Publishing, 2004.

The Forgotten Hills, Collins, 1932 Center Point Large Print, 2003.

Bullets in the Sun, W. Collins & Sons, 1935.

The Six-Shooter Kid, W. Collins & Sons, 1935.

Stories of the Golden West. Book One: A Western Trio, eddited by Jon Tuska, Five Star (Unity, ME), 2001.

The Hanging X: A Western Story, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2003.

Whispering Canon, Thomas T. Beeler, 2003.

Guns of Jeopardy: A Western Story, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2005.

Riders of Paradise: A Western Story, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2006.

The Cavalier of Rabbit Butte: A Western Story, Ulverscroft Large Print, 2006.

Unwelcome Settlers, Center Point Large Print, 2006.

Forgotten Range: A Western Story, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2007.

Also author of screenplays, including Rip Roarin' Roberts and Singing River.

SIDELIGHTS:

Robert J. Horton was a prolific writer of western genre fiction during the 1920s and early 1930s. Many of his books, long out of print, began to enjoy new popularity in the early 2000s when they were reprinted by Five Star. Horton's novels, which deal with such typical western themes as cattle rustling, conflicts between ranchers and miners, and love, are distinguished by their focus on character rather than plot. Guns of Jeopardy: A Western Story is the tale of an epic feud between cattle ranchers in Montana, which grows more complicated when a notorious rustler arrives on the scene. Riders of Paradise: A Western Story, also set on the Montana ranges, concerns the two sons of a cattle rancher. Dick left home to attend college while Clint stayed put, but conflict flares up after Dick returns, intent on settling down and making a go of the ranching business. When Blunt Rodgers, the novel's arrogant cowboy antagonist, is shot to death, Clint is blamed, though Dick may be the guilty party. The brothers also find themselves rivals for the love of the same girl. Booklist reviewer David Pitt enjoyed the novel's "vaguely Shakespearean" feel and pointed out that its blend of macho and romance action "was decades ahead of its time in 1931 but right on the mark" for twenty-first-century readers.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2006, David Pitt, review of Riders of Paradise: A Western Story, p. 53.

Library Journal, February 1, 2005, Michael Rogers, review of Guns of Jeopardy: A Western Story, p. 126.