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What are your top 5 western books?
Posted on 5/6/13 at 11:05 pm
Posted on 5/6/13 at 11:05 pm
Trilogies can be counted as one.
1- Lonesome Dove/Dead Mans Walk/Comanche Moon
2- Big Sky
3- Blood Meridian
4- Riders of the Purple Sage
5- True Grit
1- Lonesome Dove/Dead Mans Walk/Comanche Moon
2- Big Sky
3- Blood Meridian
4- Riders of the Purple Sage
5- True Grit
7
Posted on 5/6/13 at 11:13 pm to heehaw
The Virginian
Last of the Plainsmen (better Zane Grey book than ROTPS IYAM)
NCFOM
Blood Meridian
There's a nonfiction book I'd put above all of them: We Pointed Them North. In the 1930's, historian Helena Huntington Smith sat down with E.C. "Teddy Blue" Abbott, a Montana cowboy then in his seventies. Larry McMurtry used it as source material for Lonesome Dove. If you're interested in Western history, it's a must read.
ETA: in fact, there's so much great western nonfiction out there, that I usually prefer it to fiction.
Last of the Plainsmen (better Zane Grey book than ROTPS IYAM)
NCFOM
Blood Meridian
There's a nonfiction book I'd put above all of them: We Pointed Them North. In the 1930's, historian Helena Huntington Smith sat down with E.C. "Teddy Blue" Abbott, a Montana cowboy then in his seventies. Larry McMurtry used it as source material for Lonesome Dove. If you're interested in Western history, it's a must read.
ETA: in fact, there's so much great western nonfiction out there, that I usually prefer it to fiction.
This post was edited on 5/6/13 at 11:20 pm
Posted on 5/6/13 at 11:39 pm to heehaw
Lonesome Dove
The Border Trilogy
The Sisters Brothers
The Border Trilogy
The Sisters Brothers
Posted on 5/7/13 at 5:55 am to heehaw
1. Shane
Posted on 5/7/13 at 6:20 am to heehaw
I read little big man as a child and still remember it. Great book.
Posted on 5/7/13 at 7:53 am to heehaw
I'll take this chance to mention the novels of Paul I. Wellman (1895-1966), several of whose books were filmed.
The Iron Mistress -- Novel about Jim Bowie, rather sluggishly filmed with Alan Ladd in 1952. But I'm a sucker for movies about old New Orleans (the film ends as Bowie rides off for Texas). We also get to see one Monsieur Audubon working on a book about birds.
Jubal Troop -- I actually haven't gotten around to reading this one, which as it happens made my favorite Wellman film (called simply Jubal). It's Othello out west, with Glenn Ford as Cassio (here the lead), Ernest Borgnine as Othello, and Rod Steiger chewing all scenery in sight as Iago. The is one of the most underappreciated westerns from the genre's golden age.
Watch the Jubal film here
The Comancheros -- This was made into an above-average John Wayne vehicle. Note that in the novel, Wayne's character (a Texas Ranger) is very minor -- the protagonist is the New Orleans gambler (played in the film by Stuart Whitman).
Wellman also wrote some excellent books that unfortunately were never filmed, such as Magnificent Destiny (about Sam Houston and Andrew Jackson) and Ride The Red Earth (set in 17th century Mexico) -- this would have made a great swashbuckler; too bad it was never a movie.
Paul I. Wellman
The Iron Mistress -- Novel about Jim Bowie, rather sluggishly filmed with Alan Ladd in 1952. But I'm a sucker for movies about old New Orleans (the film ends as Bowie rides off for Texas). We also get to see one Monsieur Audubon working on a book about birds.
Jubal Troop -- I actually haven't gotten around to reading this one, which as it happens made my favorite Wellman film (called simply Jubal). It's Othello out west, with Glenn Ford as Cassio (here the lead), Ernest Borgnine as Othello, and Rod Steiger chewing all scenery in sight as Iago. The is one of the most underappreciated westerns from the genre's golden age.
Watch the Jubal film here
The Comancheros -- This was made into an above-average John Wayne vehicle. Note that in the novel, Wayne's character (a Texas Ranger) is very minor -- the protagonist is the New Orleans gambler (played in the film by Stuart Whitman).
Wellman also wrote some excellent books that unfortunately were never filmed, such as Magnificent Destiny (about Sam Houston and Andrew Jackson) and Ride The Red Earth (set in 17th century Mexico) -- this would have made a great swashbuckler; too bad it was never a movie.
Paul I. Wellman
Posted on 5/7/13 at 7:57 am to heehaw
Lonesome Dove is #1 by enough that I'm not sure it's even worth me mentioning any others.
Posted on 5/7/13 at 8:49 am to heehaw
I highly recommend Warlock.
Sort of a grittier version of Tombstone.
Sort of a grittier version of Tombstone.
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