Rex Beach
(1877-1949)
At the time of his death by suicide in 1949, Rex Beach was one of the most popular novelists in America. His success began in 1906 with the publication of The Spoilers, a tale of intrigue and corruption set in Nome, Alaska. Beach had spent much time in the North, where his experiences threw him among rugged and trial-worn men. Thus, his stories are filled with rough and down-to-earth characters. Oftentimes, his protagonists are honest men who find themselves pitted against elaborate systems of fraud and cunning. They try to fight these systems by brute strength and determination... and sometimes win. Beach's Alaska stories are comparable to those of Jack London, though Beach himself had no lofty artistic pretenses. He writes his tales with a clean literary style that doesn't aim too high or too low, and his best writing evinces a latent philosophical element. Contemporary critics dubbed him "the Victor Hugo of the North." But not all of Beach's stories take place in the Gold Rush regions. For example, his 1912 novel The Net is a mafia revenge thriller set in New Orleans. Beach was president of the Authors' League of America from 1917 to 1921. He belonged to various clubs and social organizations, and was also a successful cattle rancher and film producer.
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Bibliography:
13135 Pardners
[s|1905]
5076,Q The
Spoilers [f|1906]
4082,Q The
Barrier [f|1908]
6017 The
Silver Horde [f|1909]
6488 Going
Some [f|1910]
5405 The
Ne'er-Do-Well [f|1911]
6379 The
Net [f|1912]
5233 The
Iron Trail [f|1913]
5143 The
Auction Block [f|1914]
5099 Heart
Of The Sunset [f|1915]
5086 Rainbow's
End [f|1916]
The Crimson Gardenia.. [s|1916]
5062 The
Winds Of Chance [f|1918]
11501 Laughing
Bill Hyde.. [s|1918]
Too Fat To Fight [f|1919]
Oh, Shoot! [n|1921]
6425 Flowing
Gold [f|1922]
Big Brother [s|1923]
North Of Fifty-Three [s|1924]
The Goose Woman.. [s|1925]
Padlocked [1926]
The Miracle Of Coral Gables [n|1926]
The Mating Call [f|(1927)/1927]
Don Careless, And Birds Of Prey [s|1928]
Son Of The Gods [f|1929]
Money Mad [f|1931]
Beyond Control [f|1932]
Men Of The Outer Islands [s|1932]
Masked Women [s|1934]
The Hands Of Dr Locke [1934]
Jungle Gold [f|1935]
Alaskan Adventures [s|1935]
Wild Pastures [f|1935]
Valley Of Thunder [f|1939]
The Tower Of Flame [s|1940]
Personal Exposures [a|1940]
The World In His Arms [f|1946]
Woman In Ambush [f|1951]
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Web Resources:
REX BEACH at the Internet Movie Database
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