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Best Westerns
Those books (fiction and nonfiction) that embody the spirit of the Old West, the heroism, tragedy, and drama of this mythic era of American history.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 692 |
|
The Last Rider from Hell (Cassidy Yates, #2)
by
I.J. Parnham (Goodreads Author)
3.65 avg rating — 48 ratings
score: 98,
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1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Angel Falls, Texas - The Traveler - The Origin
by
J.C. Hulsey (Goodreads Author)
3.94 avg rating — 67 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Eagle Talons (The Iron Horse Chronicles, #1)
by
Robert Lee Murphy (Goodreads Author)
4.13 avg rating — 38 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Brules: A Novel
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4.36 avg rating — 289 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
The Winter Family
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3.60 avg rating — 912 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
The Hondo Kid (Longhorn, #2)
by
4.18 avg rating — 61 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Basin and Range
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4.19 avg rating — 4,083 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Forty-Four Caliber Justice (Justice #1)
by
Donald L. Robertson (Goodreads Author)
4.58 avg rating — 1,951 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
White Medicine Man
by
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes
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4.08 avg rating — 3,136 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Chance Reilly
by
4.36 avg rating — 766 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Back At The Ranch (The McCoys: Before The Feud #3)
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4.30 avg rating — 33 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Mackenna's Gold
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3.59 avg rating — 68 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
The Last Midwife
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3.93 avg rating — 7,108 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Bob Logan: Gunman at large
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4.25 avg rating — 208 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Thalia: A Texas Trilogy
by
4.31 avg rating — 761 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Way of the Lawless
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3.90 avg rating — 463 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F
by
3.27 avg rating — 167 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Hunt the Man Down
by
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
Vengeance Road (Vengeance Road, #1)
by
Erin Bowman (Goodreads Author)
3.81 avg rating — 9,531 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 692 |
|
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
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4.19 avg rating — 8,864 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Old Surehand II
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4.13 avg rating — 1,497 ratings
score: 97,
and
2 people voted
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| 722 |
|
From noon till three;: The possibly true and certainly tragic story of an outlaw and a lady whose love knew no bounds
by
3.57 avg rating — 7 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Sacred Mountain (Black Eagle Force, #2)
by
4.25 avg rating — 152 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Zijn moeilijkste opdracht (Sundance, #10)
by
4.03 avg rating — 30 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Frontier Justice
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Franklin's Crossing
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3.89 avg rating — 28 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Fat of The Land
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4.17 avg rating — 328 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Shootout!
by
Cliff Roberts (Goodreads Author)
3.29 avg rating — 17 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Singing Guns
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3.85 avg rating — 53 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Bear Claws (The Iron Horse Chronicles, #2)
by
Robert Lee Murphy (Goodreads Author)
4.07 avg rating — 14 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Scout: A Novel
by
4.07 avg rating — 109 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Beginning (Longhorn, #1)
by
4.17 avg rating — 93 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Good News
by
3.58 avg rating — 846 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Savage Valley (Logan Family Western #2)
by
Donald L. Robertson (Goodreads Author)
4.55 avg rating — 1,360 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 722 |
|
Shadow Soldier
by
T.L. Davis (Goodreads Author)
4.19 avg rating — 58 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Wire Cutters
by
3.67 avg rating — 12 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Bob Logan: Some Like It Hot
by
4.42 avg rating — 59 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Tenderness of Wolves
by
3.74 avg rating — 15,741 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Bull Hunter
by
3.95 avg rating — 449 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Indigo Heaven
by
Mark Warren (Goodreads Author)
4.31 avg rating — 32 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Where Coyotes Howl
by
3.97 avg rating — 5,936 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
Gunhand from Texas
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3.25 avg rating — 4 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Irish Cowboy
by
D.W. Ulsterman (Goodreads Author)
4.43 avg rating — 9,034 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 722 |
|
The Cowboy and the Cossack
by
4.30 avg rating — 1,966 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Mister St. John
by
3.91 avg rating — 55 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Scalped: Indian Country (Scalped, #1)
by
Jason Aaron (Writer)
4.02 avg rating — 7,859 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 746 |
|
Revenge
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3.85 avg rating — 386 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones (Western Literature Series)
by
4.04 avg rating — 121 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 746 |
|
The Ft. Larned Incident (Tay-Bodal Mystery #4)
by
4.14 avg rating — 44 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 746 |
|
The Mulligan
by
