Richard S. Wheeler (1) (1935–2019)
Author of Eclipse: A Novel of Lewis and Clark
About the Author
Richard S. (Shaw) Wheeler was born in Milwaukee in 1935 and grew up in nearby Wauwatosa. Wheeler spent three years in Hollywood in the mid-50s, where he worked in a record store and took acting lessons while struggling as a screenwriter. He eventually returned home, and attended the University of show more Wisconsin at Madison. He spent over a decade as a newspaperman, working as an editorial writer for the Phoenix Gazette, editorial page editor for the Oakland, California, Tribune, reporter on the Nevada Appeal in Carson City, and reporter and assistant city editor for the Billings, Montana, Gazette. In 1972, he turned to book editing, working in all for four publishers through 1987. As an editor for Walker & Company he edited twelve Western novels a year. Sandwiched between editing stints, in the mid-70s he worked at the Rancho de la Osa dude ranch in Sasabe, Arizona, on the Mexican border. There, in the off season, he experimented with his own fiction and wrote his first novel, Bushwack, published by Doubleday in 1978. Five more Western novels followed Bushwack before Wheeler was able to turn to writing full time: Beneath the Blue Mountain (1979), Winter Grass (1983), Sam Hook (1986), Richard Lamb (1987) and Dodging Red Cloud (1987). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: http://www.richardswheeler.com/ - Author's official web site
Series
Works by Richard S. Wheeler
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Wheeler, Richard Shaw
- Birthdate
- 1935
- Date of death
- 2019-02-24
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Places of residence
- Livingston, Montana, USA
Wisconsin, USA
California, USA
Billings, Montana, USA - Education
- University of Wisconsin
Pasadena Playhouse - Occupations
- Newspaper editor
Book editor - Awards and honors
- Owen Wister Award (2001)
Spur Award (5 times)
Members
Reviews
Eclipse: A Novel of Lewis and Clark by Richard S. Wheeler
“Easy Street” (2012), one of Richard S. Wheeler's last novels, did not have a major publisher. As no publisher at all is listed on the book, it must have been self-published. To be sure, it is not among his best westerns, yet still it proves entertaining while, like his others, giving readers a glimpse at the real Wild West as opposed to the popular fantasy.
The story begins, and ends, in the East, where Jay Tecumseh Warren, son of a wealthy businessman, has just graduated from Harvard expecting to live comfortably off his father's money for the rest of his life. Instead when he gets home he finds $500, a train ticket to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and a letter from his father telling him to make his own way in the world.
In Cheyenne — although with $500 he could have gone anywhere — Jay, having a Harvard degree, expects to start at the top. The only available jobs, however, are those requiring hard physical labor, which Jay decides is beneath him. He changes his mind, somewhat, when his money runs out. He takes a job with a shipping company hauling supplies by oxen for gold miners in Deadwood. He abandons that job as soon as he can, joining a gang of men planning to jump the claims of miners.
One get-rich scheme after another, legal or not, fails to put Jay on Easy Street, until in the final chapters he finally learns the lesson his father had been trying to teach him — that hard work leads to success. Nothing comes easy.
It may all be a bit simplistic, yet even in his old age Wheeler could write an engaging novel. “Easy Street” at least deserved a publisher.… (more)
The story begins, and ends, in the East, where Jay Tecumseh Warren, son of a wealthy businessman, has just graduated from Harvard expecting to live comfortably off his father's money for the rest of his life. Instead when he gets home he finds $500, a train ticket to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and a letter from his father telling him to make his own way in the world.
In Cheyenne — although with $500 he could have gone anywhere — Jay, having a Harvard degree, expects to start at the top. The only available jobs, however, are those requiring hard physical labor, which Jay decides is beneath him. He changes his mind, somewhat, when his money runs out. He takes a job with a shipping company hauling supplies by oxen for gold miners in Deadwood. He abandons that job as soon as he can, joining a gang of men planning to jump the claims of miners.
One get-rich scheme after another, legal or not, fails to put Jay on Easy Street, until in the final chapters he finally learns the lesson his father had been trying to teach him — that hard work leads to success. Nothing comes easy.
It may all be a bit simplistic, yet even in his old age Wheeler could write an engaging novel. “Easy Street” at least deserved a publisher.… (more)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 84
- Members
- 1,238
- Popularity
- #20,731
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 23
- ISBNs
- 365
- Favorited
- 1