A Big Ole Box of Paperback Westerns

[@Vangone-bu6vu]

My grandfather read Louis L’amour so they are very nostalgic for me. I love them.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

My grandfather read a lot of Louis L’amour also!

[@fehner27]

I've just started getting into westerns. I picked up at least 12 Louis L'amour. My wife's father passed away last year and she told me he was his favorite author. I feel happy to read L'amour and also that he meant alot to my wife's dad.

[@2025Mindfulness]

I grew up watching all the western TV shows and most movies and loved them but have never read a western book, will be joining you for your June on the Range so will remedy that. My Mom's favorite movie character was Hopalong Cassidy.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’ve read a LOT of westerns! And watched many, many western TV shows and movies. I’ll be doing videos on all that stuff in June. Thanks for joining us!

[@rolpaw4371]

Whaou, more than 40 authors of western novels , fantastic ! 🤠 ...

[@stevengentry9396]

That's quite a box of paperbacks. I've not read many westerns; an occasional Zane Grey and the odd Robert E. Howard story here and there. But that box looks like a lot of fun for the western fan, and I think this is the first video I've seen on BookTube devoted to that genre, which is always fun to see. Enjoy!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yeah, I’ve noticed that nobody really talks about westerns.

[@janicecuroso1042]

I really like Loren D. Estleman's westerns. He is a great writer.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

He is!

[@JeffMPalermo]

I just discovered L’Amour. He’s terrific!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

My grandfather read everything he wrote!

[@alexblue6991]

I liked the Edge cowboy books

[@DDB168]

This was GREAT !! I went down a massive wiki rabbit hole reading about some of these authors. T.V Olsen, Luke Short, Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey et al.....the TBR shelf will be groaning soon. I once had breakfast in Alameda - and got involved in some shoot outs, cow punching, cards, whisky, women, piano playing.....oh....I think I was day dreaming 🤣

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Alameda is a really dangerous place!

[@ffridiejr]

Nice selection. Elmore Leonard wrote some very good westerns. My favorite Louie Lamour is "Jubal"

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I still have to read Elmore Leonard’s westerns!

[@danielsweet858]

I was always amazed at how many folks ridiculed me for enjoying Westerns that had never read one themselves. 😆🤠

[@wburris2007]

My reading of westerns quickly faded out after I discovered science fiction around 1970. I have a box of Zane Grey hardbacks which were always around the house when I was a young fella. My father must have bought them in the 40s & 50s. Recently I got the Lonesome Dove series by Larry McMurtry, which I hope to read soon. I also picked up The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, which I read for English class in high school.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m very jealous of your Zane Grey hardbacks.

[@anthonycrumb5753]

British Western writer JT Edson was very popular with British seamen as were a lot of other western writers especially Lois Lamour and copies of these books were always found on British ships. They were notoriously popular with marine engineers as they fitted very nicely in the back pocket of coveralls, it gave them something to read on watch. One ship I sailed on was full of JT Edson fans and in the evening over a few beers we would endlessly discuss the words of wisdom of 'the master' in fact our little beer fueled soirees would have put to shame many an English Literature circle. Happy days. "Suddenly in a room full of big men Dusty Fogg was the biggest ...."

[@thebookishbryants]

To Tame a Land is one of my favorite Louis L'Amour novels! It is short but very action-packed and entertaining. The villain is very effective, and I wish they had made a film of it, but there is no way it would be done these days...for good reason. The Ferguson Rifle is a great novel as well! Wow! I love this box of books. Jealous! Scott.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I knew SOMEONE out there would be jealous! Thanks so much for watching!

[@jeremyfee]

"Save $$$" sounds great! I think we're going to need to add another day to the week for you to be able to read these books and post videos about them. :)

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Seriously!

[@arekkrolak6320]

I used to read hundreds of westerns, these days if I read 4 per year it is a lot already :)

[@DuncanMcCurdie]

Oh now I want to read more Westerns. I haven’t read many westerns despite being obsessed with the American West when I was a child and watching all the Western matinee movies. I read a Ray Hogan Shawn Starbuck novel this year which was really good but that was the first I’d read in a few years. I don’t really need to start reading another genre filled with prolific writers, but I’m gonna.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Great! I won’t be alone reading westerns then!