Nathan Jorgenson (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 460 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Breng me z'n scalp (Sundance, #9)
by
4.15 avg rating — 26 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
A Southern Moon Rising
by
4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use, 2nd Edition
by
4.25 avg rating — 87 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
The Return of the Mucker (Mucker, #2)
by
3.69 avg rating — 304 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
The Rounders
by
4.12 avg rating — 68 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Three-Legged Horse
by
Russ Hall (Goodreads Author)
4.27 avg rating — 11 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
A Promise in Defiance (Romance in the Rockies #3)
by
Heather Blanton (Goodreads Author)
4.55 avg rating — 208 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Into The Hard Hills (Hard Land To Rule Trilogy, #3)
by
Anthony Whitt (Goodreads Author)
4.53 avg rating — 34 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Jedidiah Boone
by
4.31 avg rating — 29 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
My First Thirty Years
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3.68 avg rating — 397 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
The Lucky Hat Mine
by
J.V.L. Bell (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 172 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Bob Logan, Gunman At Large
by
0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 746 |
|
A Rumor of War: The Classic Vietnam Memoir
by
Philip Caputo (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 15,787 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
The Rangeland Avenger
by
3.90 avg rating — 285 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
How Much of These Hills Is Gold
by
C Pam Zhang (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 26,119 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - The Last Great Battle of the American West
by
4.15 avg rating — 2,448 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Guns At Broken Bow
by
4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 746 |
|
Heck's Journey (Heck and Hope #1)
by
4.64 avg rating — 4,984 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 746 |
|
Four Against the West: The True Saga of a Frontier Family That Reshaped the Nation―and Created a Legend
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3.77 avg rating — 69 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
The Good Badman: A Western Trio
by
3.09 avg rating — 11 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Sanctuary
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3.93 avg rating — 46 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Stones of Power: A Sipstrassi Omnibus
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4.44 avg rating — 381 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Dangerous Dan Tucker: New Mexico's Deadly Lawman
by
liked it 3.00 avg rating — 7 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Murder at Medicine Lodge (Tay-Bodal Mystery #3)
by
4.19 avg rating — 53 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Wild Indians And Other Creatures (Western Literature Series)
by
4.09 avg rating — 23 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Doodt de blanken (Sundance, #8)
by
3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Black Mountain Man (Nate Grisham #1)
by
W.R. Benton (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 101 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
The Whipping Boy
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3.81 avg rating — 47 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Renegade 1: Renegade
by
3.85 avg rating — 71 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Killer of Witches: The Life and Times of Yellow Boy
by
4.25 avg rating — 16 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Trusty Knaves: A Western Frontier Library Novel
by
3.89 avg rating — 9 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
The Wild Ones
by
Peter Brandvold (Goodreads Author)
3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
score: 95,
and
2 people voted
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| 771 |
|
The Texan's Dream (McLain, #5)
by
Jodi Thomas (Goodreads Author)
4.25 avg rating — 1,021 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
I'll Gather My Geese
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4.15 avg rating — 180 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
The Pitchfork Patrol
by
Clay Fisher (Pseudonym)
3.67 avg rating — 6 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Bob Logan, Death Is The Dealer
by
0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
by
4.24 avg rating — 12,451 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Alcatraz
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3.87 avg rating — 186 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Wind Walker
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4.44 avg rating — 167 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
I Married a Soldier
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3.84 avg rating — 19 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Mulvane's War
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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Heck's Valley (Heck and Hope #2)
by
4.63 avg rating — 3,261 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
Tough Luck
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3.90 avg rating — 1,723 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 771 |
|
My First Summer in the Sierra
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4.05 avg rating — 7,299 ratings
score: 95,
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1 person voted
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| 796 |
|
The End Of The Trail: Western Stories
by
4.16 avg rating — 94 ratings
score: 94,
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1 person voted
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| 796 |
|
Skins
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3.87 avg rating — 159 ratings
score: 94,
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1 person voted
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| 796 |
|
De vlam van de haat (Sundance, #7)
by
4.06 avg rating — 35 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 796 |
|
War Paint
by
W.R. Benton (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 110 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 796 |
|
Far Bright Star
by
3.82 avg rating — 825 ratings
score: 94,
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1 person voted
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1,363 books ·
1,489 voters ·
list created December 19th, 2008
by Ann Keller (votes) .
