I just 'know' that this'll be seen as 'heresy' - but there are other writers of Westerns than Louis L'Amour...
Shocking, I know - but if you'll bear with me - here are a few that I'd recommend for your perusal when you're stuck up in the Line Shack, this winter.
J. Frank Dobie - Lost mines of the Southwest - 'Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver' and 'Coronado's Children'
Lauran Paine - he actually wrote 'The Open Range Men' - later to become the movie 'Open Range'.
Clarence Mulford - the original 'Hopalong Cassidy was wildly 'different from black-clad 'Hoppy'
Matt Braun - try - 'One Last Town' - about Bill Tighlman
Dan Parkinson - 'Brother Wolf'
Loren D. Estleman - his protagonist carries a Deane-Adams...
Elmore Leonard - "Forty Lashes Less One' - there's a compilation just out - well worth the read.
Brian Garfield - 'Wild Times'
Will Henry - 'Chiracauhua'
Robert Steelman - 'Blood and Dust'
Donald Hamilton - didn't 'just' write the 'Matt Helm' series.
Luke Short - 'Bought With a Gun'
Elmer Kelton - 'The Day the Cowboys Quit'
Gordon D. Shirreffs - 'The Ghost Dancers'
Fairfax Downey - "Indian Fighting Army'
Larry McMurtry - 'Lonesome Dove'
Alan LeMay - wrote 'The Searchers' - try -'Winter Range'
Dee Brown - 'The Galvanized Yankees'
And then - there are the various 'collections' from those who've won 'The Spur Award' - awarded by the Western Writers of America - all of whom are worth a good look.
The 'new' writers - Ralph Compton, Johnny Boggs and the like are buildiing thier followings as well.
And for those who still look to Louis L'Amour - there's now available 'The Sackett Companion' - giving all of the backgrounds of his best-loved stories.
These are by no means 'all' of the Western writers out there - but I'll recommend these - and you can add your favorites as you choose.
Vaya,
Scouts Out!