147:...he felt a sudden scorn for the baser parts that were in him, the idler, the scoffer at others, the disdainful mocker at the labors of life. He wished to be simple, real, quiet, able to command the affection of his peers. ...for the first time he could realize the meaning of the word “peer”. Equal. For all men are equal. Not equal in strength of hand, in talent, in craft, in speed of foot or in leap of mind, but equal in mystery, in the identity of the race that breathes through all men, out of the soil, and out of the heavens. So it was that hatred for his enemies left him.
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safe-cracking, are of dubious legality). His chief concern is to show that none of the "jury of his peers" is, in fact, his equal. Destry remains ignorant of Bent's role in framing him; Bent is one of the few people who treat Destry kindly, and Destry comes to count Bent as his best friend. But Bent is helping the remaining jurors organize to murder their nemesis. Anticipating a possible showdown with Destry, Bent has improved his shooting and fighting skills to the point where he is better than Destry.
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chases him; Willie escapes by diving into a raging river, from which he emerges weak and sick. Though running a fever, Willie steals a horse and makes a long, hard ride back to Wham to warn Destry of Bent's treachery. So warned, Destry fights his way out of a trap Bent has laid for him. The story's emotional climax occurs when Destry realizes Willie risked his life to save him and might very well die:
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Harrison Destry, a man who thinks he is better than anyone else and is constantly "proving" it by his skill with a gun, and his ability to win fistfights he provokes, has just lost his horse and his saddle in a card game. (A cowboy who loses his saddle loses the respect of other cowboys.) He has few
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Only one of the men Destry has beaten in a fight, Chester Bent, seems to bear him no ill-will; Bent stakes the penniless Destry $ 100. But Bent has just robbed the
Express, and (when the wind blows Destry's jacket open) slips cash from the robbery into Destry's pocket. Knowing Destry's character,
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While on the run, Destry meets Willie
Thornton, a boy who has adopted Destry as his hero, based on the tall tales he has been told. Thornton later secretly observes Bent murdering a creditor. Bent uses Destry's knife to kill his victim, in order to frame Destry again. Bent then spots Willie and
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Failing to comprehend how much trouble he is in, Destry neglects his defense and is stunned when convicted by a jury stacked with his enemies, who ignore the fact that the robber's description bears no relation whatever to Destry. He is sentenced to 10 years and swears to wreak vengeance on the
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Released six years later for good behavior, Destry sets about systematically ruining the jurors' lives. He does not murder any of them, though he kills some in self-defense. Destry explains he is determined to stay within the law from now on (though some of his actions, such as trespassing and
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Wham's sheriff, Ding Slater, deputizes Destry, and Destry tries to arrest Bent. But Bent outdraws Destry and shoots Destry's Colt out of his hand; Destry is saved only by Slater's gunfire from the window. Bent flees, with Destry in pursuit. Overtaking Bent, Destry unmounts his enemy, but Bent
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overpowers Destry and leaps onto Destry's horse, making a last mad dash for freedom. In a most uncharacteristic climax for a
Western, Destry shoots Bent in the back as the unarmed man flees. But Destry realizes the shot was lucky and proves nothing about his skill with a gun.
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is never explicitly stated, and obvious markers such as presidents or governors are not mentioned. The use of telephones definitely places the action no earlier than 1878, when telephones were first introduced to Texas. Brand mentions Lefty
Turnbull has been to the
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in chapter 32. Denali
Mountain in Alaska was not referred to as Mount McKinley until 1897, implying the events of the novel, particularly Destry's release, would have taken place around or after 1897. If the T&O Railroad that bribes Clyde Orrin is the
118:. One of Brand's most famous works, it remained in print 70 years after its first publication. It is the story of Harrison Destry's quest for revenge against the 12 jurors whose personal malice leads them to wrongfully convict him of robbery.
173:- Destry's secret antagonist, a treacherous businessman and investor, but Destry's eventual equal as a marksman and pugilist. Like many of Wham's citizens, he had once been bested by Destry in a fistfight and has long wanted revenge.
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Bent expects he will waste the money on liquor and gambling, rather than replacing his horse and saddle. This is indeed what happens, and Destry becomes the prime suspect, the planted cash being all but proof of his guilt.
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Three film versions were made between 1932 and 1954. These owe little to the novel other than their name; the plots are completely unrelated to Brand's story, and Destry's first name is also changed to Tom in the movies.
274:, marking Destry's release as no earlier than 1897, and probably at least two years later to allow Turnbull adequate time to have gone to Canada and returned. Furthermore, Charlie Dangerfield refers to
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426:, Billy Parham is reading Destry when John Grady asks him about the White Lake brothel, where John has learned the whore he loves is located. Billy emphatically warns John not to go there.
