I recently got my hands on this issue of Dime Western, at a rather reasonable price too. and was quite happy with that purchase. From the cover, it looks quite ordinary, just like any other issue of Dime Western from the period. After 9 more issues, the magazine would stop publication.
There are actually two points of interest about this particular issue, though. The first, and more well known is that this is the issue in which Elmore Leonard’s story, 3:10 to Yuma, first appeared in print. The story is quite short (around 4,500 words).
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| Illustration for 3:10 to Yuma, by Elmore Leonard – Dime Western, March 1953 |
Elmore Leonard had this to say about his story:
And you can read the story itself here, courtesy the Library of America, which collects 8 of his western stories in this hardcover collection (disable ad-blocker to see links):
Or you can pickup this paperback with all of his westerns:
Anyway, the other interesting point about this issue, to me at least, is the cover. When i saw it, I was reminded of another cover, and i went looking for it. Here it is, changed from the Star Western May 1939 issue.
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| Star Western May 1939 and Dime Western March 1953 |
I wonder if the original artist was asked to make the changes.