The author of "The Big Sky" and "The Way West" assumed much greater difficulties than either of those admirable books presented to him when he chose to write "These Thousand Hills."… With the earlier works. A. B. Guthrie, Jr. had the advantage of a detailed knowledge of material not generally known and could depend on the curiosity of his readers to enhance his narratives. This latest of his products begins in the 1880s, and his young hero's first action is leaving his Oregon home to join a Pendleton outfit bent on trailing cattle from Boise City to Fort Benton. In other words, Mr. Guthrie faced the challenge of writing a "Western," the basic materials of which are known to almost every American over the age of five.

That he has produced a highly readable novel under these circumstances is further proof of the fact demonstrated by his earlier...