Home
/
Non-Fiction
/
The Shootist: A Classic Western
The Shootist: A Classic Western
Oct 10, 2024 2:21 PM

Author:Glendan Swarthout,Brian Cox,Michelle Fairley,Joe Jameson,Full Cast

The Shootist: A Classic Western

A BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of this landmark Western, starring Brian Cox and Michelle Fairley.

‘The Shootist’ is John Bernard Books, the last surviving top gunfighter in a vanishing American West. He rides into El Paso in the year 1901, to be told by a doctor that he has a terminal illness. As word spreads that the famous assassin has reached the end, an assortment of vultures gather to feast upon his corpse. Most men would end their days quietly, but Books outwits them all by selecting the where, the when, and the manner of his death.

The Shootist is a classic Western novel written by Glendon Swarthout in 1975. It won the Spur Award for Best Western Novel of 1975, and was chosen in the Western Writers of America’s members’ poll in 2000 as one of the 10 greatest Western novels of the 20th century. It was made into a 1976 film starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, which was John Wayne’s final film role.

Brian Cox (X-Men 2, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy) stars as John Bernard Books, with Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones, 24: Live Another Day) as the widow Bond Rogers, with whom he finds affection in his final days.

Cast:

John Bernard Books…Brian Cox

Bond Rogers…Michelle Fairley

Gillom Rodgers…Joe Jameson

Marshal Thibido…Craige Els

Charles Hostetler…Michael Bertenshaw

Shoup…Joe Sims

Norton…Ashley Kumar

Mrs Woodling…Heather Craney

Bartender…Clive Hayward

Adapted by Nick Perry

Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko

Reviews

The definitive book on Bowie

—— The Times

Dylan Jones made absolutely the right decision to frame his superb life of David Bowie as a multi-voiced oral biography. David Bowie: A Life suits the shape-shifting, beguiling, enigmatic complexities of its subject perfectly. It’s hard to imagine
anything that will do Bowie better justice

—— William Boyd , Guardian

Jones constructs an oral-history mosaic that will engage even those whose lives
were not changed by the appearance of Ziggy Stardust on Top of the Pops in 1972

—— Guardian, BOOKS OF THE YEAR

The best book on David Bowie you’ll ever need or read.

—— Irish Independent, BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Worthy of the Starman … Of all the volumes to appear since Bowie’s death, this is the most useful: an oral history that brings together the most incisive reminiscences and memorials

—— Evening Standard

Dylan Jones has excavated the cacophony of voices that make up a life and curated a phenomenal portrait of the artist from childhood to the final days. The witnesses who comprise this oral biography animate the pages like characters in a non-fiction novel. Damn nigh peerless.

—— David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas


Studded with shiny nuggets

—— Daily Telegraph

The perfect present for music mums and dads

—— Daily Mirror

Funny, enlightening, gossipy’

—— The Herald

Sparks with admiration and grievances, lust and envy

—— Sunday Telegraph

Engrossing

—— Mail on Sunday

There have been many books about David Bowie ... but Dylan Jones's is among the best

—— Observer

The definitive account of the great man’s life, in the words of those who knew him best … lively, funny and warm – and the story, even the well-known bits, still staggers and amazes. It’s a brilliant story, and it is tremendously well-told here

—— Esquire

A magisterial compilation of startling insights

—— The Oldie

One of the most colourful and intimate portraits yet painted of Bowie

—— Vogue

A vivid catalogue of anecdote, opinion, gossip and memoir

—— Telegraph Magazine

There is literally no better way to spend your time than by reading about the late, great, beautiful and brilliant David Bowie, brought to you by fellow superfan and GQ editor Dylan Jones

—— Tatler

This oral history is by far the best … It’s gossipy, fascinating stuff

—— The Sun

The perfect accompaniment to roaring fires and languid winter evenings, this book
guarantees to see any man through the festive period

—— Independent

A must-have for Bowie fans

—— Daily Mirror

Revelatory and surprising – perfect for the Ziggy completist

—— New York Magazine

Beguiling … the fabulosity of Bowie’s life and times lends itself extraordinarily well
to the oral history form

—— San Francisco Chronicle

An affectionate, sometimes surprising, always fascinating picture of a Star Man in the real world

—— STELLA magazine

Of all the volumes to appear since Bowie’s death last year, this is perhaps the most useful

—— i paper

A treat for enthusiasts […] it bulges with essential and telling Spinal Tappish gossip

—— Guardian

An intimate, detailed and gossip-spangled survey of the life of the great enigma

—— Strong Words magazine

There are sixty-two and a half million books written about David Bowie; this is the one that has been unanimously praised. Indeed, David Bowie: A life might be the only one that you really need.

—— Loud and Quiet Magazine

You can go to any page and read something really interesting. It’s the only book about another artist that I’ve really enjoyed.

—— Chris Difford , Daily Express
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved