A stirring, provocative novel of the American Northwest in the 1920s, written with the same buoyant vigor, the sharp characterization, and the pungent wisdom that captivated readers of H.L. Davis' great Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Honey In The Horn
H.L. Davis’ captivating novel is narrated by Amos Clarke who recounts back to thirty years when he was barely twenty and was a hot-headed young sheriff's assistant. For Amos, it is one experience that stands out the most for him during his time spent as a sheriff’s deputy.
While delivering a summons, Amos stumbles upon a shooting that at first appears to be accidental. Busick, a ranch hand, has killed an old Indian. Amos takes Busick into custody. An open-and-shut case of manslaughter, Busick is tried and gets off. But when Busick decides to give up his rights to a small patch of grazing land, the sheriff instructs Amos to round up Busick’s horses and lead them up to public pasture with the help of Hendricks, an old man who was looking after them.
As Amos and Hendricks head north with the horses, they find themselves on the hunt for a murderer when a wealthy rancher who was married to one of Hendricks’ daughters is shot dead. Their search for a killer proves to be an epiphany for both men—and for Amos, this fascinating journey will forever change him.

Winds of Morning: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Davis, H.L.

United States

William Morrow Paperbacks

Team bells woke me, and other stories

Greenwood Press

Set in Oregon in the early years of the twentieth century, H. L. Davis’s Honey in the Horn chronicles the struggles faced by homesteaders as they attempted to settle down and eke out subsistence from a still-wild land. With sly humor and keenly observed detail, Davis pays homage to the indomitable character of Oregon’s restless people and dramatic landscapes without romanticizing or burnishing the myths. Clay Calvert, an orphan, works as a hand on a sheep ranch until he stumbles into trouble and is forced to flee. Journeying throughout the state, from the lush coastal forests, to the Columbia Gorge, to the golden wheat fields east of the Cascades, he encounters a cast of characters as rich and diverse as the land, including a native Tunne boy and a beautiful girl named Luce. Originally published in 1935, Honey in the Horn reveals as much about the prevailing attitudes and beliefs of H. L. Davis’ lifetime as it does about the earlier era in which it is set. It transcends the limitations of its time through the sheer power and beauty of Davis’ prose. Full of humor and humanity, Davis’s first novel displays a vast knowledge of Pacific Northwest history, lore, and landscape. An essential book for all serious readers of Northwest literature, this classic coming-of-age novel has been called the “Huckleberry Finn of the West.” It is the only Oregon book that has ever won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. With a new introduction by Richard W. Etulain, this important work from one of Oregon’s premier authors is once again available for a new generation to enjoy.

Honey in the Horn (Northwest Reprints)

Oregon State University Press

The Distant Music

Reference

Comstock Book Distributors

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