This is a list of some notable authors in the

western fiction Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...

genre. Note that some writers listed below have also written in other genres. __NOTOC__

A

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include '' Desert S ...

(1927–1989) * Andy Adams (1859–1935) *

Rudolfo Anaya Rudolfo Anaya (October 30, 1937June 28, 2020) was an American author. Noted for his 1972 novel ''Bless Me, Ultima'', Anaya was considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature. The themes and cultural references of ...

(1937–2020)

B

Todhunter Ballard Willis Todhunter Ballard (December 13, 1903 – December 27, 1980) was an American writer, known for his Westerns and mystery novels. Pseudonyms Ballard was a prolific pulp writer, most notably for the legendary mystery magazine '' Black Mask'' ...

(1903–1980) * S. Omar Barker (1894–1985) *

Rex Beach Rex Ellingwood Beach (September 1, 1877 – December 7, 1949) was an American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player. Early life Rex Beach was born in Atwood, Michigan, but moved to Tampa, Florida, with his family where his father ...

(1877–1949) *

James Warner Bellah James Warner Bellah (September 14, 1899 – September 22, 1976) was an American Western author from the 1930s to the 1950s. His pulp-fiction writings on cavalry and Indians were published in paperbacks or serialized in the '' Saturday Evenin ...

(1899–1976) *

Don Bendell Don Bendell (born January 8, 1947) is an American author, rancher, tracker, producer, director, actor, and a former Green Beret. He has published 29 books and assisted in exposing former Atlantic City Mayor Bob Levy's claims of serving as a Gr ...

(born 1947) * Tom W. Blackburn (1913–1992) *

William Blinn William Frederick Blinn (July 21, 1937 – October 22, 2020) was an American screenwriter and television producer. Life and career Blinn was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Clare Allen and Pearl Ariel (Schaeffer) Blinn. Blinn began his career i ...

(1937–2020) * Stephen Bly (1944–2011) *

Frank Bonham Frank Bonham (February 25, 1914 – December 16, 1988) was an author of Westerns and young adult novels. Bonham wrote 48 novels, as well as TV scripts. Bonham was born in Los Angeles. He was a UCLA The University of California, Los Ang ...

(1914–1988) * Allan R. Bosworth (1901–1986) * Peter Bowen (1945–2020) * B.M. Bower (1871–1940), (pseudonym of Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair) *

Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for '' The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Go ...

(1915–1978) *

Max Brand Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 – May 12, 1944) was an American writer known primarily for his Western (genre), Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. He (as Max Brand) also created the popular fictional character of young ...

(1892–1944), (pseudonym of Frederick Schiller Faust) * Lyle Brandt (1951–2021), (pseudonym of Michael Newton) * Peter Brandvold, (pseudonym, Frank Leslie) * Matt Braun (born 1932) * Dee Brown (1908–2002) *

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...

(1917–1993) * Walter Noble Burns (1866–1932)

C

* David Wynford Carnegie (1871–1900) * David F. Case (1937–2018) * Forrest Carter (1925–1979) *

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including '' O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and '' My Ántonia''. In 192 ...

(1873–1947) *

Robert W. Chambers Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895. Life Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, t ...

(Robert William Chambers) (1865–1933) * A.M. Chisholm (1871–1960) *

Walter van Tilburg Clark Walter Van Tilburg Clark (August 3, 1909 – November 10, 1971) was an American novelist, short story writer, and educator. He ranks as one of Nevada's most distinguished literary figures of the 20th century, and was the first inductee into the ' ...

(1909–1971) * Robbie Coburn (born 1994) * Walt Coburn (1889–1971) * Don Coldsmith (1926–2009) * Jackson Cole, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano) * Ralph Compton (1934–1999) * Robert J. Conley (1940–2014) * Will Cook (William Everett Cook) (1921–1964) *

Courtney Ryley Cooper Courtney Ryley Cooper (October 31, 1886 – September 29, 1940) was an American circus performer, publicist and writer. During his career he published over 30 books, many focusing on crime; J. Edgar Hoover considered him at one time "the be ...

