List of Western fiction authors

This is a list of some notable authors in the western fiction genre.

Note that some writers listed below have also written in other genres.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

A

• Edward Abbey (1927–1989)
• Andy Adams (1859–1934)
• William Lacey Amy (1877-1962)
• Rudolfo Anaya (1937–2020)

B

• Todhunter Ballard (1903–1980)
• S. Omar Barker (1894–1985)
• Rex Beach (1877–1949)
• James Warner Bellah (1899–1976)
• Don Bendell (born 1947)
• Tom W. Blackburn (1913–1992)
• James Carlos Blake (born 1947)
• William Blinn (1937–2020)
• Stephen Bly (1944–2011)
• Frank Bonham (1914–1988)
• Allan R. Bosworth (1901–1986)
• Peter Bowen (1945–2020)
• B.M. Bower (1871–1940), (pseudonym of Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair)
• Leigh Brackett (1915–1978)
• Max Brand (1892–1944), (pseudonym of Frederick Schiller Faust)
• Lyle Brandt (1951–2021), (pseudonym of Michael Newton)
• Peter Brandvold, (pseudonym, Frank Leslie)
• Matt Braun (born 1932)
• Dee Brown (1908–2002)
• Anthony Burgess (1917–1993)
• Walter Noble Burns (1866–1932)

C

• Daniel Carlson (born 1963)
• David Wynford Carnegie (1871–1900)
• Forrest Carter (1925–1979)
• David F. Case (1937–2018)
• Willa Cather (1873–1947)
• Robert W. Chambers (Robert William Chambers) (1865–1933)
• A.M. Chisholm (1871–1960)
• Walter van Tilburg Clark (1909–1971)
• Robbie Coburn (born 1994)
• Walt Coburn (1889–1971)
• Don Coldsmith (1926–2009)
• Jackson Cole, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
• Ralph Compton (1934–1999)
• Robert J. Conley (1940–2014)
• Will Cook (William Everett Cook) (1921–1964)
• Courtney Ryley Cooper (1886–1940)
• James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)
• Barry Cord, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
• Ralph Cotton
• William R. Cox (1901–1988)
• Bill Crider (1941–2018)
• Elizabeth Crook (born 1959)
• James Oliver Curwood (1878–1926)

D

• Sandra Dallas
• H. L. Davis (1894–1960)
• John Deacon
• J. Frank Dobie (1888–1964)
• Gary Dobbs (born 1965)
• Ivan Doig (1939–2015)
• Harry Sinclair Drago

E

• J. T. Edson (1928–2014)
• Edward S. Ellis (Edward Sylvester Ellis) (1840–1916)
• Louise Erdrich
• Loren D. Estleman (born 1952)
• Wade Everett, (pseudonym of Will Cook, Giles A. Lutz)

F

• Edna Ferber (1885–1968)
• Norman A. Fox (1911–1960)
• Ron Franscell (born 1957)

G

• Brian Garfield (1939–2018)
• Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954)
• W. Michael Gear (born 1955)
• George G. Gilman, (pseudonym of Terry Williams Harknett) (1936–2019)
• Jean Giraud (1938–2012)
• Arthur Henry Gooden (1879–1971)
• Edward Gorman (1941–2016)
• Jackson Gregory (1882–1943)
• Dorien Grey
• Zane Grey (1872–1939)
• James J. Griffin (born 1949)
• Jesse Edward Grinstead (1866–1948)
• Fred Grove (1913–2008)
• Frank Gruber (1904–1969)
• A.B. Guthrie, Jr. (1901–1991)

H

• Derek Haas (born 1970)
• Mel Hague
• William Wister Haines (1908–1989)
• Oakley Hall (1920–2008)
• Ron Hansen (novelist) (born 1947)
• Bret Harte (1836–1902)
• Kent Haruf (1943–2014)
• Ernest Haycox (1899–1950)
• Will Henry (Henry Wilson Allen) (1912–1991)
• Tony Hillerman (1925–2008)
• Lee Hoffman (1932–2007)
• Robert E. Howard (1906–1936)
• Clair Huffaker (1926–1990)

I

• Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957)
• Washington Irving (1783–1859)

J

• Will James, (1892–1942)
• Paulette Jiles (born 1943)
• Craig Johnson (born 1961)
• Dorothy M. Johnson (1905–1984)
• Terry C. Johnston (1947–2001)
• William W. Johnstone (1938–2004)
• E.Z.C. Judson, (pseudonym of Ned Buntline)

