This book was the inspiration for the Steve Dancy series. The inspiration didn't come from the main character of the novel, but from the life of Owen Wister, the author of this classic. Published in 1902, Wister visited the Old West in the late nineteenth century and wrote from personal experience.

Western Writers of America designated The Shootist as One of the Best Western Novels Ever Written. The book is harder edged than the film, which is excellent as well. (The Shootist was John Wayne's last movie and his best acting performance.)

Twain is not normally thrown in with Western authors, but he has a better claim than most – he actually lived it. Starting in the early 1860's, Twain traveled from Missouri to California and spent seven years in Virginia City during the Comstock Lode's rowdiest times. In Roughing It, Twain tells the stories of his Western adventures.

This memoir told by Wyatt Earp's commonlaw wife has recieved a lot of criticism for being self-serving and a bit free with the facts. If you already have a good grasp of the real Earp history, then this is a facinating read. Afterall, no one was closer to Wyatt Earp than Josephine.

Yep, a children's book. And a darn good one. If you want your daughter to grow up to be a cowgirl, you can't go wrong with this book. The first woman supreme court justice has not only written an engaging story about her childhood horse, but the illustrations by Dan Andreasen are exceptional.

Age of the Gunfighter provides a brief description of prominent figures of the Old West, but Amazon reviewers have found factual errors. I wouldn't rely on this book as an authoritavive source, but it's a useful survey source with great illustrations.

Max Brand wrote Western short stories for all the popular magazines of his day and it can be argued that these short stories, not the novels of the time, defined the genre.(Not all of Brand's stories in this collection are Westerns, but they're all good.)

All the Pretty Horses is a modern Western (1940s) and a great book about interracial love and recapturing the spirit of the West. The book won the National Book Award in 1992, but the 2001 movie was a bomb. If you like to study Hollywood miss-fires, rent it sometime.

John Wayne was an actor, not a cowboy, but I believe he was a true westerner. This book can be read in an hour, but begs rereading. The quotes are not lines from Wayne's movies; they're his comments in private life. They show Wayne to be quick-witted, a warm human being, and of a consistent character with the roles he played in the movies.

This is a well written and highly researched biography, with more than the normal number of photographs. The book is also true to its title, the story is not only about the life of Gene Autry, but also about his time.