Ahab's Vineyard
by Andrew Hofer
Ahab's Vinyard is a novel with an environmental twist set in Colorado. Like Naboth of old, Buck Coley, a rancher, resolutely refuses to sell his land to a development corporation no matter what the offer. His refusal, coupled with his personal plans for the land, piques not only the antipathy of the corporation but also that of his friends and even family. In the end Buck Coley fights back the only way he knows.
- Published
- 2000
- ISBN
- 1-890437-43-3
- Pages
- 228
- Place
- Colorado
- Publisher
- Western Reflections
- Listed at
- $13.97
Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer. Cover image courtesy of Open Library.
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About this book
Ahab's Vineyard is a novel with an environmental twist, set in Colorado. The title points to the Old Testament story of Naboth, who would not sell his vineyard to a king, and the description draws the same comparison. Buck Coley, a rancher, resolutely refuses to sell his land to a development corporation no matter what the offer.
His refusal, coupled with his personal plans for the land, draws the antipathy not only of the corporation but also of his friends and even his family. In the end, the description says, Buck Coley fights back the only way he knows. Our catalogue lists the book at 228 pages and gives its subjects as fiction, ranchers and real estate developers.
Who it is for
Ahab's Vineyard suits readers of Colorado fiction who like a story about land and who the land belongs to. The conflict is between a rancher and a development corporation, with his own neighbors and relatives on the other side, which makes it as much a story about a community as about a property.
About the author
Andrew Hofer is the author of this novel. We could not find an outside biography for him and have not invented one, so the book is what we know of him. His author page lists it.
Ways to use this book
Talking over land use with your book club
Read the passage in 1 Kings first, then the conservation page, and ask the group which choices a real owner like Buck has. The two sources make a clear pair for discussion.
Wondering what happens to a family ranch
If you own land and worry about its future, the easement explanation is a good place to start before talking with a lawyer or a land trust. Look at our library's Colorado fiction too for other stories about ranch families.
Go deeper
Buck Coley's fight over his ranch echoes real questions about land in Colorado, and a Bible story older than any of them. These pages give background on both.
Colorado Open Lands, Why Land Conservation Matters
The land trust explains conservation easements, a voluntary agreement between landowner and trust that can limit future building while the current use, such as ranching, continues.
Colorado Encyclopedia, Farming and Ranching
A set of short entries on Colorado agriculture, including the state's beef industry and the history of its extension service.
Bible Gateway, 1 Kings 21
The passage headed Naboth's Vineyard, the story the book's title and description point to.
Good to know
Is it fiction or nonfiction?
What is the story?
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