Back in the saddle again

The Western is the most important genre in American cinema. Though the production of films may have declined since the 1960s, the Western's influence has spread worldwide, and far beyond the movies. Recently the New Western History, attempting to put the record straight where women, ethnic minorities and other marginalised groups are concerned, has given new impetus to film-makers, while best-selling writers such as Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy have found new stories to tell. This collection of new essays pays particular attention to areas of the Western hitherto neglected, such as the early silent Western, the singing cowboys of the 1930s and the television Westerns of the 1950s. It examines the perennially urgent topic of Native Americans and looks beyond America to examine the European Western and to consider the significance of Mexico. It also looks at the role of Westerns in magazine advertising and in fashion, and the spate of television documentaries on Western topics. Specially commissioned for this volume, all the articles throw fresh light on a genre still not accorded its due by the critical establishment.