310:. The word "again" in the title refers to Destry's renewed freedom to ride after being let out of prison, not to any previous story; this novel was the Destry character's fiction debut.
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friends and many enemies (most of whom he created) in his home town of Wham, Texas. But the teenage
Charlotte Dangerfield, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, adores him.
179:- A poor boy, he's disenchanted when he discovers that his father's claims to friendship with Destry are lies, and he determines to become a real friend of Destry.
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and back; while
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Returning to the devoted
Charlotte Dangerfield, Destry announces he will lay down his guns forever, acknowledging that he found his peer in Bent.
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221:- Another juror and a rising politician, he is ruined when Destry exposes the bribes he has been taking from the T & O Railroad.
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Reader's League of
America (serialized version, titled "Twelve Peers," published by Street & Smith's Western Story Magazine).
227:- Another juror, he leads a gang of nine men to try to shoot Destry down, but Destry kills him in a shootout in a darkened barn.
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283:, then that would place Destry's release no later than 1904, the date of the Oklahoma City & Texas's sale to the
197:- The sheriff of Wham, he arrests Destry for robbing the Express, but later realizes Destry is innocent and helps him.
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The action takes place mostly in and around the fictional town of Wham, Texas. Clyde Orrin's scenes transpire in
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was first published in 1930, in a series of installments under the title "Twelve Peers" in Frank
Blackwell's
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185:- The daughter of a rich rancher, Charlotte is fond of and loyal to Destry, despite his irresponsible ways.
203:- One of the jurors who convicts Destry, he later tries to murder Destry and is shot dead by his quarry.
167:- The hero of the novel, a self-described "waster" who is supremely talented with his fists and his gun.
239:- A friend and creditor of Chester Bent; Bent murders him to frame Destry and avoid paying his debts.
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209:- Brother of Judd, he also tries to murder Destry and is crippled for life by Destry's bullet.
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line. In any event, the absence of references to motor cars or to any man having served in
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245:- A blacksmith and juror, he unsuccessfully attempts to ambush Destry and is shot dead.
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was in print continuously from its first publication in 1930 until at least 2000.
215:- The third juror to encounter Destry, he is shown up for a coward by fleeing him.
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191:- Destry's mare, a mount of unusual speed, stamina, and eagerness for the run.
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It was republished, as a paperback, later that year under the title
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233:- Another juror, Destry wounds and arrests him for robbery.
446:"Books: Max Brand: The Agatha Christie of the B Western"
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jurors. Only Charlotte believes Destry is not guilty.
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534:Works originally published in American magazines
564:American novels adapted into television shows
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544:Works originally published in pulp magazines
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402:as Harrison Destry, run for thirteen weeks.
465:John Tuska, foreword (2000) to Max Brand,
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467:The Bells of San Carlos and Other Stories
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291:suggests a setting no later than 1916.
529:Novels first published in serial form
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285:St. Louis, San Francisco & Texas
549:American novels adapted into films
281:Oklahoma City & Texas Railroad
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469:, University of Nebraska Press,
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183:Charlotte "Charlie" Dangerfield
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448:. www.berkeleydailyplanet.com
398:television series, starring
559:Novels set in Austin, Texas
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507:(Chapter I, pages 160-161)
320:Adaptations in other media
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496:Barnes & Noble Books
84:United States of America
304:Western Story Magazine.
165:Harrison "Harry" Destry
16:1930 novel by Max Brand
539:Western (genre) novels
492:TV Guide's Guide to TV
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524:1930 American novels
261:The time setting of
554:Novels set in Texas
423:Cities of the Plain
295:Publication history
171:Chester "Chet" Bent
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20:Destry Rides Again
407:In popular culture
376:Destry Rides Again
347:Destry Rides Again
339:(1932), starring
336:Destry Rides Again
314:Destry Rides Again
308:Destry Rides Again
300:Destry Rides Again
272:Klondike Gold Rush
263:Destry Rides Again
107:Destry Rides Again
350:(1939), starring
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392:1964 saw a
289:World War I
243:Hank Cleves
219:Clyde Orrin
195:Ding Slater
518:Categories
452:2009-10-14
431:References
400:John Gavin
387:Television
225:Sam Warren
201:Judd Ogden
159:Characters
110:is a 1930
416:'s third
374:In 1959,
116:Max Brand
114:novel by
62:Publisher
38:Max Brand
488:TV Guide
98:47072698
44:Language
420:novel,
369:Musical
341:Tom Mix
250:Setting
112:western
47:English
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395:Destry
358:Destry
189:Fiddle
34:Author
52:Genre
471:ISBN
325:Film
92:OCLC
75:1930
412:In
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