THE MAX BRAND COMPANION, edited by John Tuska and Vicki Piekarski, with consulting editor Darrell C. Richardson (Greenwood Press, 547 pages, $75.00).
The life of writer Frederick Faust, who, under the pseudonym of Max Brand, earned fame with such books as the western classics Destry Rides Again and Singing Guns, and the Dr. Kildare stories, is well chronicled in this account of the man whose name is synonymous with pulp fiction. In addition to biographical information, this compilation features tributes to both Faust and his work from those who knew him; detailed bibliographies of his writings and the silent and sound films they spawned; and literary criticism by a variety of critics, scholars, and fellow authors.