Ann
6841 books
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Susanna - Censored by GoodReads
3384 books
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Bettie
15668 books
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197 books
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Robin
307 books
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Comments Showing 1-39 of 39 (39 new)
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message 1:
by
Nina
(new)
Dec 22, 2008 07:32PM
Of course I had to vote for "Unsinkable Molly Brown," as that was the name of our sailboat. nina
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That's an ecclectic selection of westerns. Like a lot of people, my introduction to westerns has been through movies and this has shaped my taste. Of course, most of my novels and film scripts are in fact westerns, even if they're set in places like Birmingham, the Black Country and Yorkshire mining villages during the strike.
I was very surprised not to see more Elmer Kelton!!!!!
deleted user wrote: "I was very surprised not to see more Elmer Kelton!!!!!"
I agree, its amazing!
I agree, its amazing!
Both "Angle of Repose" and a few books by Elmer Kelton are now on the list! :)
Surprised to not see more Cormac McCarthy, especially the Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain. Glad to see Blood Meridian is high on the list. McCarthy is the greatest Western writer, in my opinion.
"All the Pretty Horses" is on the list, too ... (currently #57).
I had to add Elmer Kelton's Hewey Calloway trilogy and Monte Walsh.
On the Road? The Grapes of Wrath? I can see where there's a case to be made to include Wallace Stegner and Tony Hillerman. But those two books ... and "spirit of the Old West?" Seriously??
This list needs more Zane Grey, too :)
Martin wrote: "This list needs more Zane Grey, too :)"Everyone can add books -- there's a tab up top next to "all votes."
Cold Mountain is not Western!! It is Appalachia - mid atlantic. Please fix.
What about "The Collected Stories of Wallace Stegner"? Many of them are connected and one is a novella.
mountain man needs re-filming; jeremiah johnson didn't do it justice!(john)
Maybe I have misunderstood the purpose of this list, but just because a novel takes place in the west doesn't make it a western.
True, the list is well defined at the top under the title. The owner of the list or a librarian can delete books that don't fit.
Don't get me wrong. I love On the Road, but maybe it doesn't belong in this particular list.
Brian wrote: "Don't get me wrong. I love On the Road, but maybe it doesn't belong in this particular list."I have to agree with you here.
Martin wrote: "This list needs more Zane Grey, too :)"I agree completely.
I am glad to see Westerns making a comeback. There are some really good new authors.
Valerie wrote: "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West is a "Western?""I consider the term "Western" to mean fiction -- although the list maker didn't specify such. That certainly doesn't apply to Dee Brown's book.
How about "Plain Song," by Wright Morris?
Nina wrote: "How about "Plain Song," by Wright Morris?" You should add it if you think it fits the list Nina.
Thanks, I really enjoyed this list. I like the fact that the definition of western is kept broad, so that modern tales with spirit akin to the 'Wild West' are included. I'm still wondering about Steinbeck, though. Into the Wild, for sure; even todays Alaska is in the wild west!
I removed #134 Last of the Mohicans. It is an "Eastern", not a "Western". It took place in New York State and thereabouts.
Yes, but it was 'the West' then. And it ticks the right boxes. The Native and the frontiersmen, the clash, and sometimes harmony, of different civilisations, power exercised by remote eastern rulers, the potential and fragility of the wilderness, good versus evil and so on. Set in the times before the push for American independence, this book forms something of a template for subsequent Westerns. It might be too geographically literal to remove it, though I suppose some criterion of location must apply.
Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales is a set of five novels (available together in a two vol Library of America set) that follows the adventures of the hero, Natty Bumppo, from his youth in the Eastern forests to his final years in '"The Prairie" (published 1827) where he is dealing with Indians on the Central Plains (in his 80s!) and would be a good match for this list geograpically.
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