This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We ...
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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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Add this copy of The Day of the Beast to cart. $19.72, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2022 by Legare Street Press.
Add this copy of The Day of the Beast to cart. $31.71, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by Legare Street Press.
On the dust cover of the first printing of this book in 1922 it had these words in bold letters, NOT A WESTERN, as if to warn the potential buyer what they would be getting was not the usual Zane Grey fare, and most likely contributed to the low sales of the book. Harpers had no faith in this book, nor did ZG's wife, Dolly, who had urged him not to write it. But this was a book he HAD to write. He felt enormous sympathy for the returning soldier from WW1 and how they were treated medically and emotionally, especially those who returned from the battle field after the first rush of excitement and jubilation the first one's received. Those later returnees were offered no parades, no notice at all, becoming almost victims of the war. Added to this was Zane Grey's hatred of the way society was changing, particularly the morals and the general conduct he saw being displayed by the young women of the day--"The Roaring Twenties" we call it today. This is his protest against that age or time as seen through the eyes of a returning veteran, who does not have long to live. And yes, a lot of what he was protesting against, is still with us today. We never seem to learn as a society; history repeats itself. This book may seem dated, the use of language and its descriptive qualities have changed somewhat, but all in all this book does a good job in depicting what was happening in the country following WW1. The Day of the Beast will never be one of ZG's big sellers, and for years the ending left me wondering if he actually wrote the book this way; but I have come to know more about him as a person through my study of him as a writer and can now see what he was trying to say with this book. If you read this book for what it was intended, then you will not be disappointed. It is NOT A WESTERN, but a very readable and enjoyable book exposing what the author believed was grievous to society then, and by the way even today.
Claudia W
May 10, 2012
Grey
A Zane Grey fan I am always enjoy them.Usually some pretty unrealistic hero's but as my grandmother would say he spins a pretty good yarn.
