Harold Bell Wright (May 4, 1872 – May 24, 1944) was a best-selling American writer of fiction, essays, and non-fiction during the first half of the 20th century. Although mostly forgotten or ignored after the middle of the 20th century, he is said to have been the first American writer to sell a million copies of a novel and the first to make $1 million from writing fiction. Between 1902 and 1942 Wright wrote 19 books, several stage plays, and many magazine articles. More than 15 movies were made or claimed to be made from Wright's stories, including Gary Cooper's first major movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) and the John Wayne film, The Shepherd of the Hills (1941).
Prior to his artistic and writing career, Harold Bell Wright served as a minister. In The Shepherd of the Hills he writes about a man who comes from the world of cities to the beautiful Ozark hill country. Among the people of the district, with their simple, direct ideals and way of life, he finds the peaceful atmosphere he craves, while his more intellectual philosophy and character come to be valuable elements in the lives of his new friends. From his relationship with Sammy Lane and the Matthews family arise in dramatic fashion the gripping situations and thrilling incidents that bring him into a peculiarly intimate connection with these people, their country, and their simple life.
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