Louis L'Amour: Western Novel Writer

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Louis L’Amour: A Great Western Writer

A Guest Post by Charles Pogue

Anyone who is an avid reader of western novels probably has Louis L'Amourright close to the top of his list as one of his favorite authors.

Louis was a prolific writer, the list of titles for his westerns reaches from here to there, and “there” is a fur piece down the road from “here!”

Family History of Louis L'Amour

Louis L’Amour (LaMoore) was born of French ancestry in Jamestown, North Dakota, on March 22, 1908. He died on June 10, 1988. I worked the night shift in the printing industry and was sitting in my car eating my lunch when it came over the radio that he had passed away. I remember that, because Louis was, and still is, my favorite western writer.

Louis L’Amour’s father was an animal veterinarian, a local politician, and a farm-equipment broker. The LaMoore family arrived in the Dakota Territory in 1882.

Louis L’Amour served as a transport officer in World War II, was presented the Congressional Gold Medal in 1982, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom 1984 by President Ronald Reagan. He was also awarded an honorary PhD by Jamestown College in May of 1972.

L'Amour Works are Still in Print

Education of a Wandering Man

L’Amour wrote 89 novels and 250 short-stories. All of his works are still in print. His autobiography, Education of a Wandering Man, is a fascinating read in itself. The biography fitly titled explains part of the reason Louis L’Amour’s descriptions of geography are so detailed and accurate. He was known to explain that if he mentioned a stream of water in a certain place, the stream was there and its water good to drink.

The Sackettseries, which itself contained some 17 different titles is a remarkable saga. The Sackett TV movie which aired in 1979 featuring Sam Elliott as Tell Sackett is still widely popular today.

One of Louis L’Amour’s novels, Bendigo Shafter, should be required reading for every boy as he grows into adulthood. Some have stated that Bendigo is a little too good to be true, but they miss the point of the book. In my opinion this was the best of all of L’Amour’s books.

I guess I have read all of L’Amour’s books at least once, and highly recommend them to anyone whether they are a big fan of western novels or not. L'Amour is one of those special writers that you can read again and again. Why not buy one and read it today?

How long has it been since you read a Louis L'Amour book? Neighbors, that's just too long!

 

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