Джесси Стюарт — последние издания книг

For Shan, it began as an ordinary summer's day. He was doing what he liked best, walking barefoot down a wellworn cow path to a clover field where he knew a sweet apple tree grew.
Then he met Old Ben, a big bull black snake, sunning himself in the clover, and that summer day and all the days that followed, until early fall, became extraordinary.

"The only good snake is a dead snake." That's what Shan's father had always said. But Old Ben with his gentle, friendly ways changed that saying and brought a new understanding about snakes to every member of Shan's family. --This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title

The thirty-four stories in this collection, selected from Stuart's 460 published stories, reveal the variety and range of his fictional world. Some reflect the wonder of growing up, while others portray the comedy and tragedy in the lives of the strong, rough-hewn characters of his world. Running through most of them like a golden thread is Stuart's celebration of the strength and affirmative view of life of his people, and their love for the land. Stuart's own love for the land and its rhythms of life also comes through clearly.