western novels

Western novels are fiction set in the American Old West, typically during the latter half of the 19th century.

The genre features cowboys, outlaws, lawmen, frontier towns, and conflicts between settlers and Native Americans.

Classic westerns emphasize rugged individualism, honor codes, and violence in lawless territories: He devoured Louis L'Amour westerns as a kid.

The genre peaked mid-20th century but persists in revisionist forms.