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[Recommend On] Books about the Wild West

mightyspacepopemightyspacepope Registered User regular
edited April 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
With the advent of Red Dead Redemption and having rewatched Tombstone over the weekend, I'm in the mood for some Western books.

Can anyone recommend me some awesome books about the Wild West? I'm open to either fiction or non-fiction.

mightyspacepope on

Posts

  • LoveIsUnityLoveIsUnity Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

    LoveIsUnity on
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  • GungHoGungHo Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Larry McMurtry is great. Elmore Leonard has some good early works, before he got into pulp/hardboiled. A lot of people also swear by Louis L'Amour.

    GungHo on
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    My dad owns what seems to be every Louis L'Amour book. I've read a few and they're pretty interesting when I'm on a western kick.

    MoSiAc on
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  • CabezoneCabezone Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series:

    Appaloosa - The movie got me interested in the series.
    Resolution
    Brimstone

    Cabezone on
  • GungHoGungHo Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I've picked those up, but haven't read through them yet. I need a vacation.

    GungHo on
  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I'll second Parker's Cole and Hitch series and McMurty's Lonesome Dove.

    For me though, Louis L'Amour is western fiction.

    A Dabble Of Thelonius on
  • CabezoneCabezone Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    GungHo wrote: »
    I've picked those up, but haven't read through them yet. I need a vacation.

    They are ultra fast reads.

    Cabezone on
  • GungHoGungHo Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Like Thai food fast read or 25oz Porterhouse fast read?

    GungHo on
  • CabezoneCabezone Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I just mean the writing is simple and there's usually not a ton of characters so it's easy to remember everything. They are still excellent books.

    Cabezone on
  • claypoolfanclaypoolfan Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    The first Dark Tower book is kind of like a western.... At least, it's the most western-y of the seven.

    claypoolfan on
  • rizriz Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    claypoolfan wrote: »
    The first Dark Tower book is kind of like a western.... At least, it's the most western-y of the seven.

    It's a trap!

    riz on
  • HerkimerHerkimer Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Caveat, not all of these are rootin-tootin yeehaw cowboy wild west, but all tying in to the West in the American (and in one case Canadian) consciousness

    Non-Fiction

    Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee and The American West, both by Dee Brown

    In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, by Peter Matthieson

    Nature's Metropolis, by William Cronon

    Fiction
    Most anything by James Welch

    Most anything by Tony Hillerman

    Little Big Man


    I'll have more thinky-time after breakfast and see if I can add anything

    Herkimer on
  • necroSYSnecroSYS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2010
    When I was a member of the DFW Writer's Workshop, this guy consistently read great stuff. You can't go wrong with any of his novels.

    http://www.jleebutts.com/books.htm

    The Hayden Tilden stuff is particularly good, starting with LawDog.

    http://www.amazon.com/Lawdog-Life-Times-Hayden-Tilden/dp/0425182185/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272137356&sr=8-4

    necroSYS on
  • RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    GungHo wrote: »
    Larry McMurtry is great. Elmore Leonard has some good early works, before he got into pulp/hardboiled. A lot of people also swear by Louis L'Amour.

    This list could begin and end with Lonesome Dove.

    RUNN1NGMAN on
  • Casual EddyCasual Eddy The Astral PlaneRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Far Bright Star is a good cowboy book

    Casual Eddy on
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