The Rough Guide to Westerns examines one of the cinema's most durable, influential, genres, offering the reader an insight into its history, its place in popular culture - in America and the rest of the world, the key iconic figures both in front of the lens and behind it, and the genre's essential movies. The guide looks at what makes a good Western, considering the seven basic Western plots, the pens behind the movies, the major historic events and their influences, and the genre's central ritual - the gunfight. There is a potted history of the Western decade-by-decade and a critical canon of the 50 greatest Westerns. From the pioneers and directors to the iconic cowboys and railroads, this guide covers it all.