The Wild, Wild West of Louis L'amour : the Illustrated Guide to Cowboys, Indians, Gunslingers, Outlaws and Texas Rangers

by Bruce Wexler

Louis L'Amour, one of America's best-loved and most authentic western writers, penned more than 125 novels in a thirty-year career. His heroes, many of whom appear in various volumes, had strong views about right and wrong, and they also had great respect for the environment and for the rights of the Native American. This is the first full-color companion to L'Amour, enriched with more than 100 specially researched illustrations that bring to life the detailed settings, authentic equipment, and strong moral characters that populate his historically accurate novels, which have been popular with audiences around the globe for more than 50 years.

Genres: Nonfiction, Westerns, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2005

Reviews

[Midnight Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting but multiple typos made it a frustrating read.

[Chris Maddix · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a typical Sunday afternoon in our household as I was growing up. Mom would be in the kitchen or working on some project, several of us would camp out in front of the TV and the upcoming baseball or football game, and Dad would find his most comfortable chair and his latest western novel. He loved westerns. He had a big picture of John Wayne above his desk, and he could read forever the tales of The West. He was fine with Zane Grey and Larry McMurtry, but his all time favorite was Louis L'Amour. I think that was true largely because L'Amour seemed to write the most authentic stories, especially those which were fair to the Indians, because Dad was quite proud of his Native American heritage, which he passed on to us. Of the novels, if we asked how good the latest one was, he might routinely joke, "It's fine, but you have to watch out for stray bullets."

I wish Dad had known about this book, Louis L'Amour's Wild West. He would have treasured it. It covers in detail, including pictures, every famous gunfighter, Indian chief, weapon, and institution (such as the Texas Rangers, Pinkerton, and Wells Fargo) as well as the impact of the railroad, the Mormons and the gold rush. It covers the Chisholm Trail, the buffalo hunters, and the mountain men. If it was a possible topic for Louis L'Amour, it's in this book. I can just see my dad now, running into something of interest in one of L'Amour's Sackett novels and turning to this reference for amplification. I confess, I've done it myself once or twice. You inherit more than you think.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have never read a Louis L’Amour book , I have heard much about him and wondered about his writing. I read one Zane Grey book in 9th grade. So this book was intriguing as I grew up in New Mexico and heard family tales of Early Texas from my mother. So this book emphasizes the true aspects of his books and his research.

[Gemma Fasheun · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I give 3 stars for this book is because the author describes well the guns used in the Wild Wild West. I was expecting more true facts than what the characters were saying or doing in L'amour's books.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for what it is, but it's not especially thorough or scholarly. It seemed like only a handful of L'Amour books were cited, which seemed like a narrow view of things considering how prolific an author he was.

[Leonore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truly interesting and full of information of the west.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice addendum to many of L'Amour's novels.