K

• Jim Kane (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
• Mike Kearby
• Elmer Kelton (1926–2009)
• Charles King (1844–1933)

L

• Oliver La Farge (1901–1963)
• Louis L'Amour (1908–1988)
• Marcial Lafuente Estefanía (1903–1984), (his pen name, M.L. Estefanía, was later borrowed by his sons)
• Joe R. Lansdale (born 1951)
• Elmore Leonard (1925–2013)
• Chuck Lewis (born 1936)
• Tom Lin (born c. 1996)
• Jake Logan (author)
• Milton Lott (1919–1996)
• Giles A. Lutz (1910–1982)
• Francis Lynde (1856–1930)
• Stan Lynde

M

• Milo Manara (born 1945)
• Kat Martin
• Richard Matheson (1926–2013)
• Karl May (1842–1912)
• Ardath Mayhar (1930–2012)
• Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023)
• Lucile Saunders McDonald (1898–1992)
• Michael McGarrity (born 1939)
• Thomas McGuane (born 1939)
• Larry McMurtry (1936–2021)
• Leonard Frank Meares
• Joaquin Miller (1837–1913)
• Balduin Möllhausen (1825–1905)
• Lorin Morgan-Richards (born 1975)
• Clarence Edward Mulford (1883–1956)

N

• John D. Nesbitt (born 1948)
• Frederick Nolan (1931–2022)
• Frank Norris (1870–1902)
• Andre Norton (1912–2005)
• Nelson Nye (Nelson C.(Coral) Nye) (1907–1997)

O

• Chad Oliver (1928–1993)
• T.V. Olsen (Theodore V. Olsen) (1932–1993)
• Frank O'Rourke (1906–1989)
• Wayne D. Overholser (1906–1996)
• Robert O'Hanlin (2003-2023)

P

• Lauran Paine (1916–2001)
• Robert B. Parker (1932–2010)
• Lewis B. Patten (1915–1981)
• Charles Portis (1933–2020)
• Bill Pronzini (born 1943)
• Annie Proulx (born 1935)

R

• William MacLeod Raine (1871–1954)
• Robert J Randisi (born 1951)
• James Reasoner (born 1953)
• John H. Reese (1910–1981), (pseudonyms Eddie Abbott, John Jo Carpenter, Camford Cheavly, Camford Sheaveley & Camford Sheavely (chron.))
• Conrad Richter (1890–1968)
• Lucia St. Clair Robson (born 1942)
• Dana Fuller Ross (born 1953)
• Zola Helen Ross (1912–1989)
• James L. Rubel (1894-1960)

S

• Jeff Sadler (1943–2005), (pseudonym of Geoffrey Sadler; also wrote under the pen name Wes Calhoun).
• M.H. Salmon (1945-2019)
• Jack Schaefer (1907–1991)
• Charles Alden Seltzer (1875-1942)
• Jon Sharpe
• Luke Short (1908–1975), (pseudonym of Frederick D. Glidden)
• Jack Slade (publisher house name, pseudonym of Peter B. Germano and others)
• Frank H. Spearman (1859–1937)
• Kai Starr (born 1964)
• John Steinbeck (1902–1968)
• Wallace Stegner (1909–1993)
• Louis J. Stellman (1877–1961)
• Manning Lee Stokes (1911–1976), writing as Ford Worth
• Charles S. Strong
• Gary Svee (1943–2019)
• Glendon Swarthout (1918–1992)

T

• Robert Lewis Taylor (1912–1998)
• David Thompson
• Harlan Howard Thompson
• Nye Tredgold
• Clay Turner, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
• Mark Twain (1835–1910)

V

• Robert Vaughan
• Gerald Vizenor, (born 1934)

W

• Dale L. Walker (1935–2015)
• Charles Marquis Warren (1912–1990)
• Larry Watson (writer) (born 1947)
• Richard S. Wheeler (1935–2019)
• Harry Whittington (1915–1989)
• G. Clifton Wisler (1950–2006)
• Owen Wister (1860–1938)
• Richard Wormser (1908–1977)

Z

• S. Craig Zahler (born 1973)

See also

• Western fiction
• Western movie
• List of authors
• Western Writers of America
• Western lifestyle