The Masterpieces of Eustace Cockrell: Collected Works, Volume II, 1946 ? 1957 (The Collected Works of Eustace Cockrell)

Eustace Cockrell was a pioneer television writer who contributed to many of the early western shows, including “Have Gun Will Travel,” “Maverick” and “Cheyenne,” while under contract with Warner Brothers. He also wrote for such high-profile television programs as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “This Man Dawson” and “Naked City.” Prior to his Hollywood career, Cockrell was a prolific writer of short stories. Over a 25-year period beginning in 1932, his works appeared regularly in pulp fiction magazines such as Blue Book and Argosy as well as in “slicks” like Collier’s, Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan. Now, for the first time, these stories have been collected in a two-volume set edited by Roger Coleman, Cockrell’s son-in-law. Coleman, also a writer, is married to Cockrell’s daughter, Elizabeth.

These two volumes have been organized to reflect a division within Cockrell’s writings. His early stories (1936-1945) portray the darkness of the Great Depression and the coming of World War II. Here, orphans, ex-cons and soldiers often serve as sources of inspiration. His later stories (1946-1957) express greater awareness of social issues and a rebellion against restrictive attitudes, especially those limiting the roles of women and minorities. Cockrell was a gifted writer for whom everyone, even the most hard-hearted and downtrodden, received a second chance. Hope came not from the power of wealth or prestige but from the innocence of children, the integrity of women; and the insights of those often on the fringes of society.

The Masterpieces of Eustace Cockrell further defines Cockrell’s importance as an American writer, whether read in print or watched on the small screen.