Last of the Duanes (novel)

Last of the Duanes
AuthorZane Grey
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreWestern novel
PublisherFive Star (US hardback)
Publication date
1996
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages313 p (hardback)
ISBN0-7862-0627-6 (hc)
OCLC33817611
813/.52 20
LC ClassPS3513.R6545 L26 1996

Last of the Duanes is a 1914 novel by Zane Grey.

Origin

Last of the Duanes is the original version of The Lone Star Ranger. Originally written in 1913, it was rejected by Munsey's Magazine as too violent. The manuscript was reworked and published as the serial "The Rangers of the Lone Star" early in 1914; later that year, Grey sold the original story to The Argosy. Grey combined the two serials into his 1915 novel The Lone Star Ranger, the first of his works to top a best-seller list.[1] In 1996 Last of the Duanes was published in its original form.

Plot summary

Buck Duane is the son of a famous Texas gunman, a fact which brings him almost nothing but trouble. Duane shoots a man who threatens him and flees the law. He mixes with outlaws while clinging desperately to the last of his principles. He rescues a girl named Jennie from the hands of an outlaw king, but loses her in the escape. He then wanders aimlessly, desperation growing as the worth of life slips away.

Characters in "Last of the Duanes"
  • Buck Duane; son of a famous Texas gunman turned outlaw who quickly gains a deadly reputation of his own.
  • Jennie; a girl being held captive by outlaws high in the mountains.
  • Bland; outlaw rustler who controls a beautiful, inaccessible mountain valley.
  • Euchre; an old outlaw living high in the mountains who befriends Duane and helps plot Jennie's escape.
  • Cheseldine; an outlaw king and rival of Bland's.
  • MacNelly; a captain of the Texas Rangers who's searching for Buck Duane.

Themes
Ad for 1919 film

The coming of law and order on the American frontier leads to a clash of values as the very self-sufficiency of the frontiersmen leads them to break the law. Once broken, the outlaw starts a downward spiral that erodes his humanity as he runs from a harsh justice to an even harsher frontier filled with desperate men. Grey delves into the life of the gunman, examining what makes them dangerous both to themselves and to those around them.

Film adaptations

The Zane Grey novel was adopted into a film four times. The first was a 1919 silent film adaptation starring William Farnum, followed by a 1924 adaptation with Tom Mix, a 1930 adaptation starring George O'Brien, and a 1941 adaptation featuring George Montgomery.

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See also

The Lone Star Ranger

References
  1. Thomas H. Pauly, Zane Grey: His Life, His Adventures, His Women, University of Illinois Press, 2005, pp. 147-148
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