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Quick answer: If you loved Louis L'Amour, read Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, then Charles Portis's True Grit, then Thomas Berger's Little Big Man, and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers. All are classic westerns.
Louis L'Amour (1908–1988) wrote more than 100 western novels. These picks share his frontier grit.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | Adult | readers who love epics |
| True Grit | Charles Portis | Adult | great narrators |
| Little Big Man | Thomas Berger | Adult | tall-tale Westerns |
| Blood Meridian | Cormac McCarthy | Adult | older readers |
| The Sisters Brothers | Patrick deWitt | Adult | darkly comic Western |
| Old Yeller | Fred Gipson | 10-14 | readers who like frontier stories |
| The Last of the Mohicans | James Fenimore Cooper | Teen and adult | classic frontier |
| Undaunted Courage | Stephen E. Ambrose | Adult | exploration history |
| Open Season | C.J. Box | Adult | wilderness mysteries |
| Prairie Fires | Caroline Fraser | Adult | readers who want the real story |
| The Orchardist | Amanda Coplin | Adult | slow Pacific Northwest fiction |
| Cold Mountain | Charles Frazier | Adult | literary historical fiction |
| Shane | Jack Schaefer | Teen and adult | Western classics |
| Drums Along the Mohawk | Walter D. Edmonds | Adult | frontier war |
| The Eagle Catcher | Margaret Coel | Adult | Arapaho country |
1. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Two retired Texas Rangers drive cattle north to Montana in a sweeping, humane western. Pulitzer Prize winner.
Best for: readers who love epics.
2. True Grit by Charles Portis
A fourteen-year-old girl hires a U.S. marshal to hunt her father's killer. Dry, witty and beloved.
Best for: great narrators.
3. Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
A man claims to be the last survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Funny and brutal.
Best for: tall-tale Westerns.
4. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
A teen joins a group of scalp hunters on the border. Violent and poetic.
Best for: older readers.
5. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
Two hired killers travel to California. Funny, violent and strange.
Best for: darkly comic Western.
6. Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
A Texas boy bonds with a stray dog in 1860s frontier life. Moving and sad.
Best for: readers who like frontier stories.
7. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Scouts and soldiers cross the New York wilderness during the French and Indian War. A classic adventure.
Best for: classic frontier.
8. Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose
The story of Lewis and Clark and the first journey across the continent. Detailed and gripping.
Best for: exploration history.
9. Open Season by C.J. Box
Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett finds a body in his garage. Outdoorsy and tense.
Best for: wilderness mysteries.
10. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this biography of Wilder places her life in the context of land, politics and her daughter Rose. Eye-opening and detailed.
Best for: readers who want the real story.
11. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
A solitary orchardist in Washington shelters two runaway girls. Quiet and lyrical.
Best for: slow Pacific Northwest fiction.
12. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
A wounded Confederate soldier walks home to his love. Slow, lyrical and rooted in landscape.
Best for: literary historical fiction.
13. Shane by Jack Schaefer
A gunfighter helps a family of homesteaders. Short and classic.
Best for: Western classics.
14. Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D. Edmonds
A young couple lives through war in the Mohawk Valley. Vivid and detailed.
Best for: frontier war.
15. The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel
A priest and a lawyer investigate a murder on the Wind River reservation. Steady and rich.
Best for: Arapaho country.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Louis L'Amour: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Louis L'Amour. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For westerns, read Lonesome Dove. For history, try Undaunted Courage. For tales, pick True Grit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Louis L'Amour?
An American novelist (1908–1988).
How many books did he write?
More than 100.
Where do I start?
With Hondo.
Which book here is best for Arapaho country?
Try The Eagle Catcher by Margaret Coel, which suits readers looking for Arapaho country.
Which book here is best for frontier war?
Try Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D. Edmonds, which suits readers looking for frontier war.
Which book here is best for Western classics?
Try Shane by Jack Schaefer, which suits readers looking for Western classics.
Which book here is best for literary historical fiction?
Try Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, which suits readers looking for literary historical fiction.
Which book here is best for slow Pacific Northwest fiction?
Try The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin, which suits readers looking for slow Pacific Northwest fiction.
Which book here is best for readers who want the real story?
Try Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser, which suits readers looking for readers who want the real story.
Which book here is best for wilderness mysteries?
Try Open Season by C.J. Box, which suits readers looking for wilderness mysteries.