Elmer Kelton Reading Order

10 books (1991–2010)

Elmer Kelton's Anthologies series comprises ten complete collections of Western and frontier-themed stories published between 1991 and 2010. These compilations should be read in publication order, beginning with Horsing Around and concluding with Law of the Gun. The series gathers original and classic tales that explore various aspects of Western life and history, making it an ideal resource for readers interested in the genre's diverse storytelling traditions.

Start with Horsing Around, the first of 10 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Horsing Around 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	New Trails: Twenty-Three Original Stories 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Best of the American West II 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A Century of Great Western Stories 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Lone Star Law 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Noah’s Ride 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Lost Trails 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Way of the West 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Ghost Towns 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Law of the Gun 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1965–1967)

Elmer Kelton's Buckalew Family series consists of two complete Western novels published in the mid-1960s. The two books, Massacre at Goliad and After the Bugles, should be read in publication order to follow the family's story across these works. This finished series spans from 1965 to 1967 and represents Kelton's exploration of the Western genre during a prolific period in his writing career.

Start with Massacre at Goliad and read in order.

#	Title
1	Massacre at Goliad 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	After the Bugles 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1982–2024)

The Hewey Calloway series consists of four books following a cowboy protagonist through the American West. Published between 1982 and 2022, the series begins with Elmer Kelton's The Good Old Boys and continues with The Smiling Country and Six Bits a Day, before concluding with The Unlikely Lawman, which was completed by Steve Kelton. These books should be read in publication order to follow the character's journey across decades of Western history. The series appears to be complete, though later entries were finished by the author's son after Kelton's death.

Start with The Good Old Boys, the first of 4 books in the Hewey Calloway series.

#	Title
1	The Good Old Boys 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Smiling Country 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Six Bits a Day 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Unlikely Lawman(By: Steve Kelton) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Familiar Stranger(By: Steve Kelton) 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

14 books (1972–2020)

Elmer Kelton's non-fiction series comprises 14 books published between 1972 and 2020, exploring Western history, Texas culture, and the craft of writing and art. The series includes collections of Kelton's own essays and speeches alongside studies of Western artists and a memoir of his life as a Texas writer. All entries should be read in publication order, beginning with Looking Back West: Selections from the Pioneer News-Observer. The series is now complete.

Start with Looking Back West: Selections form the Pioneer News-Observer, the first of 14 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Looking Back West: Selections form the Pioneer News-Observer 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Elmer Kelton: 30 Years of Western Fiction 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Permian: A Continuing Saga 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Living and Writing in West Texas: Two Speeches 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Art of Frank C. McCarthy 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Art of Howard Terpning 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Elmer Kelton Country: The Short Nonfiction of a Texas Novelist 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Art of James Bama 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	My Kind of Heroes: Selected Speeches 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Texas 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Texas Cattle Barons: Their Families, Land and Legacy 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Prairie Gothic(By: John R. Erickson) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Sandhills Boy: The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Tom Lovell: Storyteller with a Brush 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (1986–2021)

Elmer Kelton's Short Story Collections series spans eight volumes of Western fiction published between 1986 and 2021, beginning with The Big Brand and concluding with Law of the Land. These standalone story collections should be read in publication order to experience Kelton's body of work chronologically. The series appears to be complete, offering readers a comprehensive selection of the prolific Western author's shorter works across multiple decades.

Start with The Big Brand, the first of 8 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	The Big Brand 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	There's Always Another Chance, and Other Stories 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Legend 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	ReadWest 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Wild West 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Hard Ride 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Cowboy Way 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Law of the Land 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1989–1989)

Elmer Kelton's Sons of Texas trilogy, published in 1989, follows a complete narrative arc across three interconnected novels. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Sons of Texas, followed by The Raiders and concluding with The Rebels. This Western saga spans multiple generations and explores themes central to Kelton's celebrated work in the genre.

Start with Sons of Texas and read in order.

#	Title
1	Sons of Texas 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Raiders 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Rebels 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

26 books (1956–2008)

Elmer Kelton's collection of 25 standalone western novels spans from 1956 to 2008, with each book telling a complete story independent of the others. Though not interconnected, these works are best experienced in publication order beginning with Hot Iron to appreciate the author's evolving style and themes across five decades. The series is now complete and encompasses Kelton's full contribution to the western genre, including titles such as The Time It Never Rained, Barbed Wire, and Eyes of the Hawk, several of which were co-written with other authors in his later years.

Start with Hot Iron, the first of 25 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Hot Iron 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Buffalo Wagons 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Bitter Trail 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Texas Rifles 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Donovan 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Horsehead Crossing 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Pecos Crossing 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Ruthless Return(By: Alex Hawk) 1968Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Savage Guns(With: Brian Garfield,Alex Hawk) 1968Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Shotgun Settlement(With: Brian Garfield,Alex Hawk) 1969Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Bowie's Mine 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Time It Never Rained 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Barbed Wire 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Eyes of the Hawk 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Llano River 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Shadow of a Star 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Hanging Judge 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Slaughter 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	The Best Christmas 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Indian in Frontier News 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Far Canyon 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	The Pumpkin Rollers 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Cloudy in the West 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Christmas at the Ranch 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Shotgun 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Many a River 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1968–1976)

Elmer Kelton's Tales of Texas is a complete three-book western series consisting of Captain's Rangers, Joe Pepper, and Long Way to Texas, published between 1968 and 1976. These books should be read in publication order to fully appreciate Kelton's exploration of Texas history and frontier life. The series combines historical western settings with compelling character narratives that reflect the author's deep knowledge of the region and its people.

Start with Captain's Rangers and read in order.

#	Title
1	Captain's Rangers 1968Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Joe Pepper 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Long Way to Texas 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

9 books (1999–2010)

Elmer Kelton's Texas Rangers series spans nine complete novels published between 1999 and 2010, following the stories of frontier lawmen across multiple generations. These interconnected Western novels should be read in publication order, beginning with The Buckskin Line and continuing through Texas Standoff. The series combines historical detail with fictional narrative to explore the lives and challenges of rangers during pivotal moments in Texas history. Each book builds upon the previous entries, creating a comprehensive portrait of law enforcement and frontier life in the American West.

Start with The Buckskin Line, the first of 9 books in the Texas Rangers series.

#	Title
1	The Buckskin Line 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Badger Boy 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Way of the Coyote 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Ranger's Trail 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Jericho's Road 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Texas Vendetta 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Hard Trail To Follow 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Other Men's Horses 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Texas Standoff 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (1971–1991)

The Texas Tradition series comprises eight complete western novels by Elmer Kelton published between 1971 and 1991. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Day the Cowboys Quit and continuing through Wagontongue, Manhunters, The Wolf and the Buffalo, Stand Proud, Dark Thicket, The Man Who Rode Midnight, and concluding with Honor at Daybreak. The series explores the history and culture of Texas through interconnected narratives spanning the settlement and development of the American West.

Start with The Day the Cowboys Quit, the first of 8 books in the Texas Tradition series.

#	Title
1	The Day the Cowboys Quit 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Wagontongue 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Manhunters 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Wolf and the Buffalo 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Stand Proud 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Dark Thicket 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Man Who Rode Midnight 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Honor at Daybreak 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible