The Phantom Herd
1916
The Phantom Herd, written by B. M. Bower and first published in 1916, is a Western novel that follows Luck Lindsay, a motion picture director, as he navigates the evolving American West in the film industry. Faced with the loss of authentic cowboys and Native Americans due to modernity, Luck strives to capture genuine Western life while contending with the economic pressures of the Acme Film Company, which favors generic actors over real ones. This narrative highlights the tension between commercialization and the quest for authentic storytelling in a changing cultural landscape.
