Francis Lynde was an early 20th century author best known for writing Westerns, which were extremely popular in the wake of the frontier "closing" at the end of the 19th century. His most famous works are The Master of Appleby (1902), The Grafters (1904), A Fool for Love (1905), The Quickening (1906), Empire Builders (1907), and The Taming of Red Butte Western