Reading the West is a collection of critical essays by writers, independent scholars, and critics on the literature of the American West. The essays in this volume enrich our understanding of western writing by reemphasizing the importance of "place" in literary studies. Whether focusing upon gender, genre, class, or multiethnic and environmental concerns, these essays seek to reinvigorate an interest in regional artistry.

Aimed to a general audience as well as an academic readership, this volume conveys a sense of the true depth and complexity of western writing, from the nineteenth century to the present.