7 h 50 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 50 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Gunfire breaks the desert silence, and a lone rider must decide how to meet the danger.
In Charles Alden Seltzer’s Western adventure, 'Drag' Harlan, a rider crosses burning sand on Purgatory, his dust-covered black horse. He hears distant shots but cannot place their source. The Kelso water hole promises relief by sundown. Until then, every patch of cactus and every outcrop of rock demands a careful look.
The rider pours water into his hat for Purgatory and takes barely enough to moisten his own lips. Then he checks his rifle and pistols. Care and readiness sit side by side in this harsh country. Harlan’s story explores loyalty, personal honor, and the weight of choosing what is right where courts offer little help.
What you’ll discover
- A horse worth trusting Meet Purgatory, whose sharp hearing catches danger before his rider can recognize it.
- Danger without a face Feel the tension as distant shots turn empty sand into a place of possible ambush.
- Kindness under hard conditions Watch a thirsty rider put his horse first, sharing precious water from his hat.
- Honor beyond written law Explore what justice asks of a gunfighter when his own code must guide him.
- A desert that tests resolve Cross a landscape of scorching glare, hidden rattlesnakes, and distant mountains with an alert rider.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love lone riders, fast guns and wide desert country, and anyone who likes a hero whose true character is tested against his dark reputation.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Harlan acts against his feared name
- A promise gives Harlan his purpose
- Harlan stands against a frightened town
- Protection must become something Barbara trusts
- The broken chain exposes hidden greed
- Harlan enters the gang as an equal
- Reputation can conceal the real man
- Landscape and gestures carry the tension
- Keeping a promise reveals true character
Who’s who
- Drag HarlanA feared gunman from Pardo whose bad name hides a fair mind. He promises a dying man to protect his daughter and break up an outlaw gang.
- Barbara MorganLane Morgan's daughter, brave and proud, who must learn whom to trust after her father's death and pursuit by outlaws.
- Lane MorganThe owner of the Rancho Seco, wounded in the desert, who gives Harlan his daughter's safety as a final charge.
- Luke DevenyThe handsome, ruthless chief of outlaws in the Lamo country, who wants Barbara and fears Harlan.
- John HaydonThe charming owner of the Star ranch, who courts Barbara and hides greedy designs behind a friendly smile.
- Red LintonA short, freckled, red-haired cowhand whom Harlan makes foreman, and who is sworn to protect Barbara.
- Strom RogersDeveny's partner, jealous of his chief and fond of Barbara, who watches Harlan and chooses a side.
- PurgatoryHarlan's black horse, fast and watchful, who senses danger first and lets no one else touch him.
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'Drag' Harlan in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
'Drag' Harlan
by Charles Alden Seltzer · 1921
A gunman with a feared name rides out of the desert to guard a dying man's daughter from outlaws.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“More than one man has ruined his character chasing that rainbow.”
In short
What would you do if a stranger with the worst name in the Territory knelt beside your dying father and swore to guard you? Drag Harlan is a Western by Charles Alden Seltzer.
'Drag' Harlan at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 20 min3 h 25 min fast, 5 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 61,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1921by Charles Alden Seltzer
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A black horse and rider cross the desert
A rider crosses a burning desert on a big black horse named Purgatory. The man is tall, armed with two pistols and a rifle, and calm in a place built to frighten. He talks to his horse as a man talks to a partner.
Far off, he hears shooting. He rides with care and finds two men, Dolver and Laskar, firing at someone hidden under a rock. Dolver names him as Drag Harlan and goes white with fear. Harlan says Dolver shot his young partner, Davey Langan, in the back. He gives Dolver a chance to face him, and Dolver falls dead.
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Details
- First published
- 1921
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 5 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Seltzer, Charles Alden. 'Drag' Harlan. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/drag-harlan.
Seltzer, C. A. (2026). 'Drag' Harlan. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/drag-harlan (Original work published 1921)
Seltzer, Charles Alden. 'Drag' Harlan. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/drag-harlan.
@book{seltzer2026drag,
author = {Seltzer, Charles Alden},
title = {'Drag' Harlan},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/drag-harlan},
note = {First published 1921}
}
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What is Drag Harlan about?
It follows a feared gunman called Drag Harlan who promises a dying rancher to protect his daughter Barbara. He rides into an outlaw-ridden valley, takes charge of the Rancho Seco and works to break a dangerous gang.
Why is Harlan called Drag?
Harlan hesitates for an instant when he reaches for his gun, so it looks as though he is dragging it out. Men who watch think he is slow, then see that he fires first.
Who is Luke Deveny in Drag Harlan?
Luke Deveny is the handsome and ruthless chief of the lawless element in the Lamo country. He wants Barbara Morgan and is the main danger Harlan has promised to stand against.
The author
Charles Alden Seltzer
1875–1942 · American Western novelist
Charles Alden Seltzer (1875–1942) was an American writer of Western novels. He was born in Janesville, Wisconsin, and lived in Ohio. His books include The Range Boss, published in 1916, and 'Firebrand' Trevison, published in 1918. He also wrote 'Drag' Harlan, published in 1921. He died in 1942.
“More than one man has ruined his character chasing that rainbow.”
More by Charles Alden Seltzer
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