All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.
Texas, 1949. John Grady Cole, 16, is on the threshold of adulthood when his world turns upside down. His grandfather has died, and his mother has no desire to keep the 18,000 acre ranch, which is the only home and way of life John knows. He heads for Mexico with a friend and finds work on another ranch. But John falls for the owner's daughter and finds himself in jail. Border Trilogy, Book 1, Series Code BOR. Strong language and violence. Selected in 1993. RC 34043.

Arfive by A.B. Guthrie.
The new high school principal of Arfive, Montana, tries to impose his own high, sometimes puritanical, standards on teachers and students. A struggle ensues, in a maze of hostilities and misunderstandings. Western Saga, Book 5, Series Code AMW. Selected in 1971. RC 13743, BR 1473.

Blue Feather Fellini in the Sacred Realm by Max Evans.
Half Native American, half Italian Fellini is down on his luck and reminiscing about past adventures. His supposed spirit guide, Dancing Bear, seems to be a whirling devilish, rather than helpful presence. But things look up when Blue is asked to search for a million dollars' worth of 1880s wine. Strong language, some violence, and descriptions of sex. Selected in 1995. RC 39803.

Buffalo Girls by Larry MacMurtry.
It is the late 1800s, and Calamity Jane, now drunk most of the time, reminisces by writing letters to her daughter Janey. When Buffalo Bill Cody appears on the scene, he convinces her and other well known people to join him in forming his Wild West Show. They go off to Europe to perform, but when they return home, tragedy strikes, and Calamity Jane makes some startling confessions in her letters. Some strong language. Selected in 1991. RC 31992.

The Buffalo Runners by Fred Grove.
The slaughter of the buffalo was an ugly and dangerous business, but there was big money to be made. This story is about the ruthless men of the West who were attracted to this risky life. Selected in 1969. WOD 482.

Buffalo Woman by Dorothy M. Johnson.
This accurately researched historical novel follows the life of Whirlwind, an Oglala Sioux Indian woman, from 1820 through 1877. The story retells the decimation of the buffalo, the coming of white settlers to the Great Plains, and the wars that reduced Whirlwind’s people to raggedness. Selected in 1978. WOD 453.

Centennial by James A. Michener.
Deals with the American West, especially Colorado, from prehistory to the present. Based on historical fact, it is a novel of people involved in dramatic events and conflicts, from trading and settling to industrialization. Selected in 1975. RC 33480.

Chiricahua by Will Henry.
A vengeful Apache wolf pack, the desperate crew of a Concord coach, and an Apache scout for the United States Cavalry clash in a melee of destruction in Arizona Territory. Strong language. Selected in 1973. RC 10245.

The Contract Surgeon by Dan O’Brien.
Fictionalized account of the friendship between Dr. McGillycuddy and Sioux leader Crazy Horse. McGillycuddy, a private physician working under contract for the army, must decide whether to act as a doctor or a friend when the seriously wounded chief faces cruel imprisonment. Some violence and some strong language. Selected in 2000. RC 51305.

English Creek by Ivan Doig.
Young Jick MacCaskill comes of age in 1930s northern Montana. He remembers his older brother Alec’s rebellion against the family and his own adventures on a trek with his forest ranger father. Montana Trilogy, Book 1, Series Code MTT. Selected in 1985. RC 22316.

Fire on the Mountain by Edward Abbey.
Twelve-year-old Billy Starr spends a summer on his grandfather’s ranch in New Mexico while the old man struggles to resist governmental attempts to make his property an extension of the White Sands Missile Range. Selected in 1963. WOD 448.

The Gates of the Alamo by Stephen Harrigan.
Saga of the legendary mission in the Mexican territory called Texas in 1835-1836. Incorporates the fictional characters of Edmund MacGowan, a traveling botanist; widow Mary Mott, a San Antonio innkeeper; and her 16-year-old son Terrell, with historical personalities. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. Selected in 2001. RC 51379.

The Good Old Boys by Elmer Kelton.
Will easy-riding, old-time cowboy Hewey Calloway finally settle down? He realizes that a new era is coming to Texas in the early 1900s, but at age 38, he does not want to change with the times. Hewey Calloway, Book 1, Series Code CWY. Selected in 1979. RC 48505.

Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebe Hill.
Based on the author's immersion in the Lakotah culture and long, painstaking research, Hanta Yo describes the adventures and trials of two families of the Sioux tribe over three generations, from the 1700s to the 1830s, before the coming of the white man. Selected in 1980. RC 13481.

The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout.
The rigors of frontier life prove to be too much for a number of women attempting to settle in the West, and they go mad. Mary Lee Cuddy takes on the challenge of escorting four of these women back to Iowa. For help, she takes along John Briggs, whom she saved from lynching. They face various difficulties along the way. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Selected in 1989. RC 29819.

Journey of the Dead by Loren D. Estleman.
After killing Billy the Kid, Sheriff Pat Garrett suffers from nightmares and numerous failures that he attributes to Billy's ghost. Garrett rides into the desert and consults with an aged Spanish alchemist who is searching for treasure promised by his ancestors. Some violence and some descriptions of sex. Selected in 1999. RC 47714.

