in no particular order…don’t miss these top 10 cowboy books by leading wordsmiths of the American West.
1) larry mcmurtry: lonely dove (1985)
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One of the most iconic sagas about the old west, this pulitzer prize winner follows the adventures of former game wardens gus and call as they go on one last cattle drive. however, the book is more than the story of a cattle drive; it’s a tribute to a fading frontier, true brotherhood, and the enduring cowboy spirit. if you only read one western novel in your life, make it this one. lonesome dove definitely ranks as one of the top 10 cowboy books of all time, highly favored among hard-working cowboys and indeed all lovers of the American West.
[read more: 20th anniversary: lonely dove]more larry mcmurtry required reading• leaving cheyenne• zeke and ned
2) cormac mccarthy: all the pretty horses (1992)
in 1949, with the pending sale of his grandfather’s ranch and an increasingly modernized country, 16-year-old john grady cole heads south of the border to seek a more fulfilling life working on a mexican cattle ranch. . It is a dream that, most of the time, is paid for in blood. McCarthy’s gritty writing in this coming-of-age tale perfectly reflects the bleak realities of life in the West.
more cormac mccarthy must reads • no country for old men• blood meridian
3) zane grey: riders of the purple sage (1912)
In this classic, full of adventure and romance, notorious gunslinger Lassiter fights to break rancher Jane Withersteen from a controlling religious group. One of the first novels of the Western genre, Riders of the Purple Sage popularized the conventions and archetypes of Western literature: vivid landscape images, a lone gunslinging hero, and a clear distinction between good and evil.
more zane gray must reads
• the valley of the wild horses• the light of the stars of the west
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4) elmer kelton: the time it never rained (1973)
in texas in the 1950s, the biggest danger to ranchers wasn’t bandits, outlaws, or cattle rustlers. his greatest enemy was drought. The struggles in this novel are all too real: a dying western city, an unhelpful government, an unrelenting natural enemy, and Kelton paints a portrait so vivid you can almost feel the sand in your eyes and the dust in your throat.
[read more: elmer kelton: a good man to walk in the river]more elmer kelton must reads • the good old boys• the day the cowboys left
5) louis l’amour: deep (1985)
hondo is the epitome of a cowboy, a tough, narrow-eyed loner with an underlying sweetness, who meets a woman and her child living in hostile indigenous territory. Complications arise with a host of bad guys, but the story has as much romance as it does bloody battles. John Wayne called Hondo the best Western he’d ever read, and if it’s good enough for the Duke, it easily ranks in our top 10 cowboy books.More Louis L’Amour Must-Reads >
• how the west was won• west of the tularosa
[read more: where it came from: john wayne’s scripts]6) jack schaeffer: shane (1949)
In the summer of 1889, a stranger dressed all in black arrives in a small Wyoming town. “Call me Shane,” he says famously. Trying to put a checkered past behind him and find an honest job with the Starrett family, Shane finds himself embroiled in a violent town feud against corrupt ranchers. no matter what your intentions, in the wild west, sometimes violence is the only answer.
more jack schaeffer must-reads:
•mount walsh•the men of the plain
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7) glendon swarthout: the shooter (1975)
a spur award-winning shooter explores the mindset of a terminally ill gunslinger navigating the vanishing frontier. In this gripping story, John Bernard Books must face the most fearsome opponent of all, an opponent he cannot win against: death. On his last afternoon, Bernard commits one last act of bravery to do something with his life and his death.
other must reads by glendon swarthout:• the country man• the sergeant’s lady
8) Frank Dobie: The Long Horns (1941)
Perhaps even more than the cowboy, stagecoach, or outlaw, it was the Texas Longhorn that formed the fabric of the American frontier. In this fascinating biographical sketch, Dobie builds on the Old West through the history and legend of the Longhorn, the foundation of America’s cattle industry. Truly, the history of the longhorn is inseparable from the history of the west. A list of the 10 best cowboy books would not be complete with Dobie’s works.
Frank Dobie’s Other Must-Reads: •Texas Tales of Old•Cowboys
9) will james: the smoked cow horse (1927)
This beloved (yet appreciated by all ages) children’s book follows the story of Smoky, as cowboy Clint calls him, from his birth in the country to his reputation as a killer and his ultimate salvation. James shows incredible insight into the lives of animals and western characters, and the writing is charmingly colloquial.Other must-reads from Will James:•Lonesome Cowboy•All in a Day on Horseback
10) dorothy johnson: the man who shot liberty valance (1949)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a short story that addresses the often ignoble truth of the enduring mythology of the West. is the story of a naive young rookie who rises to fame and respect on the back of a legend that is actually a lie. In Johnson’s West, legend replaces reality and heroes are often cowards in disguise.
[read more: the best villains of western cinema]more dorothy johnson must-reads • bloody bozeman• some went west
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