[@garylovisi357]

Mike, great fun video, love seeing all those western books. Wayne overholser is very good, so is ClaireHufficker, and I also like and read Ernest Haycox. Love Lamour’s Hondo, the book and John Wayne film. Fun stuff, thanks.

[@richardsonreads573]

Love the Fallon cover

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

It is a great cover!

[@PoiemaLee]

I haven't read many westerns, but I did enjoy True Grit. Oh, and Lonesome Dove, too. I hope you enjoy your box of books!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I will! Thanks so much for watching!

[@AnneEWilliamson]

I haven't read many western books, but I watched so many of the western movies from the 1940s and 50s. Like The Virginian had a TV show. Or Shane (great movie!). So many books!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Shane was great. My favorite western TV show was Have Gun, Will Travel

[@BrandonsBookshelf]

Man, i need to get into more westerns, Really all I have read is Lonesome Dove, Blood Meridian, and Butcher's Crossing!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

These books would seem like light reading after those!

[@DebMcDonald]

Wow. Those books would look great at The Lodge.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yes!

[@maestro7058]

Nice vid! One thing slipped my attention was there Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian in there too? That one was superb! Maybe not like a Western's Western, but holy crap what a mystery that book is!

[@rooftopvoodoo]

Super cool video I read Donald Ray Pollock's book The Heavenly Table a couple months back which is considered Southern gotic Cowboy noir Grit lit which was my first western book ever and Im 49 now it was very but it was very nostalgic as Me and my grandma used to watch Gunsmoke wild wild west and Lone Ranger in the 70s so I found a couple of old vintage old at thift store on is Shadow Mountain by Bliss Lomax 1948 Dell publishing and Son of a Wanted Man by Louis L'Amour 1984 Bantanm edition loving the old vintage books covers looking to get into more

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Ah, Gunsmoke! I watched a lot of that as a kid. I really look forward to Son of a Wanted Man.

[@mediumjohnsilver]

Total count of these westerns: 72 books containing 81 novels. If you can squeeze just one of these into your reading each month, you will be done sometime in 2028. Of course, I also face a huge stack of the unread. My current collection of novellas of The Shadow leaves me with 156 read, 122 to go, which will take me well beyond the year 2028.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

2028 sounds about right!

[@BookBlather]

Posse from Hell sounds like a genre mashup. I don’t know… I would think twice before reading Shower of Gold 😳

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Haaa!!! Oh man! So true!

[@anthonycrumb5753]

My brother and I were big fans (as were many other people) of the British Western writer JT EDSON who was extremley popular in the UK in the 1960s & 70s. John Thomas or JT as he was known was a postman from Melton Mobray in the UK (where the pork pies come from) who wrote over a hundred books, mainly all Westerns. His main heroes were 'the small' Texan Dusty Fogg - the fast gun or guns as he always wore two with his 'Floating Outfit' of Mark Counter - the Rangeland Hercules and the half Comanche rifle man and knife fighter The Ysabel Kid. All were Civil War veterans who fought for the Confereracy in the Texas Light Cavalry where Dusty Fogg was Cap'n Fogg at 17yrs old. These books gained quite a cult following, Ol' JT had a bit of a fetish for full bodied women with 'boyishly short cut blonde hair and 'girl fights ' in saloons, his character Calamity Jane was based on Doris Day, in fact the whole of JTs world was base on Western B movies, Dusty Fogg came from Audie Murphy. JT was once asked if he had ever visited the West and he replied he didn't need to as he had already seen it. His books also featured a lot of British characters in the West as well as endless technical details on period weapons, muzzle velocity and bullet weight and if a gun jammed why that particular gun was prone to jamming. JT was published by Corgi books in the UK where he had quite a cult following, I don't know who published him in the US, but his books are no longer in print, JT is no longer deemed 'politically correct' just because half naked women ripping each others clothes of in a saloon is just not the done thing any more partner. A real cult writet - Western or not.

[@revenantreads]

That’s a lot of Westerns! I still need to give that genre a try (I’ve only read True Grit).

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I have not read True Grit! I’m surprised at myself for that!

[@BartelsBookshelf]

That is indeed a lot of westerns! Like a lot of younger people, I haven't read a lot of westerns, but I love western movies and I've always been interested to explore more. I already own a couple classics, like Charles Portis's True Grit and Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, but I haven't read them. If you ever felt like making a video on some of your favorite western novels, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That is a good idea.

