The Western

In The Western, editor Phil Hardy provides commentary on every Western you've ever heard of--and hundreds that you haven't--from the commencement of the sound period until 1990. Eschewing the conventional star ratings for each film, Hardy instead opts for generous, detailed commentary. The films are listed chronologically, and each decade is preceded by instructive essays that detail the period's trends. Appendices include critics' lists of the best Westerns ever made, all-time Western rental champs, a list of important Westerns that were inspired by novels, and an appendix of Western films that Hardy was unable to cover in detail.