The Encyclopedia of Westerns (The Facts on File Film Reference Library) (repost)

Western films endure even through the ebb and flow of their immediate popularity. This reference book covers more than 3,500 western films over the past 100 years. The author has tried to be as comprehensive as possible in listing feature films. He includes mainly sound productions and covers silent, serial, and TV films selectively. A few crossover titles, such as Hud and Oklahoma! show the Western influence.

Longtime western aficionado Fagen has written several books on this genre. Both Tom Selleck and Dale Robertson wrote prefaces for this volume, in support of westerns and their history.

A three-page introduction traces the history and main actors of western films. The body of the book consists of alphabetically arranged film titles. Each entry lists the credits. About half of the entries have only a sentence or two about the movie, but a few, such as the entries for High Noon and Shane, continue for two pages and include production notes, some plot summary and critical commentary, and quotes from critics, performers, and filmmakers. Series are cross-referenced. Writing is clear and usually positive. About 100 black-and-white captioned photos of actors and screen shots offer visual relief and information.