(1886–1940) * James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) * Barry Cord, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano) * Ralph Cotton * William R. Cox (1901–1988) *

Bill Crider Bill Crider (July 28, 1941 – February 12, 2018) was an American author of crime fiction among other work. Biography He received a Master of Arts degree at the University of North Texas, in Denton. Later, he taught English at Howard Payne Unive ...

(1941–2018) * Elizabeth Crook (born 1959) *

William Everett Cook William Everett Cook (1921 – July 1964), was a western writer who used the pen names Will Cook, James Keene, Wade Everett and Frank Peace. Called "a master western storyteller,"Daniel Carlson (born 1963)

D

Sandra Dallas Sandra Dallas is an American author of fiction, young adult fiction novels, children's fiction books, and nonfiction books. Prior to her career as an independent author, she was a reporter and bureau chief for ''BusinessWeek'' magazine for the ...

* H. L. Davis (1894–1960) * J. Frank Dobie (1888–1964) * Gary Dobbs (born 1965) * Ivan Doig (1939–2015) * Harry Sinclair Drago

E

* J. T. Edson (1928–2014) * Edward S. Ellis (Edward Sylvester Ellis) (1840–1916) *

Louise Erdrich Louise Erdrich ( ; born Karen Louise Erdrich, June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian ...

* Loren D. Estleman (born 1952) * Wade Everett, (pseudonym of Will Cook, Giles A. Lutz)

F

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

(1885–1968) * Norman A. Fox (1911–1960) * Ron Franscell (born 1957)

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* Brian Garfield (1939–2018) *

Kathleen O'Neal Gear Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954) is an American archaeologist and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Spur Award for best historical novel of the west, and two Special Achievement Awards from the U.S. Dept. of the Int ...

(born 1954) * W. Michael Gear (born 1955) * George G. Gilman, (pseudonym of Terry Williams Harknett) (1936–2019) *

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Bandes dessinées, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseu ...

(1938–2012) *

Arthur Henry Gooden Arthur Henry Gooden (23 October 1879 – 22 July 1971) was an English screenwriter of the silent era. He wrote for 53 films between 1916 and 1937. He also wrote several western fiction novels about the American Old West. He was born in Engl ...

(1879–1971) *

Edward Gorman Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. (November 2, 1941 – October 14, 2016) was an American writer and short fiction anthologist. He published in almost every genre, but is best known for his work in the crime, mystery, western, and horror fields. His no ...

(1941–2016) *

Jackson Gregory Jackson Gregory (March 12, 1882 – June 12, 1943) was an American teacher, journalist, and writer. Biography Jackson was born in Salinas, California, the son of Monterey county attorney Durrell Stokes Gregory (1825 – 1889) and Amelia (Hartne ...

(1882–1943) * Dorien Grey *

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American fronti ...

(1872–1939) *

James J. Griffin James J. Griffin (born 1949) is an American author of traditional western and Texas Ranger novels. Some of his series include the ''Jim Blawcyzk Texas Ranger'' stories, ''Cody Havlicek'' novels, the ''A Ranger Named Rowdy'' series. and the ''Lon ...

(born 1949) * Jesse Edward Grinstead (1866–1948) * Fred Grove (1913–2008) *

Frank Gruber Frank Gruber (born February 2, 1904, Elmer, Minnesota, died December 9, 1969, Santa Monica, California) was an American writer. He was a writer of stories for pulp fiction magazines. He also wrote dozens of novels, mostly Westerns and detect ...

(1904–1969) * A.B. Guthrie, Jr. (1901–1991)

H

Derek Haas Derek Haas (born June 30, 1970) is an American writer and producer. Life and career Derek Haas attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he earned both his B.A. and M.A. in English Literature. He lives in Los Angeles, and has made a na ...

(born 1970) * Mel Hague *

William Wister Haines William Wister Haines (September 17, 1908 – November 18, 1989) was an American author, screenwriter, and playwright. His most notable work, ''Command Decision'', was published as a novel, play, and screenplay following World War II. Pers ...

(1908–1989) *

Oakley Hall Oakley Maxwell Hall (July 1, 1920 – May 12, 2008) was an American novelist. He was born in San Diego, California, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and served in the Marines during World War II. Some of his mysteries were ...

