About
Elmer Kelton
Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was an American author renowned for his prolific contributions to Western literature. Born in Crane, Texas, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II before pursuing a career in journalism and writing. Kelton published over 30 novels, including classics such as "The Buffalo Soldiers," "The Good Old Boys," and "The Time It Never Rained." His works captured the essence of the American West, depicting the lives of cowboys, pioneers, and settlers with authenticity and humor. Kelton's exceptional storytelling earned him numerous accolades, including the Golden Spur Award for Western Literature, the Owen Wister Award for Excellence in Western Writing, and the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. His novels have been translated into multiple languages and continue to be widely read and enjoyed by readers worldwide.
Book Series by Elmer Kelton
Tales of Texas Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Captain's Rangers | 1968 | Buy on Amazon |
| Joe Pepper | 1975 | Buy on Amazon |
| Long Way to Texas | 1976 | Buy on Amazon |
Texas Tradition Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Day the Cowboys Quit | 1971 | Buy on Amazon |
| Wagontongue | 1972 | Buy on Amazon |
| Manhunters | 1974 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Wolf and the Buffalo | 1980 | Buy on Amazon |
| Stand Proud | 1984 | Buy on Amazon |
| Dark Thicket | 1985 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Man Who Rode Midnight | 1987 | Buy on Amazon |
| Honor at Daybreak | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
Sons of Texas Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Sons of Texas | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Raiders | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Rebels | 1989 | Buy on Amazon |
Hewey Calloway Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Good Old Boys | 1982 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Smiling Country | 1998 | Buy on Amazon |
| Six Bits a Day | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Unlikely Lawman ( By: Steve Kelton) | 2022 | Buy on Amazon |
Texas Rangers Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| The Buckskin Line | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| Badger Boy | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Way of the Coyote | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ranger's Trail | 2002 | Buy on Amazon |
| Texas Vendetta | 2004 | Buy on Amazon |
| Jericho's Road | 2004 | Buy on Amazon |
| Hard Trail To Follow | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Other Men's Horses | 2009 | Buy on Amazon |
| Texas Standoff | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
Buckalew Family Series
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Massacre at Goliad | 1965 | Buy on Amazon |
| After the Bugles | 1967 | Buy on Amazon |
Elmer Kelton Other Novels
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Iron | 1956 | Buy on Amazon |
| Buffalo Wagons | 1957 | Buy on Amazon |
| Bitter Trail | 1959 | Buy on Amazon |
| Texas Rifles | 1960 | Buy on Amazon |
| Donovan | 1961 | Buy on Amazon |
| Pecos Crossing | 1963 | Buy on Amazon |
| Horsehead Crossing | 1963 | Buy on Amazon |
| Savage Guns ( With: Brian Garfield, Alex Hawk) | 1968 | Buy on Amazon |
| Shotgun Settlement ( With: Brian Garfield, Alex Hawk) | 1969 | Buy on Amazon |
| Bowie's Mine | 1971 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Time It Never Rained | 1973 | Buy on Amazon |
| Barbed Wire | 1980 | Buy on Amazon |
| Eyes of the Hawk | 1981 | Buy on Amazon |
| Llano River | 1982 | Buy on Amazon |
| Shadow of a Star | 1984 | Buy on Amazon |
| Hanging Judge | 1988 | Buy on Amazon |
| Slaughter | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Best Christmas (Short Story) | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Indian in Frontier News | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Far Canyon | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Pumpkin Rollers | 1996 | Buy on Amazon |
| Cloudy in the West | 1997 | Buy on Amazon |
| Christmas at the Ranch (Short Story) | 2003 | Buy on Amazon |
| Shotgun | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| Many a River | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
Elmer Kelton Short Story Collections
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| There's Always Another Chance, and Other Stories | 1986 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Big Brand | 1986 | Buy on Amazon |
| Legend | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| ReadWest | 2011 | Buy on Amazon |
| Wild West | 2017 | Buy on Amazon |
| Hard Ride | 2018 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Cowboy Way | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
| Law of the Land | 2021 | Buy on Amazon |
Elmer Kelton Non-Fiction Books
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Looking Back West: Selections form the Pioneer News-Observer | 1972 | Buy on Amazon |
| Permian: A Continuing Saga (Short Story) | 1985 | Buy on Amazon |
| Elmer Kelton: 30 Years of Western Fiction | 1985 | Buy on Amazon |
| Living and Writing in West Texas: Two Speeches | 1990 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Art of Howard Terpning | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Art of Frank C. McCarthy | 1992 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Art of James Bama | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| Elmer Kelton Country: The Short Nonfiction of a Texas Novelist | 1993 | Buy on Amazon |
| My Kind of Heroes: Selected Speeches (Short Story) | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| Texas (Short Story) | 1995 | Buy on Amazon |
| Texas Cattle Barons: Their Families, Land and Legacy | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| Prairie Gothic ( By: John R. Erickson) | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| Sandhills Boy: The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| Tom Lovell: Storyteller with a Brush (Short Story) | 2020 | Buy on Amazon |
Elmer Kelton Anthologies
| Title | Published | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Horsing Around | 1991 | Buy on Amazon |
| New Trails: Twenty-Three Original Stories | 1994 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Best of the American West II | 1999 | Buy on Amazon |
| A Century of Great Western Stories | 2001 | Buy on Amazon |
| Lone Star Law | 2005 | Buy on Amazon |
| Noah’s Ride | 2006 | Buy on Amazon |
| Lost Trails | 2007 | Buy on Amazon |
| The Way of the West | 2008 | Buy on Amazon |
| Law of the Gun | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
| Ghost Towns | 2010 | Buy on Amazon |
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