What do you think?
Rate this book
Louis L'amour Collection
This collection, presented in a wood gift box, gathers seven popular Louis L'Amour stories, performed by a star-studded cast. Willie Nelson reads six and one is fully dramatized by Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and the late Waylon Jennings, who together were known as The Highwaymen. The collection includes:Riding for the Brand, The Black Rock Coffin Makers, Dutchman’s Flat, The Nester and the Piute, Mistakes Can Kill You, Trail to Pie Town, and Big Medicine.
4 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1984
12 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
1,002 books3,504 followersLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 26, 2023
Not usually a fan of Westerns, but Willie pulled me in.
September 3, 2016
I watched Deadwood again recently and have a lifelong habit of revisiting my favorite Clint Eastwood films - everything from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly to The Unforgiven - but I've never read a L'Amour novel and he's supposed to be one of the kings of the Western.
This was a pretty cool audio collection, partly because it was narrated by Willie Nelson. His voice along with some twangy guitar intermissions certainly added to the experience. I don't think I'll be adding a long list of the author's work to my tbr list but I'm glad I finally checked him out. It was a nice break from my usual horror binge.
This was a pretty cool audio collection, partly because it was narrated by Willie Nelson. His voice along with some twangy guitar intermissions certainly added to the experience. I don't think I'll be adding a long list of the author's work to my tbr list but I'm glad I finally checked him out. It was a nice break from my usual horror binge.
February 26, 2019
I’ve read this collection a few times, and still enjoy it as much as I did the first time. The heroes are all improbably brave, strong, wily, smart, athletic, and all around perfect. The heroines are all in distress but strong and beautiful. The villains are thoroughly despicable; all but those few, who are only sort of bad but sort of good too. It’s a collection of classic western adventure stories perfect for a fun escape from reality for a while.
I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Willie Nelson. The first one was dramatized by Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and the late Waylon Jennings, who together were known as The Highwaymen. It was well done. It took me a little while to adjust to the sound effects and music interrupting the narrator, but once I was used to it, it made the story really fun. I wasn’t so impressed by the random inclusion of guitar solos throughout some of the other stories. That just seemed to distract from the narration rather than add to it.
There were four or five curse words throughout the whole book.
I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Willie Nelson. The first one was dramatized by Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and the late Waylon Jennings, who together were known as The Highwaymen. It was well done. It took me a little while to adjust to the sound effects and music interrupting the narrator, but once I was used to it, it made the story really fun. I wasn’t so impressed by the random inclusion of guitar solos throughout some of the other stories. That just seemed to distract from the narration rather than add to it.
There were four or five curse words throughout the whole book.
June 13, 2019
Seven L'Amour short stories, narrated for this audiobook by country music legend Willie Nelson, with full cast, sound effects, and musical interludes (played by Nelson on his roadworn guitar, Trigger.) The first story also features the voices of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. As a fan of vintage country, I obviously had to check this out, even though I'm not a huge fan of Westerns or L'Amour. These stories are pretty OK. That's about all the level of enthusiasm I can muster for them. I want to love the genre (I love Western movies!) but I find the characters and plot development lacking throughout. There's plenty of atmosphere, though, and the whole project seems like it was a lot of fun for Willie and the other voice actors. Would definitely recommend for L'Amour fans.
February 4, 2012
I love Louis L'Amour westerns and I jumped at the chance to listen to several of his stories narrated by Willie Nelson and in two of them dramatized by others such as Johnny Cash. Willie Nelson has a nice storyteller's voice and pace.
The stories are told in a variety of 3rd person and 1st person perspectives. They range from manhunts to range wars. The heroes are hard, upright men and the villains are greedy and conniving. I love the attention paid to historic detail- language, guns, landscape, clothing, and even thinking.
The stories may be short, but there is not shallowness or rushed pace.
I recommend this collection to any Louis L'Amour or Western fan.
The stories are told in a variety of 3rd person and 1st person perspectives. They range from manhunts to range wars. The heroes are hard, upright men and the villains are greedy and conniving. I love the attention paid to historic detail- language, guns, landscape, clothing, and even thinking.
