Ernest Haycox has been compared to Zane Grey, but Grey is a precedent only insofar as both were prolific writers of Westerns and both were popular with readers. From all indications, none of the students of the Western story have been able to show that Haycox's style and technique had been influenced by writers of such stories who preceded him. If anything, the preponderance of evidence seems to show that he had more imitators than any other writer in the field. His staunchly individualistic approach, his unique style and the marvel of his dialogues are not to be found in any of the stories before him. Perhaps the difference between what Haycox wrote and what others had produced is best illustrated by the reports that readers in England demanded quality and authenticity in the writers of Western fiction and found both in Ernest Haycox.