The Encyclopedia of Westerns (The Facts on File Film Reference Library) - Hardcover

A history of the western movie, from ""The Great Train Robbery"" in 1902 to Hollywood hits of the early-21st century. It takes an A-to-Z look at the thousands of westerns that have packed movie houses and captured audiences over the years. There are more than 3500 entries, and each one includes the film's statistics - title, year released, director, writers and screenwriters, cast, and running time - along with a summary of the film and a critical analysis of the more significant stars and films. This reference also includes information on popular western serials and film series. Additional features include: information on the genre that made Clint Eastwood an international star - spaghetti westerns, so-called because most of these films were produced in Europe and financed by Italian companies; approximately 75 black-and-white photographs that capture moments in western film history; a historical overview of western movies at the Oscars - the winners, the losers, and the overlooked; and an appendix citing literary sources for western films.

Herb Fagen is one of the nation's leading experts on the subject of the Hollywood Western. He is the author of several books, including Duke, We're Glad We Knew You and Stand Tall, Pilgrim: The John Wayne Quote Book. Mr. Fagen also contributes articles on Western movies for publications such as Filmfax, Classic Images, and Movie Marketplace. He lives in Walnut Creek, CA.