Hey, cowboys, recommend me some Westerns

[pilotbob]

I actually started a thread about the Wagons West books I read as a teen. I enjoyed them there but didn't read them all and was looking for feedback on them from some others.

Anyway... not sure what you consider "western" but they are about the expansion to the western states with characters like Sam Houston and others around that time.

Here is a link to my lonely 1 message thread.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ht=wagons+west

BOb

[slayda]

Yeah, I remember Cooper with the same fondness that I remember "The Lonesome Dove" (see my previous post).

I also remember a western movie ("Westward the Women" I believe the title was. Wish I could find an affordable copy of it.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by stustaff

I always for get that! and feedbooks havent looked there either!

any recommended favourites Don?

If you want to experience one of the great classic writers of westerns, a man who popularized the western at the turn of the last century, then you should try Zane Grey.

Clifton Adams is famous for his paperback novels of the 1950s, so you might try him. I have three by him that I've assembled.

RWood has also assembled a number of westerns. Try Bret Harte, a contemporary of Mark Twain.

For a western writer whose works are NOT in the public domain, try Louis L'Amour.

Another very famous writer is Max Brand. We have nothing by him on our site; I'll see if there's anything available in the PD so we can all enjoy it -- if it's in the public domain.

There are a lot of enjoyable western out there that were published during the 30s and 40s. One writer I loved reading when I was a teenager was Peter Field. If his works were available I'd stop work on every book I'm doing and concentrate on this writer. I remember him as being extremely fun to read.

I'll make it a personal challenge to work on some more Westerns to add to our library.

Westerns, as a distinct genre, can be very enjoyable to read.

Don

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

If you want to experience one of the great classic writers of westerns, a man who popularized the western at the turn of the last century, then you should try Zane Grey.

Zane Grey - a New York dentist! - basically invented the genre of the "Western". His books would certainly be good ones to start with.

[stustaff]

Excellent, I shall start with some Zane Grey.

Thank you

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by stustaff

Excellent, I shall start with some Zane Grey.

Thank you

I just put together a Max Brand novel for you, with more on the way.

Don

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Zane Grey - a New York dentist! - basically invented the genre of the "Western". His books would certainly be good ones to start with.

Grey certainly created the Western genre, but for historical precendent, one must also look back to the Dime Novels of the late 19th C. for tales of Indian Capture narratives and tales of adventures.

Don

[Roy White]

Go wiht any of The Sackett books by Louis L'Amour. They are my favorite westerns..

[BenG]

You may want to try True Grit by Charles Portis, Little Big Man by Thomas Berger, Shane by Jack Schaefer and the Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove.
Also,Elmore Leonard started out writing westerns

[Greg Anos]

If you would like to get a sense of what the west was like in reality, I recommend Mark Twain's Roughing It. It was wriiten during the times by a man who was there.

[HowGozit]

Originally Posted by stustaff

I dont think I have ever read a Western!? which is strange as I love this Genre of Film.

I guess I want ones that have that skilled at violence dark character who finds redemption in stepping in against the odds to actually do something good against their normal behaviours.

Any suggestions gratefully received

Hopalong Cassidy (no - not those wretched movies - the books by Clarence E Mulford). The book Hopalong Cassidy was quite a bit rougher, and the books are a fine chunk of escapism.. Dunno whether I'd call them dark, but rough hewn would be a reasonable description.

There are a couple in ebook form (try this http://manybooks.net/authors/mulfordc.html - also fictionwise).

Ross

[pshrynk]

A Log of a Cowboy, here on the site, is a really good source for what the cowboys did, as well. Not a lot of shootemup, but a lot of description of day to day life.

[DMcCunney]

One place to start might be Owen Wister's _The Virginian_, which arguably began the genre in the US. It became the loose basis for a TV series of the same name in the early 60's starring James Drury. Madame Broshkina contributed a Sony Reader version to MobileRead

Zane Grey was already been mentioned as classic westerns. Project Gutenberg of Australia has a fair bit of Zane, and pointers ot others, here

But while Bret Harte is mentioned in this thread and it worth reading, I have a hard time classifying him as writing westerns as the term is normally used. His stories tend to be California gold rush tales, which aren't quite the same thing.
______
Dennis

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

One place to start might be Owen Wister's _The Virginian_, which arguably began the genre in the US. It became the loose basis for a TV series of the same name in the early 60's starring James Drury. Madame Broshkina contributed a Sony Reader version to MobileRead

Zane Grey was already been mentioned as classic westerns. Project Gutenberg of Australia has a fair bit of Zane, and pointers ot others, here

But while Bret Harte is mentioned in this thread and it worth reading, I have a hard time classifying him as writing westerns as the term is normally used. His stories tend to be California gold rush tales, which aren't quite the same thing.
______
Dennis

There's a lot more Zane Grey, right here on MobileRead.

Grey, Zane: An American Angler in Australia. v1. 21 Aug. 07 LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: 30,000 On The Hoof. v1. 28 May 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Lone Star Ranger. v1. 23 Dec 07 LRF Flogiston
Grey, Zane: Lost Pueblo. v1. 28 May 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Ohio River Trilogy. v1. 21 Jan 08 LRF Flogiston
Grey, Zane: Riders of the Purple Sage. v1. 23 Dec 07 LRF Flogiston
Grey, Zane: Sunset Pass. v1. 02 June 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: The Hash Knife Outfit. v1. 28 May 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: The Rustlers of Pecos County v1.0 2007-10-22 LRF JSWolf
Grey, Zane: The Rustlers of Pecos County v1.0 2007-10-22 PRC JSWolf
Grey, Zane: The Rustlers of Pecos County. IMP. v1.0 2007-10-22 IMP JSWolf
Grey, Zane: The Thundering Herd. v1. 28 May 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Twin Sombreros. v1. 26 June 07 Other Fiction LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Under The Tonto Rim. v1. 28 May 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Wanderer of the Wasteland. v1. 24 June 07 Other Fiction LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Wilderness Trek. v1. 30 June 07 Western LRF Dr. Drib
Grey, Zane: Wildfire v1. 17 June 07 LRF slayda


Don