Little Big Man by Thomas Berger.
The memoirs of Jack Crab, a 111-year-old ex-cowboy who claims he is the only survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and many other characters of the Old West appear in this humorous, sometimes absurd re-creation of the West. Little Big Man series, book 1. Series code LBM. Selected in 1965. RC 32463.

The Man Who Rode Midnight by Elmer Kelton.
Seventy-year-old rancher Wes Hendricks is trying to fight off ruthless encroachment by the powers that be in the little town of Big River. Hendricks's ranch stands where the bigwigs want to create an artificial lake to generate tourism. He holds steadfast to his land, and an unexpected twist resolves the situation. Some strong language. Selected in 1988. RC 27406.

The Master Executioner by Loren D. Estleman.
Idaho, 1897. Oscar Stone is a professional hangman traveling throughout the West practicing his craft. He prides himself in performing his task efficiently, causing condemned persons minimal pain. Then Stone learns a terrible truth from an encounter with his former wife. Selected in 2002. RC 55287.

The Mercy Seat by Rilla Askew.
In February 1887, the Lodi brothers leave Kentucky and head west. They carry with them their families, their belongings, and an ancient tragedy that will play itself out in the mountains of Oklahoma. The story is told by ten-year-old Mattie, who, following her mother's death, attempts to hold her disintegrating family together. Some strong language and some violence. Selected in 1998. RC 46204.

Moon of Bitter Cold by Frederick J. Chiaventone.
A novelization of the frontier conflict known as Red Cloud's War (1866-1868). Red Cloud--a controversial figure in Lakota history, watches as settlers and soldiers flood the West. To drive them back the warrior forges an alliance between the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and his own people, an unprecedented act of resistance. Some violence. Selected in 2003. RC 59067.

Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher.
A fur trapper in the Rocky Mountains during the 1830s befriends a woman whose children have been slaughtered by Indians. When his wife and unborn child are killed, the trapper declares a one-man war against the tribe. Some violence. Selected in 1966. RC 44306.

North to Yesterday by Robert Flynn.
For years, a storekeeper has listened to tales about cattle drives and longed to lead his own. Following his wife's death, he takes his son Jamie, who is more interested in the new railroads than cattle, gathers up a motley crew of men and a herd of longhorns, and heads for the Kansas cattle yards, unaware that they have been closed for years. Along the way, they pick up a young girl named Covina and her illegitimate baby. Selected in 1968. RC 47610.

Out of Eden by Kate Lehrer.
Lydia Fulgate, an American widow visiting Paris in 1880, discovers that she has much in common with Charlotte Duret, a Frenchwoman who has been disinherited by her family. The two boldly resolve to combine their resources and seek the freedom of a new life on the Kansas prairie. Unprepared for the hazards of farm life, the women face troubling truths concerning their most cherished beliefs and desires. Descriptions of sex. Selected in 1997. WOD 452.

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver.
The new family formed by Taylor Greer and her adopted child Turtle is threatened when an act of heroism by Turtle puts them on Oprah Winfrey's show. Cherokee attorney Annawake Fourkiller recognizes Turtle and questions the legality of the adoption. Taylor and Turtle go on the lam and Taylor's mother invades the Cherokee Nation to defend them. Taylor Greer series, book 2. Series code TAG. Sequel to The Bean Trees (RC 27589, BR 9389). Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. Selected in 1994. RC 35911, BR 9239.

Pike’s Peak by Frank Waters.
The story of Joseph Rogier who comes to Colorado during the silver boom in Colorado Springs in the 1870s. He becomes a successful contractor and builder who helps raise a little mountain town into the Saratoga of the West. He rears a large family and scoffs at the “alfalfa miners” chasing silver strikes everywhere. But with the discovery of gold at nearby Cripple Creek, Rogier is shaken and methodically squanders his prosperous business and all his property. Selected in 1972. WOD 462.

Set for Life by Judith Freeman.
A family tragedy leaves retired carpenter Phil Doucet "set for life" with a newly transplanted heart, but wracked with emotional pain. When he encounters defensive 16-year-old Louise Matthews, who is on the run from her neo Nazi parents, both he and the girl are given the opportunity to love again. Some violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Selected in 1992. RC 34760.

A Sweetness to the Soul by Jane Kirkpatrick.
Historical characters and facts are intertwined with the story of Jane Herbert, a young pioneer girl in Oregon. Oregon series, Book 1, Series Code ORE. Selected in 1996. WOD 466.

The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton.
A cantankerous, independent-minded Texan, Charlie Flagg, fights to save his medium-sized ranch in Rio Seco during a drought. His problems are compounded by ineffectual federal aid programs and difficulties with Mexican ranch workers. Some strong language. Selected in 1974. RC 49217.

The White Man’s Road by Benjamin Capps.
A young Comanche, who knows the humiliation of living in defeat on an Oklahoma reservation, seeks success and meaning in life. Among other experiences, his searching leads him to steal horses from a cavalry encampment. Selected in 1970. WOD 460, BR 1155.