Roger Caras' Treasury of Great Horse Stories

Love the book, although some stories seem like they should continue but don't. Otherwise good stories overall.

This a very nice anthology of mostly lesser-known horse stories. We've all read about Misty of Chincoteague and Black Beauty and the Black Stallion, so it's nice to see some fresher material. Editor Roger Caras has compiled a collection of twenty-seven tales in every imaginable genre. There are westerns, racing stories, historical fiction, science fiction, mysteries, comedies, satires, a couple spooky stories, and even a few tragedies. Caras has chosen to include mostly stories that are relatively recent. There are a few famous ones, like Rudyard Kipling's "The Maltese Cat" and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery, "Silver Blaze." There are also stories by Mark Twain and Richard Harding Davis, but the majority of the authors are less widely known. Some I had never even heard of. The stories also vary widely in length, some being only a few pages, and the longest spanning over fifty.The stories included are as follows:Mark Twain: "A Horse's Tale"Larry Niven: "The Flight of the Horse"Richard Harding Davis: "Mr. Travers's First Hunt"Hugh Johnson: "Levant"George Pattullo: "The Man-Killer"Cloudesley Johns: "Skyrocket and the Blue Stuff"Rudyard Kipling: "The Maltese Cat"Charles A. Stephens: "Treading Down the Herd's Grass"Shelly Rider Meyer: "A Mistake In Identity"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: "Silver Blaze"Mary Wilkins Freeman: "The Doctor's Horse"J. Lincoln Steffens: "The Old Jim Horse"Alvah Milton Kerr: "In Front of the Stampede"Alfred Stoddard: "Over the Jumps"H. C. Bunner: "The Cumbersome Horse"Ellis Parker Butler: "Pete, the Circassian Horse"F. R. Weir: "The Tale of a Cayuse"Sewell Ford: "Skipper"A. W. Rolker: "The Black Roan of 265"Richard Harding Davis: "The Man Who Could Not Lose"Zane Grey: "The Horses of Bostil's Ford"Erle Stanley Gardner: "Carved in SandDeborah Moulton: "The Winged Foal"James Powell: "The Kidnap of Bounding Mane"William F. Nolan: "Shadow Quest"Clay Fisher: "The Trap"Max Brand: "Miniature"The first story is probably the most tragic and depressing in the book, so upon finishing it I was a bit apprehensive of what the rest would be like, but most of the stories are thoroughly enjoyable. A couple of the pieces are only loosely horse-related, but they're still good tales and I was not sorry to see them included. My personal favorites from this book are Niven's "The Flight of the Horse," a science fiction tale that takes a delightfully humorous turn; Weir's "The Tale of a Cayuse," a touching story in which a horse brings an unlikely couple together; and Brand's "Miniature," where a man faces a choice between a life of luxury, or the horse he loves. There are a few duds ("The Kidnap of Bounding Mane" is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read, and "The Winged Foal" seems as if someone chopped the first chapter out of a disturbing sci-fi / fantasy novel and left out the rest of the story), but on the whole it's a great book. The stories are all well-written and easy to read, and I'd definitely recommend this collectio

I think this book was beauifully written. The stories were so detailed that I felt as if I were there and able to touch these wonderful creatures. The stories were so powerful and moving I actually found myself crying from one of them. I think anyone who is as much of a horse lover as I am should definitely read this book. I am very proud to say that I own it.

I fell in love with the Nathaniel Hawthorne entry. I had forgotten what truly great writing is! This story about a team of polo ponies was so vivid that I wanted to share it with my family. I asked them if I could read it aloud to them, thinking they would say 'yes' because they love me, but that they would wander away at the length. But no, the story even captivated them and I read it aloud to them in one 45 minute sitting. Thank you Roger Caras