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The Great Westerns: A Literary Appreciation

A maverick literature teacher looks at the too-often-dismissed genre of the Western. Defining the genre thematically as being about " the discovery, opening, and decline of the American frontiers", he presents fifty varied, vivid, and at times startling literary works that deserve to be read and re-read. As usual, while a few of these books have been afforded Academic approval, the majority have been wrongfully dismissed as mere "popular fiction." A lot of them are known solely because of the motion pictures they spawned; these deserve to be rediscovered as first rate work in their own right.
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All the Pretty Horses (Cormac McCarthy)
All the Pretty Horses
1
Cormac McCarthy
The Apaloosa (Parker)
The Apaloosa
2
Parker
The Big Sky (A. B. Guthrie)
The Big Sky
3
A. B. Guthrie
Black Hills (Dan Simmons)
Black Hills
4
Dan Simmons
The Bravados (O'Rourke)
The Bravados
5
O'Rourke
The Brave Cowboy
The Brave Cowboy
6
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky (Short) (Stephen Crane)
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky (Short)
7
Stephen Crane
Bugles in the Afternoon (Ernest Haycox)
Bugles in the Afternoon
8
Ernest Haycox
Centennial (James A. Michener)
Centennial
9
James A. Michener
Cheyenne Autumn (Mari Sandoz)
Cheyenne Autumn
10
Mari Sandoz
Cimarron
Cimarron
11
Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon
12
Dances With Wolves (Michael Blake)
Dances With Wolves
13
Michael Blake
Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk
14
Destry Rides Again (Max Brand)
Destry Rides Again
15
Max Brand
The Dice of God (Hoffman Birney)
The Dice of God
16
Hoffman Birney
A Distant Trumpet (Paul Horgan)
A Distant Trumpet
17
Paul Horgan
Drums Along the Mohawk (Walter D. Edmonds)
Drums Along the Mohawk
18
Walter D. Edmonds
Giant
Giant
19
Gone to Texas (Forrest)
Gone to Texas
20
Forrest
Hombre
Hombre
21
Hondo (Louis L'amour)
Hondo
22
Louis L'amour
Journal of the Gun Years (Richard Matheson)
Journal of the Gun Years
23
Richard Matheson
The Last Picture Show (Larry McMurtry)
The Last Picture Show
24
Larry McMurtry
Last Stand at Saber River
Last Stand at Saber River
25
Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)
Lonesome Dove
26
Larry McMurtry
MacKenna's Gold (Henry)
MacKenna's Gold
27
Henry
The Man From Laramie (Flynn)
The Man From Laramie
28
Flynn
Monte Walsh (Jack Schaefer)
Monte Walsh
29
Jack Schaefer
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
30
Willa Cather
No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
No Country for Old Men
31
Cormac McCarthy
Northwest Passage (Kenneth Roberts)
Northwest Passage
32
Kenneth Roberts
O Pioneers (Willa Cather)
O Pioneers
33
Willa Cather
The Octopus
The Octopus
34
The Outcasts of Poker Flats (Harte)
The Outcasts of Poker Flats
35
Harte
The Ox-Bow Incident (Walter Van Tilburg Clark)
The Ox-Bow Incident
36
Walter Van Tilburg Clark
Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage
37
The Searchers (Alan Lemay)
The Searchers
38
Alan Lemay
Shane (Jack Schaefer)
Shane
39
Jack Schaefer
The Shootist (Glendon Swarthout)
The Shootist
40
Glendon Swarthout
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