Books with author Lorence Bjorklund

“Old Jake Hanlon sits on the edge of the mesa and looks out over miles of southwestern plain,” starts Jack Schaefer’s all-ages novel Mavericks. Old Jake Hanlon is “ancient and craglike, weathered and withered . . . something like a worn rocky butte himself.” Living in his memories, Hanlon prefers to reflect on his youth, when he lived every cowboy’s dream, rather than think about the old man he has become, now labeled “a decrepit old nuisance” by the folks in town. Ultimately, it is Old Jake’s recollection of the tales of his past—stories of endurance, strength, compassion, and cunning—that helps prepare him for death.ABOUT THE AUTHORJack Schaefer was a journalist and writer known for his authentic and memorable characters set in the American West. Schaefer received the Western Literature Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 1975 and the Saddleman Award in 1986 from the Western Writers of America. His popular Western novels include Shane (1949) and Monte Walsh (1963).ACCLAIM“Unabashedly sentimental, this has some stunning scenes and a rhythm as smooth as a slow canter. And Old Jake, symbol of the best of the old West, leaves some indestructible memories.” -- Kirkus Reviews

"Old Jake Hanlon sits on the edge of the mesa and looks out over miles of southwestern plain," starts Jack Schaefer's all-ages novel Mavericks. Old Jake Hanlon is "ancient and craglike, weathered and withered . . . something like a worn rocky butte himself." Living in his memories, Hanlon prefers to reflect on his youth, when he lived every cowboy's dream, rather than think about the old man he has become, now labeled "a decrepit old nuisance" by the folks in town. Ultimately, it is Old Jake's recollection of the tales of his past--stories of endurance, strength, compassion, and cunning--that helps prepare him for death.

Texas-born historian and author Bruce Grant portrays the trails in terms of the people who blazed them, suffered and died along them, and eventually followed them to the conquest of a continent. The Indians' footpaths originally marked out many of the trail routes. Then came the trappers, explorers, cowboys, settlers, and soldiers. Full-color reproductions and dramatic paintings by famous artists like Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington illustrate each trail. Complementing the text are numerous drawings and maps by well-known illustrator Lorence Bjorklund. Famous American Trails vividly highlights for young and old alike a portion of our country's heritage that is as dramatic now as it was vital then.