Westerns

The American West is a favorite setting for adventure stories about lawmen, outlaws, cowboys, pioneers, Native Americans, homesteaders and other adventurous spirits. Westerns often feature a strong, independent male hero and offer a lot of action and a fast-moving plot.

The Log of a Cowboy: A Narrative of the Old Trail Days, Andy Adams

Year of the Horse, Justin Allen

Luke Dawson: Wells Fargo Agent, Denny Andrews

A Long and Winding Road: A Novel of the Mountain Men, Win Blevins

Legacy of a Lawman: A Western Story, Johnny D. Boggs

Rancher’s Legacy: A Western Story, Max Brand

Border Snakes, Peter Brandvold

Territory, Emma Bull

The Signal, Ron Carlson

West of Washoe: A Western Story, Tim Champlin

Dusty Barnett, James Clay

Shavetail, Thomas Cobb

The Elk-Dog Heritage, Don Coldsmith

Reckoning at Dead Apache Springs, Kent Conwell

Gun Country, Ralph W. Cotton

Trail’s End, Mack Curlee

The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt

Breaking Trail, Jerry S. Drake

The Last Ride, Tom Eidson

The Book of Murdock, Loren D. Estleman

Longarm and Shotgun Sallie, Tabor Evans

The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles, 1932, Jim Fergus

The Man from Laramie, T.T. Flynn

Shannon’s Express, Charles E. Friend

Roy Bean’s Gold: A Western Story, W.R. Garwood

Riders of the Purple Sage, Zane Grey

The Big Sky, A.B. Guthrie, Jr.

Payback at Morning Peak: A Novel of the American West, Gene Hackman

Singing Wires: A Western Story, L.P. Holmes

The Shadow Riders, Owen G. Irons

The Fifth Ace, Loretta Jackson

Shootout of the Mountain Man, William W. Johnstone

Texas Standoff: A Novel of the Texas Rangers, Elmer Kelton

Etta, Gerald Kolpan

Hondo, Louis L’Amour

Three-Ten to Yuma: And Other Stories, Elmore Leonard

The Dangerous Dawn, Frank Leslie

Hard Country, Michael McGarrity

The Berrybender Narratives, Larry McMurtry

Stranger in Thunder Basin, John D. Nesbitt

Law at Angel’s Landing: A Western Story, Wayne D. Overholser

Blue-Eyed Devil, Robert B. Parker

The Treasure of St. Woody, I.J. Parnham

Stash, Robert H. Redding

Brady’s Revenge, L.W. Rogers

Outlaws of the Brasada: A Western Duo, Les Savage

Shane, Jack Schaefer

The Hidden Truth, Michael Senuta

Rocky Mountain Revenge, Jon Sharpe

Come Again No More, Jack Todd

The Star Garden, Nancy E. Turner

A Good Man, Guy Vanderhaeghe

The Last Outlaw, Stone Wallace

Storm in Paradise Valley, Charles G. West

The First Dance: A Barnaby Skye Novel, Richard S. Wheeler

The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, Owen Wister

Wild Side of the River: A Western Story, Michael Zimmer

You will find that many of the authors on this list have written other westerns. Among the prolific are: Johnny D. Boggs, Max Brand, Kent Conwell, Zane Grey, William W. Johnstone, Louis L’Amour, Jon Sharpe and Richard S. Wheeler. If you need help finding these or other westerns, Ask Readers Services!

Check out our collection of western movies on DVD.

St. Charles Public Library

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