List of Western fiction authors

This is a list of some notable authors in the Western fiction genre.

Part of a series on

Westerns

* Media

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* Subgenres

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* Lists

* Lists of Western films
* List of Western fiction authors
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* Golden Boot Awards

* Terms

* Old West
* Cowboy culture
* Cowboy
* Gunfighter
* Outlaw
* Quick draw
* Saloon
* Manifest destiny

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

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Contents:

* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z

## A

[edit]

* Edward Abbey (1927–1989)
* Maria Dolores Acevedo (1932-1998)
* Andy Adams (1859–1934)
* William Lacey Amy (1877-1962)
* Rudolfo Anaya (1937–2020)

## B

[edit]

* Todhunter Ballard (1903–1980)
* S. Omar Barker (1894–1985)
* Rex Beach (1877–1949)
* James Warner Bellah (1899–1976)
* Don Bendell (born 1947)
* Tom W. Blackburn (1913–1992)
* James Carlos Blake (1943–2025)
* William Blinn (1937–2020)
* Stephen Bly (1944–2011)
* Frank Bonham (1914–1988)
* Allan R. Bosworth (1901–1986)
* Peter Bowen (1945–2020)
* B.M. Bower (1871–1940), (pseudonym of Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair)
* Leigh Brackett (1915–1978)
* Max Brand (1892–1944), (pseudonym of Frederick Schiller Faust)
* Lyle Brandt (1951–2021), (pseudonym of Michael Newton)
* Peter Brandvold, (pseudonym, Frank Leslie)
* Matt Braun (1932–2016)
* Dee Brown (1908–2002)
* Anthony Burgess (1917–1993)
* Walter Noble Burns (1866–1932)

## C

[edit]

* Daniel Carlson  (born 1963)
* David Wynford Carnegie (1871–1900)
* Forrest Carter (1925–1979)
* David F. Case (1937–2018)
* Frank Castle (1910-1994)
* Willa Cather (1873–1947)
* Robert W. Chambers (Robert William Chambers) (1865–1933)
* A.M. Chisholm (1871–1960)
* Walter van Tilburg Clark (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 (1886–1940)
* James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)
* Barry Cord, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
* Ralph Cotton
* William R. Cox (1901–1988)
* Bill Crider (1941–2018)
* Elizabeth Crook (born 1959)
* James Oliver Curwood (1878–1926)

## D

[edit]

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

## E

[edit]

* J. T. Edson (1928–2014)
* Edward S. Ellis (Edward Sylvester Ellis) (1840–1916)
* Louise Erdrich
* Loren D. Estleman (born 1952)
* Wade Everett, (pseudonym of Will Cook, Giles A. Lutz)

## F

[edit]

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

## G

[edit]

* Brian Garfield (1939–2018)
* Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954)
* W. Michael Gear (born 1955)
* George G. Gilman, (pseudonym of Terry Williams Harknett) (1936–2019)
* Jean Giraud (1938–2012)
* Arthur Henry Gooden (1879–1971)
* Edward Gorman (1941–2016)
* Jackson Gregory (1882–1943)
* Dorien Grey
* Zane Grey (1872–1939)
* James J. Griffin (born 1949)
* Jesse Edward Grinstead (1866–1948)
* Fred Grove (1913–2008)
* Frank Gruber (1904–1969)
* A.B. Guthrie, Jr. (1901–1991)

## H

[edit]

* Derek Haas (born 1970)
* Mel Hague
* William Wister Haines (1908–1989)
* Oakley Hall (1920–2008)
* Donald Hamilton (1916–2006)
* Ron Hansen (novelist) (born 1947)
* Bret Harte (1836–1902)
* Kent Haruf (1943–2014)
* Ernest Haycox (1899–1950)
* Will Henry (Henry Wilson Allen) (1912–1991)
* Tony Hillerman (1925–2008)
* Lee Hoffman (1932–2007)
* Robert E. Howard (1906–1936)
* Clair Huffaker (1926–1990)

## I

[edit]

* Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957)
* Washington Irving (1783–1859)

