I drew names for Christmas and I am looking for books related to the history of the old West in America. Tombstone is a favorite of the giftee. Also, would Louis L’Amour be a good choice? What is one of his best novels, a place to start?
by RhythmQueenTX
7 Comments
*Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West* by Ronald M. James
Not history, but Lonesome Dove is one of the best books I ever read and I am not a fan of westerns at all.
I would imagine that Lonesome Dove might be a good fit for your giftee, but if they have an existing love of this kind of literature, its very likely they’ll have already read it. Otherwise, its generally considered to be a really great read on the subject, and very enjoyable as well.
News of The World by Paulette Jiles.
Frankly, I’ve never enjoyed westerns, or so I thought. Not sure how I heard about this book but so glad I did! This book totally captivated my imagination and brought that period of history to life for me. As I often do, I ended up buying the audiobook version as well, and then rented the movie starring Tom Hanks. I guess I like westerns now!
Non fiction. Tom Clavin’s Wild Bill; Dodge City; Tombstone.
“Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History” is the best of the 25 books that I’ve read this year. Learn about the first settlers west of the Mississippi; how the Texas Rangers influenced Sam Colt’s revolver; how the Comanches stopped the Spanish empire expansion at the Rio Grande; how Ranald Mackenzie was a great leader in the Civil War, settled the Comanches, and then the Sioux and Cheyenne wars, and helped change Quanah Parker from war lord to rich land baron in Texas. 10/10 interesting!
I would not suggest Louis L’Amour, too formulaic. Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage is great (like the one of the first Sherlock Holmes stories, RotPS is about a “gentile” falling in love with a Mormon woman and the “church” trying to kill him.
Having read hundreds of westerns, IMO the best literary western is Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams, but the best western is Lonesome Dove!