[@AndrewBuckleBookReviews]

Love price tags on books - don't seem to get a huge amount of westerns here in the UK ! Great video as ever. Just looked, most of the western books such as nameless breed seem to be only available from the US !!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

What? No westerns in the UK? Must just be an American….and occasionally an Italian thing.

[@AndrewBuckleBookReviews]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Did pick up some at the local market (Jack Slade, Eliot Long, T V Olsen) but westerns are rare to see here. Years ago, they were very popular but now it is mainly crime / romance / historical etc. Loved seeing all the books from the box !

[@Zozette27]

I rarely read westerns though one of my favourite novels (and movie) of all time is ‘Little Big Man’ by Thomas Berger. The only other westerns I have read in the last couple of decades are the ‘Holmes of the Range’ about two brother who decide they can become detectives after reading a Sherlock Holmes story. I do have ‘Lonesome Dove’ on my TBR list but it has been on my TBR for about 5 years.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I have not read Little Big Man yet! I should do that.

[@jobuckley2999]

Howdy. I have read tons of Westerns. The Virginian is excellent also Josey Wales. A fantastic Western for those who enjoy great writing and dialog is DOC by Mary Doria Russell. The book is excellent. The best Western writer? Larry McMurtry of course. Oh Valdez is Coming.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I will have to look for DOC!

[@Brad-cs9jy]

I’ve only read a few westerns so far but loved every one I’ve read. I recommend Cutler by John Benteen.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks!

[@jaecubed592]

I personally love Westerns they are my favorite genre. The nostalgia of my dad with his western book bent in half so he could read with one hand while he ate with the other. Did you buy all those in a lot or a few of them at a time? Just wondering what a box like that would run. $$$ Also did you ever start going thru them? Thanks for the video.

[@Shellyish]

Mike, just looking at those old western covers was so entertaining! Of course, your commentary was on point. Also, why is it that old men like westerns?

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Westerns were huge up until the early 1970s, when Science Fiction took over as the popular genre. So all those young people who liked westerns grew old and still liked westerns. Very few younger people pick them up.

[@mediumjohnsilver]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Of the TV westerns, Maverick is the one I most enjoy. It’s too bad there are not any novels written for that series. There are paperbacks for other shows such as The Man From UNCLE, I Spy, Secret Agent, Dr. Kildare… but none for Maverick. Alas.

[@CestKevvie]

Do you know if the Rifleman was a book? That was one of my mom's favorite tv shows.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

It wasn’t, I don’t think. Great show though!

[@BigPhilly15]

Did Michael ever do an Origin Story video? What does he do for a living? How did he get into book collecting? Always has good taste.

[@subauf]

"Stack of the Unread" is a self-explanatory horror title for all of us never-stop-reading-collectors! - greetings from Greece! i only have one western title, White Apache by Williams Forrest (a gold Medal) and i'm looking forward finding out more out on the wild (originals, not translated in greek), i mostly read scifi and horror, but latelly i went into an old-school crime (novel reading, not turning outlaw) kick!

[@Monsterblood]

So many westerns! I actually happen to be reading one at the moment, Shane by Jack Schaefer. I'm not very well versed in the genre, but I would definitely like to acquaint myself with it a bit more. I keep seeing Louis L'Amour's name pop up, what are some of his best books, if you know? Also, the Bodacious Kid? Legendary title. Lol.

[@JeffMPalermo]

For l’Amour try the quick and the dead. It was my first of his and I feel like it was really terrific read.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That was a good one!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

You can’t go wrong with the Sackett novels or Hondo. He did a bunch of good stuff though.

[@DuncanMcCurdie]

Clair Huffaker wrote The Cowboy and The Cossack which is set in Russia. Think it’s a bit of a cult classic because I keep hearing about it in segments about lesser known novels.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That sounds like an interesting book.

