The Shootist by Lauren Bacall

The Shootist by Lauren Bacall

This is an extremely well-written Western and gives the reader vivid insight into the workings of the mind of a wanderer and gunman.―Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sunday Advocate

By the author of The Homesman, now a major motion picture The Shootist is John Bernard Books, a gunfighter at the turn of the twentieth century who must confront the greatest Shootist of all: Death. Most men would end their days in bed or take their own lives, but a gunfighter has a third option, one that Books decides to exercise. He may choose his own executioner.

As word spreads that the famous assassin has incurable cancer, an assortment of human vultures gathers to feast on the corpse--among them a gambler, a rustler, a clergyman, an undertaker, an old love, a reporter, even an admiring teenager. What follows is the last courageous act in Books's own legend.

This classic, Spur Award-winning novel was chosen by the Western Writers of America as one of the best western novels ever written and was the inspiration for John Wayne's last great starring role in the acclaimed 1976 film adaptation. The Bison Books edition includes a new introduction by the author's son, Miles Swarthout, in which he discusses his father's work and the making of the legendary film.

Lauren Bacall was discovered by Howard Hawks when she was eighteen and on the cover of Harper's Bazaar. Her signature look, The Look, came after her first picture, To Have and Have Not, with Humphrey Bogart, and the two enjoyed one of the most famous love affairs in cinema history. Bacall went on to star in over fifty films and is still a big figure in the industry. She has received numerous lifetime achievement honors, including two Tony Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and an Academy Award nomination. She is the mother of three children, Stephen, Leslie, and Sam, and she continues to live in New York City with her adoring papillon, Sophie.