(1920–2008) *

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

(1836–1902) *

Kent Haruf Alan Kent Haruf (February 24, 1943 – November 30, 2014) was an American novelist. Life Haruf was born in Pueblo, Colorado, the son of a Methodist minister. In 1965 he graduated with a BA from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he would late ...

(1943–2014) *

Ernest Haycox Ernest James Haycox (October 1, 1899 – October 13, 1950) was an American writer of Western fiction. Biography Haycox was born in Portland, Oregon, to William James Haycox and the former Martha Burghardt on October 1, 1899.Corning, Howard M. (1 ...

(1899–1950) * Will Henry (Henry Wilson Allen) (1912–1991) *

Tony Hillerman Anthony Grove Hillerman (May 27, 1925 – October 26, 2008) was an American author of detective novels and nonfiction works, best known for his mystery novels featuring Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Several of his work ...

(1925–2008) *

Lee Hoffman Lee Hoffman, born Shirley Bell Hoffman, (August 14, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois – February 6, 2007 in Port Charlotte, Florida) was an American science fiction fan, an editor of early folk music fanzines, and an author of science fiction, Wester ...

(1932–2007) * Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) *

Clair Huffaker Clair Huffaker (September 26, 1926 – April 3, 1990) was an American screenwriter and author of westerns and other fiction, many of which were turned into films. Biography Born in Magna, Utah, Huffaker wrote of his childhood in ''One Time I ...

(1926–1990)

J

* Will James, (1892–1942) *

Dorothy M. Johnson Dorothy Marie Johnson (December 19, 1905 – November 11, 1984) was an American writer best known for her Western fiction. Biography Early life Dorothy Marie Johnson was born in McGregor, Iowa, the only daughter of Lester Eugene Johnson and Ma ...

(1905–1984) * Terry C. Johnston (1947–2001) * William W. Johnstone (1938–2004) * E.Z.C. Judson, (pseudonym of

Ned Buntline Edward Zane Carroll Judson Sr. (March 20, 1821 – July 16, 1886), known by his pseudonym Ned Buntline, was an American publisher, journalist, and writer. Early life and military service Judson was born on March 20, 1821, in Harpersfield, New Yo ...

)

K

* Jim Kane (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano) * Mike Kearby *

Elmer Kelton Elmer Stephen Kelton (April 29, 1926Kelton, Elmer (2007). - ''Sandhills Boy: The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer''. - New York, New York: Forge. - p.26. - . – August 22, 2009) was an American journalist and writer, known particularly for hi ...

(1926–2009) * Charles King (1844–1933)

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* Oliver La Farge (1901–1963) *

Louis L'Amour Louis Dearborn L'Amour (; né LaMoore; March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988) was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels (though he called his work "frontier stories"); however, he also wrote hi ...

(1908–1988) *

Marcial Lafuente Estefanía Marcial Lafuente Estefanía (; 1903-1984) was a prolific Spanish writer of romance and western fiction, widely considered as the leading voice of the latter genre in the Hispanic world. The most conservative sources estimate he wrote 2,600 books ...

(1903–1984), (his pen name, M.L. Estefanía, was later borrowed by his sons) * Joe R. Lansdale (born 1951) * Elmore Leonard (1925–2013) * Chuck Lewis (born 1936) * Tom Lin (born ) * Jake Logan (author) * Milton Lott (1919–1996) * Giles A. Lutz (1910–1982) *

Francis Lynde Francis Lynde (November 12, 1856 – May 16, 1930) was an American writer. Three of his books were adapted to film.Stan Lynde

M

Milo Manara Maurilio Manara (; born 12 September 1945), known professionally as Milo Manara, is an Italian comic book writer and artist. Career After architecture and painting studies, he made his comics debut in 1969 drawing for ''Genius'', a Fumetti neri ...

(born 1945) * Kat Martin *

Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fictio ...

(1926–2013) *

Karl May Karl Friedrich May ( , ; 25 February 1842 – 30 March 1912) was a German author. He is best known for his 19th century novels of fictitious travels and adventures, set in the American Old West with Winnetou and Old Shatterhand as main pro ...

