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Ralph Compton

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Ralph Compton


Born
in St. Clair County, Alabama, The United States
April 11, 1934

Died
September 16, 1998

Genre
Literature & Fiction


Ralph Compton (April 11, 1934—September 16, 1998) was an American writer of western fiction.

A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, Compton began his writing career with a notable work, The Goodnight Trail, which was chosen as a finalist for the Western Writers of America "Medicine Pipe Bearer Award" bestowed upon the "Best Debut Novel". He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. In the last decade of his life, he authored more than two dozen novels, some of which made it onto the USA Today bestseller list for fiction.

Ralph Compton died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 64. Since his passing, Signet Books has continued the author's legacy, releasing new novels, written by authors such as Joseph A. We ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.07 · 12,987 ratings · 909 reviews · 250 distinct works • Similar authors
The Dawn of Fury (Trail of ...
4.07 avg rating — 550 ratings — published 1995 — 10 editions
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The Goodnight Trail (Trail ...
4.07 avg rating — 542 ratings — published 1992 — 15 editions
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Death Rides a Chestnut Mare...
4.03 avg rating — 475 ratings — published 1999 — 16 editions
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Autumn of the Gun (Trail of...
4.28 avg rating — 360 ratings — published 1996 — 10 editions
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The Killing Season (Trail o...
4.17 avg rating — 345 ratings — published 1996 — 12 editions
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The Western Trail (Trail Dr...
4.14 avg rating — 332 ratings — published 1992 — 18 editions
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The Shadow of a Noose (Dann...
4.20 avg rating — 314 ratings — 12 editions
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Riders of Judgement (Danny ...
4.21 avg rating — 257 ratings — 15 editions
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The Border Empire (Border E...
4.05 avg rating — 257 ratings — published 1997 — 17 editions
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The Chisholm Trail (Trail D...
4.13 avg rating — 241 ratings — published 1993 — 15 editions
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More books by Ralph Compton…

Series by Ralph Compton

The Goodnight Trail The Western Trail The Chisholm Trail The Bandera Trail The California Trail The Shawnee Trail The Virginia City Trail
(34 books)
by
4.09 avg rating — 3,841 ratings

The Dawn of Fury The Killing Season Autumn of the Gun
(3 books)
by
4.16 avg rating — 1,255 ratings

Death Rides a Chestnut Mare The Shadow of a Noose Riders of Judgement Death Along the Cimarron
(4 books)
by
4.13 avg rating — 1,241 ratings

North to the Bitterroot Across the Rio Colorado The Winchester Run Devil's Canyon Whiskey River Skeleton Lode Nowhere, TX
(15 books)
by
4.03 avg rating — 951 ratings

The Border Empire Six guns and Double Eagles Train to Durango
(3 books)
by
4.06 avg rating — 664 ratings

More series by Ralph Compton…
Quotes by Ralph Compton  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“A comfortable rut and a grave are very much alike. The only real difference is the dimensions.”
― Ralph Compton, The Winchester Run
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“liked to call his golden rules: Never poke a rattler, never get in the path of stampeding animals, and never, ever prod a man liable to exact payment for the affront in lead.”
― Ralph Compton, Blood Duel
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“Some say that society is divided into those who have and those who have not but wished they had. I believe a more fundamental division is between those who know and those who do not know and have no idea they do not know.”
― Ralph Compton, Blood Duel
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