although i particularly like the 1946 version of this classic western story with joel mccrea and this 1929 version of the virginian have a lot to recommend it and not the least of which be gary cooper in the title role . from the first silent version of the story that cecil b. demille direct until a 2000 made for television film that star bill pullman a the cowboy who only know by the state he originally hail from and this be the story that set the standard for the western novel that have come down to this day . owen wister ( 1860 1938 ) be a classmate and close friend of theodore roosevelt and when the book come out in 1902 it be dedicate to the new president who be in his second term of office . both wister and roosevelt be easterner who have go west at critical portion of their life and make careful note of the more and custom of the people live there . roosevelt go to the dakota territory and wister be in the new state of wyoming just in time to view the famous johnson county range war . it certainly be a period where certain folk do make up their own version of the law out in wyoming and in this wyoming setting of the virginian a law and order be usually day if not week away and lynch lawbreaker be an accepted if not honor practice . and that what happen in the virginian a gary cooper catch old friend steve play by richard arlen rustle cattle of the box h ranch where he be foreman . it unfortunate that he do not catch gang leader trampas play by walter huston and but the incident set the scene for the inevitable western showdown . there be western literature before the virginian and popularize by writer like ned buntline . they be call penny dreadfuls a a commentary of their cost and worth . usually they take real western character and make up these fantastic unreal story about them . real western historian in fact be still try to separate truth from myth about all these people because of these story . wister be a careful chronicler of what he saw and what he saw set the standard for late writer like zane grey and louis lamour and luke short and etc . all the western clichés we have grow to expect in film get their start right here . the virginian set the standard in literature and film for a whole genre of entertainment . any version of the story should not be miss .