Authors of the "Old West" Genre Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This prolific western author was born in 1872 with the given name of Pearl. What is the name of this author who wrote "Riders of the Purple Sage?"

Answer: Zane Grey

Grey was born in Zanesville, Ohio. He wrote more than ninety books which sold more than forty million copies. Hollywood has utilized his works in many movies. In fact, there are five versions of "Riders of the Purple Sage" from 1918, 1925, 1931, 1941, and 1996. The 1996 version, starring Ed Harris, is considered to be the most true to the book.

2. Founded in 1953, the Western Writers of America organization is dedicated to promoting western literature. What is the name of the award given by the group that is considered the pinnacle for a western writer?

Answer: Spur Award

The Spur Award started out in 1953 with five categories. By 2009, there were seventeen award categories. Past winners include Nelson Nye ("Long Run"), Louis L'Amour ("Down the Long Hills"), Larry McMurtry ("Lonesome Dove") and Michael Blake ("Dances With Wolves").

3. Born in 1908 in South Dakota, this western author published 105 books before his death in 1988. What is the name of the writer who wrote about the Sackett family and "Shalako"?

Answer: Louis L'Amour

Louis L'Amour is one of the biggest icons of western fiction writing. He utilized historical accuracy as a background for his books. It was usual to be able to read a book, pull out a map, and follow the progress of the story. More than forty of his books have been made into movies and in 1984, he was honored as a recipient of the Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan.

4. Author Fran Striker is well-known for developing the Green Hornet character but he also created another character that is one of the best known western heroes. What is the name of this character who had "a fiery horse with the speed of light"?

Answer: The Lone Ranger

Fran Striker developed both characters. In actuality, he even had them related. Britt Reid, the name of the Green Hornet, was the son of the Lone Ranger's nephew, Dan Reid. Striker wrote Lone Ranger books and also all the scripts for the radio show which ran for twenty-one years.

He did the same for the Green Hornet show from 1936 to 1952. Striker was killed in an automobile accident in 1962. In 1988, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

5. The book "Shane" was first published in 1949 and became a memorable film in 1953, starring Alan Ladd. Who wrote this popular book, despite not having ever been anywhere near the west?

Answer: Jack Schaefer

Schaefer struck gold with his very first book, "Shane". While he later wrote another twenty-five books, none were as memorable as the first. Schaefer finally moved west, to New Mexico, in 1955. In 1975, he was honored with the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement award. He died in 1991. E.B. Mann wrote "The Valley of Wanted Men" in 1945, Arthur authored "Trigger Man from Nevada" in 1949, and Swarthout "The Shootist" in 1975.

6. While Walter Van Tilburg Clark only wrote very few books, his first, in 1940, was a classic and became a movie starring Henry Fonda in 1943. What is the title of his famous book which told the story of a posse lynching three innocent men?

Answer: The Ox-Bow Incident

Clark was born in Maine during 1909 although the family moved to Reno, Nevada soon after. He attended the University of Nevada where his father was president. Clark's last book was published in 1951 and while he continued to write, didn't publish any more books.

He died in 1971 and was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 1988. The other three choices are some of Clark's other published books.

7. Did famous artist and sculptor Charles Russell do any illustrating for Zane Grey books?

Answer: Yes

Yes, Russell did illustrations for Zane Grey, including "Riders of the Purple Sage." First editions of Russell illustrated books are highly sought after by collectors. N.C. Wyeth was another prominent artist who also illustrated Grey books.

8. Frederick Schiller Faust only used his real name to publish poetry but during his lifetime, he wrote more than 500 novels, primarily westerns. Other pen names he used were Frederick Frost, George Baxter, David Manning, Peter Morland, and many others. However, a true western fiction buff would know that this author's best known pen name is which of the following?

Answer: Max Brand

Faust was incredibly prolific, writing an estimated thirty million published words during his career. In addition, he served as a prominent screenwriter and while writing for Warner Brothers during the late 1930s and early 1940s, was one of the highest paid in the industry.

He also developed the Dr. Kildare character and also Destry, a western film character later used in the film "Destry Rides Again." While serving as a war correspondent in Italy, he was killed by shrapnel in 1944.

9. This author wrote books that were later used in making the movies "Union Pacific" and "Stagecoach". Author Ernest Hemingway said that he always read the "Saturday Evening Post" whenever this writer's work was inside. Which western author is this, who also wrote the story that formed the basis for the screenplay of the 1950 movie "Montana", starring Errol Flynn?

Answer: Ernest Haycox

Born in 1899 in Oregon, Haycox had his first novel published in 1928. His 1937 novel "Stage to Lordsburg" was turned into the John Wayne classic "Stagecoach" in 1939. Cecil B. DeMille used Haycox's serial "Troubleshooter" for his movie "Union Pacific", also made in 1939. Haycox was named, in 2005, one of the best twenty-four western writers by the Western Writers of America organization.

He died of cancer in 1950.

10. From the 1850s through the 1890s, a popular type of bulk books were produced that glorified the old west and its heroes and villains. Most of them grandly exaggerated the stories of these people, particularly Buffalo Bill. This style of booklets were called _____ novels.

Answer: Dime

Dime western novels came into vogue beginning in the 1850s, primarily as a result of the California gold rush and westward expansion. In the early stages of the fad, prominent names like Kit Carson, Wild Bill Hickok, and Buffalo Bill Cody were used to sell hundreds of thousands of copies.

While these men were already living legends, these books raised their levels of accomplishments to sometimes ridiculous heights. Carson, while unsuccessfully trying to rescue a woman kidnapped by Indians, found a copy of a dime novel titled "Kit Carson, the Happy Warrior," a book he had never heard about.

Source: Author ghosttowner

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Many authors achieved fame writing western themed fiction books. So, cinch up that saddle tight, head off down that dusty trail, and ride into the sunset like all western heroes do!

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>