Harrigan

Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 357K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Harrigan by Max BrandAuthor: Brand, Max, 1892-1944,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2006

Editor's review

Harrigan is an early Western novel by Max Brand, an author known for his prolific output and flair for suspenseful plotting. The book revolves around the protagonist's conflicts, choices, and actions in a Western setting, carrying on the hard-edged style typical of Brand's work: vivid characters, crisp action scenes, and plots driven by confrontations and sudden turns, with a strong sense of visual drama. As a public-domain eBook, it is highly accessible, and its length suits reading in a few sittings; it will appeal to readers curious about what early twentieth-century American popular Western fiction looked like. Note that such works carry obvious genre conventions of their era: good and evil are sharply divided, and the portrayal of women and ethnic minorities bears the marks of an older age, so modern readers may wish to read with a critical eye toward genre. Overall, it works best as light entertainment and a sample of genre fiction rather than as serious literature aiming for deep character study.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Western settings and fast-paced action stories
Literature enthusiasts curious about early American popular fiction genres
Language learners seeking English reading material of moderate length for extensive reading
Readers curious about Max Brand's style

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer nuanced psychological portrayal and slow-paced narrative
Readers sensitive to outdated gender and ethnic stereotypes
Nonfiction readers expecting rigorous historical accuracy about the West

Reading tips

Start with the first few chapters to grasp the character relationships and the origin of the conflict, then read straight through.
Pay attention to how the author paces confrontations and handles dialogue to appreciate the techniques of genre fiction.
After finishing, compare it with other Western novels to see what the heroic figures share and how they differ.
For extensive reading in English, mark unfamiliar Western terms and look them up in one batch afterward.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this without having read any Westerns before?

Yes. Westerns follow clear genre conventions, and this book's plot is relatively direct, so no prior knowledge is needed. Just keep track of the character relationships and the source of the conflict at the start, and you'll settle into the story; the pace becomes easier to follow after a chapter or two.

What are Max Brand's works like?

He is known for his prolific output and skill at building suspense. His works often depict confrontations, action, and choices in Western settings, with vivid characters and crisp action scenes. This book shows those traits too and works well as an introduction to his style.

Is this book suitable for learning English?

As a public-domain novel, it can be used for extensive reading practice. The sentences and dialogue are generally not difficult, but it contains old Western slang and colloquial expressions. Focus on following the plot rather than looking up every word, and review the vocabulary afterward.

What should I keep in mind while reading?

It is a popular genre novel from the early twentieth century, with sharply divided good and evil and portrayals of women and ethnic minorities shaped by the limitations of its time. Read it as a genre sample while keeping a critical eye, and you'll get more out of it.

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About the author

Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust) Author · American · 1892–1944

Max Brand (1892–1944), whose real name was Frederick Schiller Faust, was an American writer of Western fiction. Best known by the pen name Max Brand, he produced a large number of popular novels, including The Garden of Eden, The Rangeland Avenger, The Night Horseman, Black Jack, The Untamed, Riders of the Silences, Alcatraz, and Bull Hunter; fifteen of his works are held in this collection. His stories are mostly set on the Western frontier, with tight plots and brisk pacing, focusing on how characters act and choose in dangerous situations. Beyond Western subjects, he also created the character Dr. Kildare. In 1944 he died in Italy while serving as a war correspondent. Public information on his early education and writing career is limited, but his many popular works circulated widely among readers of his time.