List of Western fiction authors
This is a list of some notable authors in the western fiction genre.
Note that some writers listed below have also written in other genres.
A
- Edward Abbey (1927–1989)
- Andy Adams (1859–1935)
- Rudolfo Anaya (1937–2020)
B
- 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)
- 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 (born 1932)
- Dee Brown (1908–2002)
- Anthony Burgess (1917–1993)
- Walter Noble Burns (1866–1932)
- Rory Black
C
- Benjamin Capps
- David Wynford Carnegie (1871–1900)
- David F. Case (1937–2018)
- Forrest Carter (1925–1979)
- Willa Cather (1873–1947)
- Robert W. Chambers (Robert William Chambers) (1865–1933)
- A.M. Chisholm (1871–1960)
- Matt Chisholm (1919–1983), (pseudonym of Peter C. Watts)
- 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)
- William Everett Cook (1921–1964)
D
- Sandra Dallas
- 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
- Loren D. Estleman (born 1952)
- Wade Everett, (pseudonym of Will Cook, Giles A. Lutz)
F
- Edna Ferber (1885–1968)
- Norman A. Fox (1911–1960)
- Ron Franscell (born 1957)
G
- Donald Gallinger
- 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
- Derek Haas (born 1970)
- Mel Hague
- William Wister Haines (1908–1989)
- Oakley Hall (1920–2008)
- 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)
J
- Cy James, (pseudonym of Peter C. Watts) (1919–1983)
- Will James, (1892–1942)
- Dorothy M. Johnson (1905–1984)
- Terry C. Johnston (1947–2001)
- William W. Johnstone (1938–2004)
- E.Z.C. Judson, (pseudonym of Ned Buntline)
K
- Jim Kane (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
- Mike Kearby
- Elmer Kelton (1926–2009)
- Charles King (1844–1933)
L
- 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 1936)
- 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
- Milo Manara (born 1945)
- Kat Martin
- Richard Matheson (1926–2013)
- Karl May (1842–1912)
- Ardath Mayhar (1930–2012)
- Cormac McCarthy (born 1933)
- Lucile Saunders McDonald (1898–1992)
- Michael McGarrity (born 1939)
- Thomas McGuane (born 1939)
- Larry McMurtry (1936–2021)
- Leonard Frank Meares
- Joaquin Miller (1837–1913)
- Lorin Morgan-Richards (born 1975)
- Clarence Edward Mulford (1883–1956)
N
- 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
- Chad Oliver (1928–1993)
- T.V. Olsen (Theodore V. Olsen) (1932–1993)
- Frank O'Rourke (1906–1989)
- Maggie Osborne
- 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 (born 1943)
- Annie Proulx (born 1935)
- C.J. Petit
R
- William MacLeod Raine (1871–1954)
- Robert J Randisi (born 1951)
- 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), (pseudonyms Mason MacRae, Timothy Hayes and James LeBur)
S
- Jeff Sadler (1943–2005), (pseudonym of Geoffrey Sadler; also wrote under the pen name Wes Calhoun).[2]
- Jack Schaefer (1907–1991)
- Jon Sharpe
- Gordon D.Shirreffs (1914–1996),
- 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
- Robert Lewis Taylor (1912–1998)
- David Thompson
- Harlan Howard Thompson
- Nye Tredgold
- Clay Turner, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
- Mark Twain (1835–1910)
V
- Robert Vaughan
- Gerald Vizenor, (born 1934)[3]
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)
- Jeanne Williams
- G. Clifton Wisler (1950–2006)
- Owen Wister (1860–1938)
- Richard Wormser (1908–1977)
Z
- S. Craig Zahler (born 1973)
Notes
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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).
- ^ Alan R. Velie, "Vizenor, Gerald (Robert)" in Sadler, (1991), pp. 697-99.