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Max Brand is one of the pseudonyms used by the prolific American writer, Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 â May 12, 1944). Using the Max Brand pseudonym, he wrote hundreds of western stories and novels as well as creating the Dr. Kildare character. Destry Rides Again was first published in 1930, in a series of installments under the title "Twelve Peers" in Frank Blackwell's Western Story Magazine. It was republished, as a paperback, later that year under the title Destry Rides Again. It remains one of Brand's most famous works and had been in print for 70 years after its first publication. There were three film versions made of it between 1932 and 1954. However, these owe little to the novel other than their name; the plots are completely unrelated to Brand's story, and Destry's first name is also changed from Harry to Tom in the movies. The most famous version was made in 1939 and starred Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart.
I have had this old Triangle hardcover copy on my shelves for years and decided to finally read it. DESTRY is a typical western of its time. It takes place mostly in and around the fictional town of Wham, Texas. The protagonist, Harry Destry, was a young hotheaded man with a reputation for fighting and reckless behavior. He had fought and bested many of his peers when he was growing up in Wham and was therefore not well-liked. But then he is framed for the robbery of the Express train and is sentenced to ten years in prison by a jury of his peers. Destry looks down on the twelve jurors and feels that he was sentenced unjustly and vows to get vengeance on them. He ends up being released after six years and as in the title he rides again to call on these twelve peers for the wrong he feels they did him. But is he really taking vengeance on the right people? Who actually framed him for the robbery?
Like I said, this is definitely a novel of its time. Of course, Destry also has a love interest in the story, Charlotte Dangerfield, the daughter of a wealthy rancher. The novel was full of action but it also contained some surprising racist remarks including using the N word on more that one occasion. For example, one discussion between Charlotte and her father: "I never seen anything the way you throw money away on them n.....s, the worthless good-for-nothin's! . . . Money is no good for n.....s, said Dangerfield. Money and votes ain't no good for them." The author was obviously against allowing blacks to vote. I know that this attitude was included in many works of the time but it still was somewhat triggering. I guess this book is considered a classic but I would only mildly recommend it.
I have had this old Triangle hardcover copy on my shelves for years and decided to finally read it. DESTRY is a typical western of its time. It takes place mostly in and around the fictional town of Wham, Texas. The protagonist, Harry Destry, was a young hotheaded man with a reputation for fighting and reckless behavior. He had fought and bested many of his peers when he was growing up in Wham and was therefore not well-liked. But then he is framed for the robbery of the Express train and is sentenced to ten years in prison by a jury of his peers. Destry looks down on the twelve jurors and feels that he was sentenced unjustly and vows to get vengeance on them. He ends up being released after six years and as in the title he rides again to call on these twelve peers for the wrong he feels they did him. But is he really taking vengeance on the right people? Who actually framed him for the robbery?
Like I said, this is definitely a novel of its time. Of course, Destry also has a love interest in the story, Charlotte Dangerfield, the daughter of a wealthy rancher. The novel was full of action but it also contained some surprising racist remarks including using the N word on more that one occasion. For example, one discussion between Charlotte and her father: "I never seen anything the way you throw money away on them n.....s, the worthless good-for-nothin's! . . . Money is no good for n.....s, said Dangerfield. Money and votes ain't no good for them." The author was obviously against allowing blacks to vote. I know that this attitude was included in many works of the time but it still was somewhat triggering. I guess this book is considered a classic but I would only mildly recommend it.
