In 1945 Jack Schaefer, an editor and reporter for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, wrote and published the story "Rider from Nowhere" in Argosy magazine. Houghton Mifflin released a revised and expanded version of the story as Shane in 1949. Based somewhat on the Johnson Courty War in Wyoming in the early 1890s, it was Schaefer's attempt to reduce the legend of the West to its basic components, and to elevate it to the level of Homeric mythology. It remains a simple tale of a mysterious stranger who descends into the valley in the midst of a conflict. Choosing sides, he removes his godly raiment to mingle with the common people. He crosses a body of water to challenge the enemy and then, after donning again his godly clothes, recrosses the body of water to vanquish the enemy, before ascending from the valley into the night. The novel has sold over 6 million...