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Frank H. Spearman
Frank Hamilton Spearman was an American author.
Spearman was known for his books in the Western fiction genre and especially for his fiction and non-fiction works on the topic of railroads. The books were illustrated by leading artists, such as N. C. Wyeth for Whispering Smith.
Although he wrote prolifically about railroads, his actual career was that of a bank president in McCook, Nebraska, and did not himself work for a railroad. Spearman was also a devout Roman Catholic convert and held political views best described as proto-Libertarian, both of which beliefs are also reflected in his novels.
His western novel Whispering Smith—the title character of which was modeled on real-life Union Pacific Railroad detectives Timothy Keliher and Joe Lefors (though the name of the titular hero was apparently derived from another UPRR policeman, James L. "Whispering" Smith)—was made into a movie on eight separate occasions, four silent films in 1916, 1917, 1926, and 1927, with later versions in 1930, 1935, 1948, and 1952. There was also a TV series in 1961.
Most of his novels have been reprinted frequently. For example, The Paper Tiger press brought out reprints in 1996, complete with the original illustrations.
Books by Frank H. Spearman
The Daughter of a Magnate
This is an American Western without any bad guys. The main characters are trains, and the elements---snow, terrain, weather and water. Frank Spearman wrote six novels about the building, and early days, of the transcontinental railroad. This was his...
Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith, a compelling novel by Frank H. Spearman, transports readers to the rugged landscapes of the American West in the late 1800s. The story centers on Gordon Smith, a railroad detective tasked with uncovering the cause of a series of mys...
Laramie Holds The Range
Laramie Holds the Range is a classic Western novel by Frank H. Spearman. Set in the rugged West of the early railroad days, the story follows Kate Doubleday, a young woman who travels west to join her father, a mountain rancher named Laramie. Laramie...
Robert Kimberly
In the affluent circles of early 1900s New York, a respected businessman, Robert Kimberly, finds himself drawn to the alluring Alice McBirney. Despite the constraints of their marriages and the disapproval of society, their forbidden love threatens t...