In Praise of Joseph Altsheler

I suppose most of you reading this will be familiar with the movie The Last of the Mohicans, more than with any other reference I could make. These days, it is considered the classic story of Native American Indians and frontiersmen in the American Colonial era. The story was of course first a book, one of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales, originally published in 1826. That age shows, because by 21st Century standards, Cooper’s prose reads horribly. Actually, Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was already making fun of Cooper over a century ago, just search online for a version of his essay on "Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences."

Cooper was successful in his day because he was creating a new form of fiction. He was the first author to build a reputation on writing stories set on the frontier of American advancing settlement, and in the wilderness beyond. Others naturally followed up on this premise, and some such as Robert W. Chambers, also found success. The concept of telling a tale full of ambushes, canoe chases, forest-lore, and a celebration of nature, found appeal then, and still can captivate readers today. At least it can still captivate me ;-)

Joseph Altsheler also tried his hand at writing historical novels, publishing a variety of books at the turn of the 20th Century. These varied in setting from the French & Indian War, through the American Revolution, up to the American Civil War. They were aimed at an adult audience, and found limited success. Kentucky-born Altsheler was a newspaper man, writing and editing for publications based in New York City. By 1907 he was editing the thrice-weekly magazine of the New York World, which published adventure stories for adolescent males. These were supposed to have exciting events told with historical accuracy and in a wholesome way that would not offend any sensibilities. Altsheler had difficulty finding suitable stories, so he started writing them himself. With this he had found his niche, and over the next dozen years, till his death in 1919, he wrote enough material to form over 25 books (the serialized storylines formed full novels once they were collected in hardcover book format, much as happened with Charles Dickens’ storylines decades earlier).

Certain Altsheler stories were stand alone novels, but most of his output formed part of one of his several series. The most famous of these were the three longest. First was The Young Trailers, with 6 volumes written between 1907 and 1912, with two more books added a few years later. These told of the American Revolutionary War era in Kentucky, as the British and Indians tried to drive the settlers out. Next was The Civil War Series, which over the course of 8 books written between 1914 and 1916 told of Kentucky descendents of the Young Trailers, some of whom fought for the North, while others chose the South. Finally, the French & Indian War Series (1916-1919) followed two New York frontiersmen and their Onondaga Iroquois boon companion from before the war broke out through the British victory at Quebec.

I was lucky as a child that my maternal grandmother was a small town librarian. I found many of Altsheler’s books there when I was perhaps 10, and quickly became a fan of his writing. This was circa 1980, and Altsheler’s series titles had remained in print until roughly 1960, so it isn’t surprising that this library would have them. My Middle School library also had some Altsheler, as did the Fort Collins Town Library, when I moved to Colorado for college in 1988. One Altsheler book, The Masters of the Peaks, remained available for order as late as roughly 1985, and I was able to buy a “new” copy, printed many years earlier, at a B. Dalton’s in 1983. Altsheler’s works are all in the public domain, so today many of them can be had in a variety of modern reprintings. But as a potentially cheaper option, Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/) has made available free e-books of many Altsheler titles, including every volume of the three series I mentioned. These come as pdf files, and there can be some expense if you choose to print the books out, but at least the files themselves are free of charge.

Who would enjoy these books in 2008 (or 2009, as of next week)? Fans of Cooper’s books would probably enjoy the settings, and the much more approachable writing style. People who share my enthusiasm for the parts of The Lord of the Rings that involve the Rangers of the North, and Faramir and his Rangers of Ithilien, would also be likely to enjoy Altsheler’s Indian warfare volumes. So would readers of contemporary authors of mountain man novels, such as Richard S. Wheeler, Earl Murray (RIP), and Terry C. Johnston (RIP). Civil War buffs are a natural audience for that series. Back to Fantasy, Altsheler was an influence on Robert E. Howard, which can best be appreciated in Conan stories such as Beyond the Black River and The Black Stranger.
I earlier mentioned the “wholesome” quality of Altsheler’s work, so it is worth keeping in mind that his books are “chaste” to roughly the same degree as Tolkien’s. This means there is violence and killing, but each story is told tastefully, without the sex of Johnston, or the grimness of Howard. And most volumes reach a reasonably happy ending, with nary a hint of irony along the way. This could turn off some modern readers, but to me, Altsheler’s writing feels old fashioned in a “classic” sense, rather than seeming quaint and off putting. Like Howard’s, it still reads well to most modern readers.

Here’s the titles to the three mentioned Altsheler series. As discussed above, all can be found on Project Gutenberg, or in various used and new conventional printings (and even sometimes on CDs). I hope this discussion has intrigued you, happy hunting!
The Young Trailers Series:
1. The Young Trailers
2. The Forest Runners
3. The Keepers of the Trail
4. The Eyes of the Woods
5. The Free Rangers
6. The Riflemen of the Ohio
7. The Scouts of the Valley
8. The Border Watch

The Civil War Series
1. The Guns of Bull Run
2. The Guns of Shiloh
3. The Scouts of Stonewall
4. The Sword of Antietam
5. The Star of Gettysburg
6. The Rock of Chickmauga
7. The Shades of the Wilderness
8. The Tree of Appomattox

The French & Indian War Series
1. The Hunters of the Hills
2. The Shadow of the North
3. The Rulers of the Lakes
4. The Masters of the Peaks
5. The Lords of the Wild
6. The Sun of Quebec

Thought of the day: I'm currently reading Cruel Zinc Melodies, the 12th and most recent of Glen Cook's Garrett, P.I. novels. My goal is to finish it by the end of 2008. The thought of being done with the series, until the already-contracted 13th volume appears, leaves me both happy and sad. I'll explore those feelings, and the series in general, in future ramblings.