Cowboy Novels

One of the great cowboy authors was Louis L’Amour. He was born in 1908 and passed away in 1988; during which time he wrote 101 works in print (86 novels, 14 short-stories and one work of nonfiction.) Many of his books have been written into screenplays.

L’Amour wrote the novel “The Gift of Cochise” in 1952 which later became the movie “Hondo” in 1953. Hondo Lane is a dispatch rider for General Crook. He is on his way to deliver a message to the General about an Apache uprising when he comes across a woman and her son alone on a ranch. The woman, Angie Lowe, has been deserted by her husband and refuses to leave her home. Hondo finds himself falling for the woman and her son.

Although, she is not convinced she is free to love another since she doesn’t know of her husband’s whereabouts. L’Amour has a classic way of leaving you wanting for more adventure with his characters. John Wayne played the character of Hondo in the screenplay in 1953. The book was released the same day the screenplay opened.

Janet Dailey has written a series of books called the “Calder Family Saga.” The series begins with Chase Benteen Calder leaving Texas to begin his dream of a cattle ranch in Montana. The series is 10 books in length and travels over five generations. The Calder word is law in Montana since the first Calder set foot on the land. From fighting Indians to cattle rustlers, the Calder Series spans over 100 years and even expands into Texas.