(1842–1912) *

Ardath Mayhar Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar (February 20, 1930 – February 1, 2012) was an American writer and poet. Mayhar wrote over 60 books ranging from science fiction to horror to young adult to historical to westerns, Some of her novels appeared under ...

(1930–2012) *

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...

(born 1933) * Lucile Saunders McDonald (1898–1992) * Michael McGarrity (born 1939) *

Thomas McGuane Thomas Francis McGuane III (born December 11, 1939) is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American A ...

(born 1939) *

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

(1936–2021) *

Leonard Frank Meares Leonard Frank Meares (13 February 1921 – 4 February 1993) was an Australian writer of western fiction. He wrote over 700http://www.benbridges.co.uk/riders3.html LEONARD F MEARES – THE MAN THEY CALLED MARSHALL GROVER Westerns for the Australian ...

Joaquin Miller Cincinnatus Heine Miller (; September 8, 1837 – February 17, 1913), better known by his pen name Joaquin Miller (), was an American poet, author, and frontiersman. He is nicknamed the "Poet of the Sierras" after the Sierra Nevada, about which h ...

(1837–1913) * Lorin Morgan-Richards (born 1975) * Clarence Edward Mulford (1883–1956)

N

* John D. Nesbitt (born 1948) * Frederick Nolan (1931–2022) *

Frank Norris Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. (March 5, 1870 – October 25, 1902) was an American journalist and novelist during the Progressive Era, whose fiction was predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include '' McTeague: A Story of San ...

(1870–1902) *

Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...

(1912–2005) *

Nelson Nye Nelson Coral Nye (1907–1997) was an American writer, editor, and reviewer of Western fiction, and wrote non-fiction books on quarter horses. Besides Nelson C. Nye he also wrote fiction using the pseudonyms Clem Colt and Drake C. Denver. He wrote ...

(Nelson C.(Coral) Nye) (1907–1997)

O

Chad Oliver Symmes Chadwick Oliver (30 March 1928 – 9 August 1993) was an American anthropologist and science fiction and Western writer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a surgeon and his mother a nurse. When he was young he suffered from ...

(1928–1993) * T.V. Olsen (Theodore V. Olsen) (1932–1993) * Frank O'Rourke (1906–1989) * Wayne D. Overholser (1906–1996)

P

* Lauran Paine (1916–2001) * Robert B. Parker (1932–2010) * Lewis B. Patten (1915–1981) * Charles Portis (1933–2020) *

Bill Pronzini Bill Pronzini (born April 13, 1943) is an American writer of detective fiction. He is also an active anthologist, having compiled more than 100 collections, most of which focus on mystery, western, and science fiction short stories. Pronzini is ...

(born 1943) *

Annie Proulx Edna Ann Proulx (; born August 22, 1935) is an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. She has written most frequently as Annie Proulx but has also used the names E. Annie Proulx and E.A. Proulx. She won the PEN/Faulkner Award fo ...

(born 1935)

R

William MacLeod Raine William MacLeod Raine (June 22, 1871 – July 25, 1954), was a British-born American novelist who wrote fictional adventure stories about the American Old West. In 1959, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowb ...

(1871–1954) *

Robert J Randisi Robert Joseph Randisi (born August 24, 1951) is an American author, editor and screenwriter who writes in the detective and Western genres. Biography Randisi has authored more than 650 published books and has edited more than 30 anthologies of sh ...

(born 1951) *

James Reasoner James Reasoner (5 June 1953) is an American writer. He is the author of more than 350 novels and many short stories in a career spanning more than thirty years. Reasoner has used at least nineteen pseudonyms, in addition to his own name: Jim Austin ...

