Once Upon a Time in the West

I find that it is impossible to separate the landscapes of the American Southwest from the iconic role that they have played in American culture. For this reason, I have covered these landscapes with a veil of semi-transparent excerpts from American western literature, including Dime novels. Starting around 1860, this literature was fundamental in the development of the iconography surrounding the West and was a source for the narratives which were later used in film and television. The influence of this literature was such that it contributed to the pioneering movement to settle this vast region. [Note: all excerpts are taken from texts now in the public domain.]