L'Amour documented the world of frontier liberty, with all its perks and pitfalls, in an extensive manner that no one else can boast, penning over 100 Western novels. While his books were fiction, L'Amour knew the cowboy life second hand, growing up at a time when remnants of the Old West frontier were still very much alive in pockets of the country.
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I've read 10 or so of L'Amour's works. That's all my library has in large print. Very entertaining while imparting lessons in grit. determination and liberty.
ReplyDeleteNemo
Most prolific western writer would be this gentleman:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.historicmodesto.com/People/frederickfaust.html
i have read every book he has written. my favorites were "the walking drum" ,"sacket" and " fair blows the wind" but they were all great.
ReplyDeleteevery book he has written should be required reading for every young boy! how to be a man.
I have all his books save one and I've read them all an untold number of times. The one of poetry I don't have as poetry is something I've never learned to appreciate.
ReplyDelete"There was a young cad from Nantucket..."
Delete.
or how about
.
"...and he broke from his cell with a hellava yell,
And eloped with the Mother Superior!"
Try this again-
ReplyDeleteI read and liked his books.
I read them on watch and in down time, but aside from location, problems and names, they all had the same plot.
If you want to read real cowboy/western writing, you need to look up J.Frank Dobie.
Who lived the life and wrote about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Frank_Dobie
Read them all, have copies of most of them still.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the one about the "Haunted valley" and phantom Indians? Great imagination and mind.
ReplyDeletei believe youre refering to "the californios"
Deletemaybe "the haunted mesa"?
DeleteI used to have nearly all of his books. Read them many times.
ReplyDeleteHe researched the geography where he set each story. That made them all the more real.
Ray Wylie is a fan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30m54CkyIKo
ReplyDeleteI inherited my father-in-law's complete set of the L'Amour westerns (and his '69 Cutlass). I've read most of them to pieces, replacing as necessary. I don't much care for his non-western's. You might also try Donald Hamilton (Matt Helm) westerns. He only wrote five, I believe, but they are more adult than L'Amour. To me, "Blanco Canyon" is the best though it seems to be only available online, having been in a magazine of the day. It was made into "The Big County", a great western with a lot of big names. One of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteKenny, I did not know that he settled in Choctaw Oklahoma which is near Okc. Do you not like him either. Hahahahahaha just kidding. Lonsome Dove is the only old western I like.
ReplyDeleteA new writer of decent westerns is Peter Grant. He has a 4 book series, a couple of novellas, and another series in progress.
ReplyDeleteThey are well written, well researched, with solid characters and challenges accurate to the times portrayed.
Highly recommended.
John in Indy