A Collection of Western Stories - Mistakes Can Kill You

I have always been a fan of Louis L'Amour. I have read and reread many of his books. His books are well researched and give vivid descriptions the landscapes, conditions, animals, and the people in that era. Great reads.

I have searched the web, book stores and garage sales since I discovered L'Amour in 1986 ("Last of the Breed"). Thought I had found all of his work and quit looking a couple of years ago. It was a great surprise when I saw the offer for this collection. I assumed that I already owned all of these stories, but decided to buy them just in case. I was pleasantly surprised after I read the first and realized I had never read it. I continued to be amazed to the end when I found that I had previously read only one of the 9 stories, and every one was excellent. I even enjoyed re-reading the one I had previously read.

I have searched the web, book stores and garage sales since I discovered L'Amour in 1986 ("Last of the Breed"). Thought I had found all of his work and quit looking a couple of years ago. It was a great surprise when I saw the offer for this collection. I assumed that I already owned all of these stories, but decided to buy them just in case. I was pleasantly surprised after I read the first and realized I had never read it. I continued to be amazed to the end when I found that I had previously read only one of the 9 stories, and every one was excellent. I even enjoyed re-reading the one I had previously read.

It's hard to say I don't like a Louis L'Amour western but this one is so trite and hackneyed it begs to be deleted. This must have been early in his career and never got published until after his death. I can't imagine Louis approving of this level of work..

Louis L'Amour is my favorite writer of Westerns (both novels and short stories). He was quite prolific and knew how to tell engaging and usually exciting stories that honestly and vividly portray the people and places of a bygone American West. Above all, his simple but evocative depictions "ring true." But...

Louis L'Amour failed to retain copyright of his earliest magazine stories and novelettes (often written under pseudonyms like "Jim Mayo"), and as a result, they entered the public domain. They may be, have been, and still are reprinted royalty-free by any publisher who chooses to do so. Thus, certain of these early tales frequently appear re-packaged in anthologies such as this one (under any title the bundler makes up). That's one reason why some of these oft-reprinted stories seem like "repeats." They ARE.

Another reason is that, when L'Amour realized his mistake, and the threat to his economic livelihood, he REWROTE those many stories (this time under his own, now recognizable, name). Doing so, he frequently expanded his early short stories and converted some of them (as well as his magazine novelettes) into full-length novels, sometimes keeping the original titles, but usually changing them. From a legal perspective, the changes he made (whether few or many) resulted in "new" works over which he retained full copyright control, and for which, in AUTHORIZED editions, he received the royalties due him. During his lifetime, he maintained strict control of those authorized works, and his estate continues to do so.

Thus, there are three types of Louis L'Amour word-products currently available:
(1) Unauthorized (but quite legal) reprints of a large (but limited) number of his early short works. (These are the type that appear in this collection).
(2) Authorized versions of those same earlier works which have been modified, re-written, and sometimes expanded and re-titled. (These do NOT appear in this collection but may be very similar to ones herein.)
(3) Authorized ONLY versions of newer works which never appeared earlier, never went out of copyright, and were thus never altered. (These do NOT appear in this collection.)

That's a lot of material for any dedicated L'Amour fan to keep track of, with much of it from the first and second categories (above) being quite similar. No wonder there can be confusion and occasional (if not frequent) unintentional duplication among one's purchases.

From a literary standpoint, the rewrites were actually quite beneficial; they permitted the more mature L'Amour (a natural storyteller but not necessarily the most disciplined writer) the opportunity to correct and improve what he had written earlier. I personally think the more "polished," mature, authorized versions, all proudly published under his rightful name, are superior to the "rougher," unauthorized, often pseudonymous, early ones generally written in youthful haste for quick money -- though, admittedly, some readers may prefer the "freshness" of those earlier efforts. Ultimately, however, Louis L'Amour Westerns are entertaining and enjoyable in ANY version(s) available to you, and if you are discovering him for the first time, you are in for a real treat.

You should be aware that a complete set of ALL his authorized short stories is available in the Kindle Store as THE COMPLETED COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF LOUIS L'AMOUR from Random/Bantam (HIS longtime publisher). It consists of 7-volumes of which the five labeled "Frontier" contain all his authorized Western short stories, while the other two contain his authorized stories of crime and adventure. The current $49.99 price-tag for the ebook version may seem a bit steep at first (and you might find all 7 volumes used, in hardcover, for significantly less, as I chose to do). But for the Louis L'Amour aficionado, the ebook version will still probably prove to be a better deal in the long run than the hit-or-miss purchasing of numerous, small, unauthorized ebook anthologies priced from a few bucks to a whopping $9.99 apiece. (FYI: Many favorable review comments attached to this regularly-priced $9.99 ebook were elicited when it was priced at only $1.99 as a "Monthly Special.") The money thus saved can then be applied toward the purchase of his many wonderful NOVELS.

To me, Louis L'Amour's works rate (in toto) 5-stars, but since I prefer the authorized versions of his stories, I rated this pricey, unauthorized edition of public domain reprints one star lower. Should it ever return to $1.99, however, and should you feel its story content is new to you, by all means get it.

Some of L'Amour's fans seem like they don't realize he's been dead for a quarter century, so any new stories are obviously not written by him. None-the-less, many of them are written in the Louie style, so they are good reads.

Loved all the written westerns, each one interesting and they were quick reads, you know, fast moving. Loved the names don't know if they are real, but interesting, such as, Shirttail Creek, Bloody Basin, Skeleton Ridge and Hardscrabble Creek. The other characters names were Bugle Nose Bender, Blue Riddle, Blaze Garden and the homespun sentences such as;" I ain't afeerd of him or He hustled his hock's for those hills like he was headin home from a trail drive."
These stories are entertaining and funny in a dark way. The descriptions of the areas and the different situations these cowboys, drifters, men who've fought in Africa and with French Foreign Legion. But now they are back on American soil, the only difference is who or what your fighting for......no difference other than your on another continent fighting for your life..Yes mistakes can kill you..so pay attention, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the situations.....

I haven't read it yet, but the condition of the book is really good. I know it will be a Great Read, Because Louis L'AMOUR wrote it, And he's the best. I've read most of his books some of them over and over. My only complaint is I had to pay too much for shipping.