| The Big Country | |
| Author: | Donald Hamilton |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Western novel |
| Publisher: | Dell Publishing |
| Pub Date: | 1958 |
| Media Type: | Print (Paperback) |
The Big Country is a Western novel by Donald Hamilton. It was originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post as Ambush at Blanco Canyon. Published two years prior to Hamilton's Death of a Citizen, which launched his popular Matt Helm series, it explores many of the same themes of self-reliance that dominated the author's work.
Maryland sea captain James McKay goes west to Texas, to claim his bride, and steps into a violent feud over water.
See main article: article and The Big Country. The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1958 starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Charles Bickford, Burl Ives and Chuck Connors.[1] [2] The film adaptation was mostly faithful to the plot of the novel, while simplifying the story and eliminating some characters.[3]