The Wild West of Louis L'Amour: An Illustrated Companion to the Frontier Fiction of an American Icon

Heroes, adventure, history and trouble - discover it all through the eyes and pen of Louis L'Amour. At the time of his death in 1988, all of Louis L'Amour's 100 novels and short-story collections remained in print, a testament to the popularity of a prolific writer best known for his fast-paced tales of the American West. The Wild West of Louis L'Amour is a richly illustrated, sumptuous book commemorating one of America's most beloved and successful authors and the landscapes, characters, and violent times he portrayed. Author Tim Champlin (himself a writer of Western historical fiction) uncovers all of the secrets of L'Amour's themes and characters - geography of the West, lone heroes, gunfighters, mining and ranching, women, Native Americans, food, and transportation. The frontier regions, towns, and events that featured in L'Amour's writing, as well as the real folks on whom his characters were based, come to life through thoroughly researched illustrations. The collection of more than 200 images includes maps, period photos and daguerreotypes, period illustrations, paintings of the regions discussed, modern photography of towns and countryside, and cover art from L'Amour's books and the pulp magazines in which he was published before he became a best-selling author. For the true L'Amour fan, The Wild West of Louis L'Amour is also a complete history of his colorful early life as a cowboy, lumberjack, longshoreman, prizefighter, merchant seaman, and army officer. No L'Amour fan will want to skip this comprehensive, beautiful look at the writer, the man, and the world in which he set his tales.