Stand Proud and Eyes of the Hawk: Two Complete Novels of the American West

by Elmer Kelton

Elmer Kelton's Stand Proud and Eyes of the Hawk are two novels of fierce men tested by the Old West, written by one of the most critically acclaimed writers of the American west and offered at one low price. Stand Proud Frank Claymore is cantankerous, stubborn, and intolerant―just the qualities that make him a success as an open-range cattle rancher on the West Texas frontier. Stand Proud follows Claymore from the time of the Civil War to the dawn of the twentieth century―through marriage, births, deaths, and a creeping change in the society that once hailed him as a hero, and which later has him condemned as a despoiler and tried for murder. Eyes of the Hawk Thomas Canfield descends from a line of Texas’s earliest settlers. A proud man with a fierce-eyes stare, he inspires the Mexicans of Stonehill, Texas to call him el gavilan ―“the hawk.” When Branch Isom―an insolent, dangerous newcomer―seeks to build his fortune at Canfeild’s expense, an all-out feud ensues, hurtling the town toward a day of reckoning that will shake the entire town to its very roots.

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published August 28, 2018

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic old west as two dedicated enemies fight over cattle and land

Another excellent read with fascinating characters as iron wills clash and strong men refuse to see beyond their own interests. Cattle drives, land purchases, and the women who helped hold this together form an outstanding story of life in west Texas where land with water rights ruled. A beautifully told story and well worth the time.