Westerns!! A Unique American Genre of Novels

Westerns, by definition, are set in the Western United States with the era beginning with the start of the US Civil War in 1860. Western fiction got its start in the "penny dreadfuls" and later the "dime novels" that were first published in the mid-nineteenth century. These cheap books were published to capitalise on the many fanciful yet supposedly true stories that were being told about the mountain men, cowboys, outlaws, ranchers, settlers and lawmen taming the western frontier. The Western depicts a society organized around codes of honor, rather than the law.


I grew up reading westerns, initially because my dad read them and I wanted to emulate him. After all, if he read them, I wanted him to admire me for reading the same. Trouble was, I enjoyed them more than he did and he often borrowed my books instead. I read such authors as Luke Short, Ernest Haycock, Zane Gray, Max Brand, Louis L'Amour, Nelson Nye, and so many others. I still prefer the "old fashioned" westerns - heros who triumphed over the bad guys and won the girl - or was it the horse? Hmmm, well any how, you can find some on our ebay site at KC's Kozy Korner that may interest you.

The Ogallala Trail - a Ralph Compton novel by Dusty Richards - An ailing rancher in Frio Springs is banking on Sam Ketchum to drive his cattle to the rich markets in Nebraska. Sure, there's no one more reliable. But ghosts from his last drive still haunt him, and the road north has only become tougher. Comanches and cattle thieves lie hidden in the brush, poised to ambush, and notorious gunslingers lurk in every town along the way.

Navarro - a Ralph Compton novel by Peter Brandvold - Hardened ex-gunslinger Tommy Navarro turned away Karla Vannorsdell, a rancher's granddaughter, when she needed him most. Now, angry and full of guilt, Navarro must track down Karla in the desert before the Apaches catch her, which won't be easy. And all that's certain is that things are going to get very rough...and very bloody.

Vengeance Rider - a Ralph Compton novel by Joseph A. West - Buck Fletcher plans to ride his horse for a $10,000 prize, money he needs to send his sick daughter to a farway clinic. Then some outlaws steal his steed...and with it, his sick daughter's last hope. Though it's been ten years since Buck slapped leather and traded lead with the badmen of the frontier, he's quick to fasten on his gun belt again for the chase.

Nowhere, TX - a Ralph Compton novel by David Robbins - It's a small town that sits on the border of Texas and the Oklahoma Territory. It's a haven for cutthroats and thieves who are on the run and looking to raise some hell. It's a hideaway where outlaws believe the law has no jurisdiction...and justice has no voice. But the citizens who've suffered under the bootheels of these desperados have had enough. Their unwanted guests have overstayed their welcome. Now it's time to put Nowhere, Texas, on the map.

The Old Spanish Trail by Ralph Compton - The only riches Texans had left after the Civil War were five million maverick longhorns and the brains, brawn, and boldness to drive them north to where the money was. For the ranchers riding with Rand Hayes, things had gone from bad to worse. The Santa Fe man who'd contracted for five thousand head of cattle had been murdered. Now the Texans had a herd of longhorns and only one choice: cross two mountain ranges and the Mojave desert to the gold-fevered market at Los Angeles.