(born 1953) * John H. Reese (1910–1981), (pseudonyms Eddie Abbott, John Jo Carpenter, Camford Cheavly, Camford Sheaveley & Camford Sheavely (chron.)) * Conrad Richter (1890–1968) * Lucia St. Clair Robson (born 1942) * Dana Fuller Ross (born 1953) * Zola Helen Ross (1912–1989)

S

* Jeff Sadler (1943–2005), (pseudonym of Geoffrey Sadler; also wrote under the pen name Wes Calhoun). * M.H. Salmon (1945-2019) *

Jack Schaefer Jack Warner Schaefer (November 19, 1907 – 24 January 1991) was an American writer known for his Westerns. His best-known works are the 1949 novel ''Shane'', voted the greatest western novel, and the 1964 children's book ''Stubby Pringle's C ...

(1907–1991) *

Jon Sharpe Jon Sharpe (April 29, 1920 - November 3, 2004) was the original author of The Trailsman series of Western novels. The century series, which has run since the early 1980s, was created by author Jon Messmann, who wrote most of the first 200 books i ...

Luke Short Luke Lamar Short (January22, 1854September8, 1893) was an American Old West gunfighter, cowboy, U.S. Army scout, dispatch rider, gambler, boxing promoter, and saloon owner. He survived numerous gunfights, the most famous of which were agains ...

(1908–1975), (pseudonym of Frederick D. Glidden) *

Jack Slade Joseph Alfred "Jack" Slade, (January 22, 1831 – March 10, 1864), was a stagecoach and Pony Express superintendent, instrumental in the opening of the American West and the archetype of the Western gunslinger. Born in Carlyle, Illinois, he w ...

(publisher house name, pseudonym of Peter B. Germano and others) * Frank H. Spearman (1859–1937) * Kai Starr (born 1964) * John Steinbeck (1902–1968) *

Wallace Stegner Wallace Earle Stegner (February 18, 1909 – April 13, 1993) was an American novelist, short story writer, environmentalism, environmentalist, and historian, often called "The Dean of Western Writers". He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U. ...

(1909–1993) * Louis J. Stellman (1877–1961) *

Manning Lee Stokes Manning Lee Stokes (June 21, 1911 – January 5, 1976) was an American novelist who worked under a large number of pseudonyms. He specialized in pulp fiction, especially in the genres of mystery, detective fiction, westerns, sleaze, spy ficti ...

(1911–1976), writing as Ford Worth * Charles S. Strong * Gary Svee (1943–2019) *

Glendon Swarthout Glendon Fred Swarthout (April 8, 1918 – September 23, 1992) was an American writer and novelist. Several of his novels were made into films. ''Where the Boys Are'', and ''The Shootist'', which was John Wayne's last work, are probably the bes ...

(1918–1992)

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Robert Lewis Taylor Robert Lewis Taylor (September 24, 1912 – September 30, 1998) was an American writer and winner of the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Education Born in Carbondale, Illinois, Taylor attended Southern Illinois University for one year. The un ...

(1912–1998) * David Thompson *

Harlan Howard Thompson Harlan Howard Thompson (December 25, 1894 – October 9, 1987) was a writer of children's books. He was a member of P.E.N., and its international president from 1958–59, the Western Writers of America and other organizations. He wrote ''Pr ...

* Nye Tredgold * Clay Turner, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano) * Mark Twain (1835–1910)

V

* Robert Vaughan *

Gerald Vizenor Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and ...

, (born 1934)Alan R. Velie, "Vizenor, Gerald (Robert)" in Sadler, (1991), pp. 697-99.

W

* Dale L. Walker (1935–2015) * Charles Marquis Warren (1912–1990) * Larry Watson (writer) (born 1947) * Richard S. Wheeler (1935–2019) * Harry Whittington (1915–1989) * G. Clifton Wisler (1950–2006) *

Owen Wister Owen Wister (July 14, 1860 – July 21, 1938) was an American writer and historian, considered the "father" of western fiction. He is best remembered for writing '' The Virginian'' and a biography of Ulysses S. Grant. Biography Early life ...

(1860–1938) *

Richard Wormser Richard Edward Wormser (February 2, 1908 in New York City, New York – July, in Tumacaciori, Arizona) was an American writer of pulp fiction, detective fiction, screenplays, and Westerns, some of it written using the pseudonym of Ed Friend ...

(1908–1977)

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* S. Craig Zahler (born 1973)

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Notes

See also