[@jamesfetcho6315]

Westerns are Cool...Some of David Gemmells writing reminds Me of some westerns by Louis L'Amour. I see that You got some of His books. 👍 Wow...You got a bunch of them. LoL Born 2 Trouble. LOL. Flint is a Great book👍😁👍 LoL. Loco ...did You set that up??? Hate Made the Bullets Fly...the Gunpowder had nothing 2 do with it. Lots of books. Great Haul, and Video 👍😁👍

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Loco! Ha! No that just happened to be the next book. I rarely prepare much of anything ahead of time. I just wing everything. Westerns are cool. Nobody talks about them much anymore.

[@jamesfetcho6315]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 I know. People should read more of them. Do You see any of the similarities of Louis L'Amour and David Gemmell???

[@barbaraboethling596]

Lotsa great western ideas in this video! It's a veritable western BONANZA. Haha...get it? Bonanza😁😁 Seriously, I love westerns. Why do they have to have such hokey titles though?!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

The hokey titles are part of the charm, I think.

[@WorkingManReads]

I didn't know The outlaw Josey Wales was a book. I loved the movie so I'm interested to see what you think about that one

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Yeah, that’s the first book I’m going to read from this box!

[@MsReadsAlot]

I only know Zane grey from watching MASH 😍 is Lonesome Dove considered a western? It is sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read it.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Lonesome Dove certainly is a western! How did Zane Grey end up on MASH?

[@mediumjohnsilver]

I vaguely remember that Zane Grey was Colonel Potter’s favorite reading material. Am I right about this, Sandy? Or am I thinking of another character?

[@nunyabidness4220]

.44 is really good. The Outlaw Josey Wales (Gone To Texas) is also great. Elmer Kelton is GOD -- every time I read one of his books I think "this is one of the best books I've ever read." The Time It Never Rained, The Day The Cowboys Quit, and Wagontongue are especially good... not shoot-'em-ups, but far more intelligent books. Ray Hogan is great, he'll never do ya wrong. Louis L'Amour's always good... he gets a bit formulaic, but it's a good formula, obviously. He sells a lot for a good reason. Flint's one of the best. Luke Short's prose puts me off a bit sometimes - he's very spare, even for a Western writer - but once I get into 'em they're usually good novels. Zane Grey is okay, but he's more romance than Western, oddly enough. Lots of description of the land but action is sparse. Oh my god, you got Posse From Hell! GREAT book. Clair Huffaker's hard to find nowdays and he's AMAZING. Especially Cowboy & The Cossack, on the short list of best books I ever read. Somebody needs to get him back into print. Wayne Overholser is also great. The Violent Land, especially, is amazing -- one of the best westerns ever. After I read that I went on a hunt for as much of his stuff as I could find, so be glad you got lots of those! I've tried reading a Nelson Nye book (Kelly) and it was the most bizarrely written thing... I've tried a half dozen times to get through it and no luck. He wanders all over the place and gets poetic and barely seems interested in telling the story. Anyway, good luck with him! Maybe I just got the worst book... Shane is a really good book. Surprised in a box that big there's no Lewis B. Patten. Patten is AMAZING. Never read a bad book by either of 'em. Patten, especially, is obsessive for me... every time I read one I want to go right to another one of his books. Anyway, Patten is one of the gods. I've been trying to find every one of his books I can.

[@AJ_Dunn]

Is this why you gave away two boxes of books recently? Have you ever read _All the Pretty Horses_ by Cormac McCarthy? Not old, but a good one. I believe it's part of a trilogy.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

People keep telling me to read that book.

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

That's a lot of westerns and some awkwardly placed price stickers. L is for Louis L'Amour... was my only vaguely Western prompt in the entirety of the alphabetic tags. Enjoy your reading, some are born to trouble and some are born to stately Vaughan Manor.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Or maybe both!

[@gerarddonohoe5806]

As a newbie to your channel I'm going to be very nosey and ask about the photo on your shelf.. It looks like 2 people dressed as cowboys.. Erm you perhaps?

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

That is a photo of myself and Justin from This Just In. It was in our younger days when we were outlaw gunfighters.

[@gerarddonohoe5806]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 wow😲.. Thanks I wasn't expecting a reply.. And I can now rest easy in my bed knowing exactly what that photo is.😊 Really enjoying the Channel, and thanks to both you and Steve Donohue I've now ordered my extra fancy special edition of the Lord of the rings..

[@fredflintstone1485]

Saw the movie and loved Destry Rides Again. But the book by Luke Short was terrible. Read other Luke Short books that were good though.