## J

[edit]

* Will James, (1892–1942)
* Paulette Jiles (1943–2025)
* Craig Johnson (born 1961)
* Dorothy M. Johnson (1905–1984)
* Terry C. Johnston (1947–2001)
* William W. Johnstone (1938–2004)
* E.Z.C. Judson, (pseudonym of Ned Buntline)

## K

[edit]

* Jim Kane (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
* Mike Kearby
* Elmer Kelton (1926–2009)
* Charles King (1844–1933)

## L

[edit]

* Oliver La Farge (1901–1963)
* Louis L'Amour (1908–1988)
* Marcial Lafuente Estefanía (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 1963)
* Tom Lin (born c. 1996)[1]
* Jake Logan (author)
* Milton Lott (1919–1996)
* Giles A. Lutz (1910–1982)
* Francis Lynde (1856–1930)
* Stan Lynde

## M

[edit]

* Milo Manara (born 1945)
* Kat Martin
* Richard Matheson (1926–2013)
* Karl May (1842–1912)
* Ardath Mayhar (1930–2012)
* Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023)
* Lucile Saunders McDonald (1898–1992)
* Michael McGarrity (born 1939)
* Thomas McGuane (born 1939)
* Larry McMurtry (1936–2021)
* Leonard Frank Meares
* Joaquin Miller (1837–1913)
* Balduin Möllhausen (1825–1905)
* Lorin Morgan-Richards (born 1975)
* Clarence Edward Mulford (1883–1956)

## N

[edit]

* John D. Nesbitt (born 1948)
* Frederick Nolan (1931–2022)
* Frank Norris (1870–1902)
* Andre Norton (1912–2005)
* Nelson Nye (Nelson C.(Coral) Nye) (1907–1997)

## O

[edit]

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

## P

[edit]

* Lauran Paine (1916–2001)
* Robert B. Parker (1932–2010)
* Lewis B. Patten (1915–1981)
* Charles Portis (1933–2020)
* Bill Pronzini (born 1943)
* Annie Proulx (born 1935)

## R

[edit]

* William MacLeod Raine (1871–1954)
* Robert J Randisi (1951–2024)
* James Reasoner (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)
* James L. Rubel (1894-1960)

## S

[edit]

* Jeff Sadler (1943–2005), (pseudonym of Geoffrey Sadler; also wrote under the pen name Wes Calhoun).[2]
* M.H. Salmon (1945-2019)
* Jack Schaefer (1907–1991)
* Charles Alden Seltzer (1875-1942)
* Jon Sharpe
* Luke Short (1908–1975), (pseudonym of Frederick D. Glidden)
* Jack Slade (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 (1909–1993)
* Louis J. Stellman (1877–1961)
* Manning Lee Stokes (1911–1976), writing as Ford Worth
* Charles S. Strong
* Gary Svee (1943–2019)
* Glendon Swarthout (1918–1992)

## T

[edit]

* Robert Lewis Taylor (1912–1998)
* David Thompson
* Harlan Howard Thompson
* Nye Tredgold
* Clay Turner, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
* Mark Twain (1835–1910)

## V

[edit]

* Robert Vaughan
* Gerald Vizenor, (born 1934)[3]

## W

[edit]

* 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 (1860–1938)
* Richard Wormser (1908–1977)

## Y

[edit]

* R.G. Yoho (born 1959)

## Z

[edit]

* S. Craig Zahler (born 1973)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Alter, Alexandra (May 31, 2021). "With a Chinese American Gunslinger, He's Challenging the Whiteness of Westerns". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
2. ^ B. J. Holmes, "Sadler, Jeff". Twentieth Century Western Writers, edited by Geoff Sadler. Chicago and London, St. James Press, 1991, ISBN 0-912289-98-8, (pp. 611–612).
3. ^ Alan R. Velie, "Vizenor, Gerald (Robert)" in Sadler, (1991), pp. 697-99.

## See also

[edit]

* Western fiction
* Western movie
* List of authors
* Western Writers of America
* Western lifestyle

*[c.]: circa