List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

100 Must-Read Books of the American West

Book Riot's list of must-read books of the American West.
A note about nonfiction–much of the nonfiction written about the west is fictionalized to a degree, and I've made little attempt to distinguish between creative and straight nonfiction, because frankly, it's not always possible in this genre.
Read More
62 users · 690 views
 
from bookriot.com · made by Bobbi Green
avg. score: 5 of 100 (5%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 3
True Grit (Charles Portis)
True Grit
1
Charles Portis
Little Big Man (Thomas Berger)
Little Big Man
2
Thomas Berger
The Lonesome Dove Chronicles (Larry McMurtry)
The Lonesome Dove Chronicles
3
Larry McMurtry
Centennial (James A. Michener)
Centennial
4
James A. Michener
Scrib (David Ives)
Scrib
5
David Ives
Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Little House on the Prairie
6
Laura Ingalls Wilder
O Pioneers! (Willa Cather)
O Pioneers!
7
Willa Cather
Shane (Jack Schaefer)
Shane
8
Jack Schaefer
Anything for Billy (Larry McMurtry)
Anything for Billy
9
Larry McMurtry
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
10
Willa Cather
Riders of the Purple Sage (Zane Grey)
Riders of the Purple Sage
11
Zane Grey
Six Gun Snow White
Six Gun Snow White
12
The Ox-Bow Incident (Walter Van Tilburg Clark)
The Ox-Bow Incident
13
Walter Van Tilburg Clark
The Sisters Brothers (Patrick Dewitt)
The Sisters Brothers
14
Patrick Dewitt
Petticoat Detective (Margaret Brownley)
Petticoat Detective
15
Margaret Brownley
The Shootist (Glendon Swarthout)
The Shootist
16
Glendon Swarthout
The Lone Star Ranger (Zane Grey)
The Lone Star Ranger
17
Zane Grey
The Searchers (Alan Lemay)
The Searchers
18
Alan Lemay
Destry Rides Again (Max Brand)
Destry Rides Again
19
Max Brand
The Sea of Grass (Conrad Richter)
The Sea of Grass
20
Conrad Richter
Cimarron
Cimarron
21
Hidden Fires (Sandra Brown)
Hidden Fires
22
Sandra Brown
Destiny's Embrace (Beverly Jenkins)
Destiny's Embrace
23
Beverly Jenkins
Simple Jess (Pamela Morsi)
Simple Jess
24
Pamela Morsi
Journal of the Gun Years (Richard Matheson)
Journal of the Gun Years
25
Richard Matheson
Backwards to Oregon
Backwards to Oregon
26
Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)
Blood Meridian
27
Cormac McCarthy
The Big Sky (A.B. Guthrie)
The Big Sky
28
A.B. Guthrie
Hopalong Cassidy (Clarence E. Mulford)
Hopalong Cassidy
29
Clarence E. Mulford
Follow the Free Wind (Leigh Brackett)
Follow the Free Wind
30
Leigh Brackett
Sweet Carolina (Stephen Bly)
Sweet Carolina
31
Stephen Bly
A Mule for the Marquesa (Frank O'Rourke)
A Mule for the Marquesa
32
Frank O'Rourke
The Outlaw Josef Wales (Forrest Carter)
The Outlaw Josef Wales
33
Forrest Carter
The Milagro Beanfield War (John Nichols)
The Milagro Beanfield War
34
John Nichols
The West That Was (John Eggen)
The West That Was
35
John Eggen
Wisconsin Death Trip (Michael Lesy)
Wisconsin Death Trip
36
Michael Lesy
How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontiers (Chris Enss)
How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontiers
37
Chris Enss
How the West Was Worn: A History of Western Wear (Holly George-Warren & Michelle Freedman)
How the West Was Worn: A History of Western Wear
38
Holly George-Warren & Michelle Freedman
The Look of the Old West (William Foster-Harris)
The Look of the Old West
39
William Foster-Harris
The Wild West on 5 Bits a Day (Joan Tapper)
The Wild West on 5 Bits a Day
40
Joan Tapper
Page 1 of 3
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '100 Must-Read Books of the American West'
San Francisco Chronicle's 100 Best Fiction of the American West of the 20th Century
San Francisco Chronicle's 100 Best Fiction of the American West of the 20th Century
224
100
The American West and the Australian Outback
The American West and the Australian Outback
159
80
The English Teacher's Short List: Favorite Fiction of the American West
The English Teacher's Short List: Favorite Fiction of the American West
159
25
Historical Fiction: Women of the American West
Historical Fiction: Women of the American West
106
20
101 Books to Read Because It's Snowing Outside Here in West Virginia
101 Books to Read Because It's Snowing Outside Here in West Virginia
302
101
Books by Native American Authors (November Is Native American Heritage Month!)
Books by Native American Authors (November Is Native American Heritage Month!)
228
24
100 Must-Read African-American Books
100 Must-Read African-American Books
35,617
100
Books That This American High School Senior Has Read in School
Books That This American High School Senior Has Read in School
15,193
43
The Great American Read: America's 100 Favorite Books
The Great American Read: America's 100 Favorite Books
3,725
100
America's Best Loved Books - PBS's the Great American Read 2018
America's Best Loved Books - PBS's the Great American Read 2018
2,440
100
Books Every American Should Read
Books Every American Should Read
1,669
134
50 Books That Every African American Should Read
50 Books That Every African American Should Read
950
50
1001 American Books to Read Before You Die
1001 American Books to Read Before You Die
660
1001
Books Commonly Read in American Schools
Books Commonly Read in American Schools
654
33
31 Books You Need to Read If You Want to Understand the American South
31 Books You Need to Read If You Want to Understand the American South
611
31
Helena's List of Books to Read on an American Road Trip
Helena's List of Books to Read on an American Road Trip
459
562
Must-Read Latin-American Books
Must-Read Latin-American Books
442
123
Top 50 Must Read African American Books
Top 50 Must Read African American Books
431
50
AI Said to Read These American Books
AI Said to Read These American Books
407
40
100 Must-Read Books of the American Midwest
100 Must-Read Books of the American Midwest
367
100
10 American Classic Books to Read in 2025
10 American Classic Books to Read in 2025
234
10
Some Books With African/African American Themes Yellowdaisygarden Has Read
Some Books With African/African American Themes Yellowdaisygarden Has Read
221
24
American Girl Books Courtney Read
American Girl Books Courtney Read
189
79
All the American Girl Books I've Read
All the American Girl Books I've Read
181
34
116 Essential New Books to Read for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
116 Essential New Books to Read for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
182
116
72 New Books by Asian American Authors to Read Now
72 New Books by Asian American Authors to Read Now
166
72
111 New Books to Read for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
111 New Books to Read for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
149
111
Helena's List of Books to Read on a South American Roadtrip
Helena's List of Books to Read on a South American Roadtrip
139
101
Ladycalico's Read/TBR List of Books With Native American Characters
Ladycalico's Read/TBR List of Books With Native American Characters
135
50
51 New Books to Read for Native American Heritage Month
51 New Books to Read for Native American Heritage Month
143
51
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN