Max Brand was one of the pen names used by Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944). Faust was an American fiction author best known for his thoughtful and literary Westerns. In the 1910's he began selling stories to pulp fiction magazines. His love of mythology is evident in his fiction writings. An excerpt from this classic Max Brand western reads, "With gusts of wind fanning it roughly, the flame rose fast. Harrigan made other journeys to the rotten stump and wrenched away great chunks of bark and wood. He came back and piled them on the fire. It towered high, the upper tongues twisting among the branches of the tree. They laid Kate Malone between the windbreak and the fire. In a short time her trembling ceased; she turned her face to the blaze and slept."