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As the back of the book proclaims, The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark “is a searing study of mob justice.” It’s a critical indictment of humankind’s drive toward “justice,” along with the mob mentality it provokes. And all of this is wrapped inside what at first glance appears to be a Western.
Yes, there are gunslingers and cattle rustlers and duals and horseback treks through the wilderness, but The Ox-Bow Incident simply uses the trappings of the American Western to dive deep into the darker recesses of human instinct and to reveal something profound about humanity. It’s a true classic.
First published in 1940, The Ox-Bow Incident was Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s first novel. It was adapted for film in 1943, and the resulting movie ended up nominated for an Academy Award.
The cover we’re showing here is simply fantastic. It shows a group of men preparing to hang another man. The victim is in color, while the accusers standing behind him are simply outlined in black. In the foreground is a white noose.
Unfortunately, the cover artist is not credited, and we were unable to discover who it might have been in our research. It’s a pity, because art this great should be credited.
As a classic that’s been reprinted dozens of times, The Ox-Bow Incident has been published with several other covers. Below is a more recent cover published by The Modern Library.
