The Day of the Beast (Mint Editions (Westerns))

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. I've had my Walter J. Black copy for a few years now.