Some authors I recommend for Old West fiction...

[dogngun]

I read a lot, sometimes 4-5 books a week, for the last 40 years or so. I have also published a few articles and other things over the years, although by no means am I known and certainly not rich from it.

The authors I highly recommend for this are only these 3:

Dee Brown-He wrote  very accurate and interesting histories as well as fiction. He was one of the great historians of the period.Died in 2002.

Larry McMurtry-Hat Creek Cattle Co...great overall writer, but he loves the old west and does it very well.

Forrest Carter- Navajo. Wrote the 2 books that became Josey Wales. Also wrote a wonderful book on Geronomo and a book on his life  as a young boy in the west. Died very young.

I know of no one better.

Just my opinion, of course.

mark

[Forty Rod]

 

[Will Ketchum]

I read a lot, sometimes 4-5 books a week, for the last 40 years or so. I have also published a few articles and other things over the years, although by no means am I known and certainly not rich from it.

The authors I highly recommend for this are only these 3:

Dee Brown-He wrote  very accurate and interesting histories as well as fiction. He was one of the great historians of the period.Died in 2002.

Larry McMurtry-Hat Creek Cattle Co...great overall writer, but he loves the old west and does it very well.

Forrest Carter- Navajo. Wrote the 2 books that became Josey Wales. Also wrote a wonderful book on Geronomo and a book on his life  as a young boy in the west. Died very young.

I know of no one better.

Just my opinion, of course.

mark

I sure have to disagree with you pard.  The first two you mention both play fast and loose with history.  Especially McMurtry. In one of his books he has the renegade kid hang judge Roy Bean from his own porch!  That never happened and so much else that I have a hard time reading his stuff.

Will Ketchum

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[Coal Creek Griff]

Is that why he said "fiction"?

I agree, though, if the fiction is so far off base historically, it is hard to take it seriously.  That's kind of like movies where historical figures fail to die on time or die in the wrong way.  If a movie about Wyatt Earp pictures Doc Holliday as a surgeon or MD, I pretty much have to turn it off.

CC Griff

[Delmonico]

Based on the first two i won't even bother to check out the last one.

[Drayton Calhoun]

I've come to regard McMurtry as a Western Surrealist. His books are entertaining, but, as far as historical...welllllll....

[The Trinity Kid]

Ralph Compton.  Great writer, and VERY accurate to history.  The only historical mistake I've found is a .45 Colt Cartridge Conversion in winter of 1865 in "Dawn of Fury."  Another is J.T.Edson.  Great at writing, historically accurate and very entertaining. 
Ralph Cotton is okay, if you don't mind a little gore.  Jack Ketchum is a little odd, but he wrote the first western I ever read.  I'll have to finish the book I'm writing and see what y'all think of it.


--TK

[Ranger Joe]

Ralph Compton.  Great writer, and VERY accurate to history.  The only historical mistake I've found is a .45 Colt Cartridge Conversion in winter of 1865 in "Dawn of Fury."  Another is J.T.Edson.  Great at writing, historically accurate and very entertaining. 
Ralph Cotton is okay, if you don't mind a little gore.  Jack Ketchum is a little odd, but he wrote the first western I ever read.  I'll have to finish the book I'm writing and see what y'all think of it.


--TK

JT Edson? I'm surprised to see his books recommended. I read many of his books as a teenager, and finally gave up after reading the same detailed descriptions of Dusty's (IIRC) firearms and ju-jitsu skills for about the 20th time. If you'd read one of his books you could skip whole pages of any of his other books that you read.

[The Trinity Kid]

It's more interesting than sitting around being bored.

[Ranger Joe]

It's more interesting than sitting around being bored.

True indeed. Books really are a matter of personal taste. Actually,I remember reading an article about JT Edson some years ago. It seems he had a wall of guns (mostly replicas I believe) that he used for research and inspiration in his writing.

EDIT: I just found a link to the article! http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1948&dat=19790811&id=4_IiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pswFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2478,4116263

My favourite western author is definitely Loius L'Amour, but I've read books by many others from Zane Grey to George Gilman (no historical accuracy there at all!).

[The Trinity Kid]

Louis L'Amour is great.  If you haven't read Compton, you should, they are very similar.

--TK

[Forty Rod]

I'm very proud that both of my novels have accurate historical references.  Sure wish more folks would read them.

[Ranger Joe]

Louis L'Amour is great.  If you haven't read Compton, you should, they are very similar.

--TK

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll take a look for his books.

Joe

[The Trinity Kid]

Forty Rod, what're the titles?  Give me the titles, and I'll read 'em.

--TK

[Forty Rod]

Available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  They won't have them in stock but can get them.

Legends

Cavanaugh: The Last Bounty

Both by Tom "FortyRod" Taylor.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of them.

Thanks for asking.

Tom

[The Elderly Kid]

Frank O'Rourke - "A Mule for the Marquesa," origin for the film "The Professionals." Getting very hard to find.

Cormac McCarthy - "Blood Meridian." A modern classic and the hardest-a$$ed western ever written. Takes a strong stomach and no illusions about how nice our ancestors were.

[Grapevine Jimmy]

Forty Rod, I just put both books on my kindle, looking forward to reading them.

Grapevine Jimmy

[Johnny McCrae]

Forty Rod, just downloaded "Cavanaugh:The Last Bounty" on my IPad. It's a great western novel. As good as they come! I'm about 1/3 Of the way through it. We are in Colorado skiing and will be snowed in tomorrow so I'll be able to finish it. "Legend" is not available on my IPad so I'll order it from Barnes.

[Forty Rod]

Thanks, Gents. I'm right proud of Legends and Bounty is pretty good, too.

[Grapevine Jimmy]

I just finished "Cavanaugh:The Last Bounty" and enjoyed it very much. I kept waiting for him to get thoes new Smith's into action. Any chance the first three are going to be published?

GJ