The stories may be short, but there is not shallowness or rushed pace.
I recommend this collection to any Louis L'Amour or Western fan.
October 25, 2019
This collection is narrated by Willie Nelson, with dialogue by Johnny Cash , Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Charles Dean. It's great having country music legends bring these stories to life. First up is "Riding for the Brand." Interesting little story about a man who comes upon three dead men and takes the identity of one of the deceased in order to save the dead man's ranch.
Listened to "The Black Rock Coffin Makers" (the story felt unfinished but I was getting into it), "Dutchman's Flat" (posse trails a killer, and comes to respect him from his trail signs), "The Nester and the Piute" (don't steal a nester's ham), and "Mistakes Can Kill You" (a killer tries to save a rancher's son). Willy Nelson has a good reading voice for Westerns.
Listened to Four Card Draw, Trail to Pie Town, and Big Medicine. I enjoyed Trail to Pie Town... but I ALWAYS love "Big Medicine." I adore that story... and it amuses me that Willy Nelson pronounces "Wolf" as "Woof."
Listened to "The Black Rock Coffin Makers" (the story felt unfinished but I was getting into it), "Dutchman's Flat" (posse trails a killer, and comes to respect him from his trail signs), "The Nester and the Piute" (don't steal a nester's ham), and "Mistakes Can Kill You" (a killer tries to save a rancher's son). Willy Nelson has a good reading voice for Westerns.
Listened to Four Card Draw, Trail to Pie Town, and Big Medicine. I enjoyed Trail to Pie Town... but I ALWAYS love "Big Medicine." I adore that story... and it amuses me that Willy Nelson pronounces "Wolf" as "Woof."
October 21, 2024
I've not read many Westerns but Louis L'Amour is certainly a name that I recognise from my late father's book collection. Although none of his numerous titles are massively long I thought that this would serve as a nice sampler to listen to whilst commuting and working.
Most of these short stories were really good and the use of Willie Nelson was the perfect choice of narrator, he really made these tales of the old West come to life.
Based on this I would definitely be interested to do an eyes only physical read of some of his full length novels, the only title I can remember is Hondo but would welcome any recommendations for any of his other 100+ works...
Most of these short stories were really good and the use of Willie Nelson was the perfect choice of narrator, he really made these tales of the old West come to life.
Based on this I would definitely be interested to do an eyes only physical read of some of his full length novels, the only title I can remember is Hondo but would welcome any recommendations for any of his other 100+ works...
November 8, 2018
It was ok. Liked the stories well enough, however I'm really not a Willie fan at all...
Read
October 23, 2024I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. A large part of it is the enjoyment of hearing Willie Nelson reading the stories with atmospheric guitar pieces for accent. The two full cast productions were fun too.
I do think I’ll try listening to a L’Amour novel at some point.
I do think I’ll try listening to a L’Amour novel at some point.
March 6, 2012
If you like to listen to Willie Nelson, you will love his narration of these stories. Great listen!
January 31, 2019
I grew up in a house full of Louis L'Amour books. He is my father's favourite author, so I seem to have been drawn to him by some kind of conditioning or osmosis.
I haven't read many westerns outside of L'Amour, but he is a perfectly competent adventure writer, capturing the feel of the old west (or what is stereotypical in popular fiction as the "old west") in a easy, well-paced style. This collection contains about ten short-stories, and even with this small sample they get a little repetitive (how many stories can you write about stealing cattle and jumping land claims, anyway? And this collection features at least two stories about mistaken identity) but that being said, the fact that the man wrote hundreds of novels and short stories with any variety at all is incredibly impressive.
I've said it before and I stand by it - the only difference between westerns and romances is how much punching is involved. There's always a love interest, the leads are always described the same way in both, and both usually feature horses. But after listening to this batch I was also struck by how similar westerns are to sci-fi (I kinda knew it already, but this one really stood out for some reason). In any of these stories, you could have easily replaced the hero with Han Solo or Malcolm Reynolds, swapped the six-shooters for lasers and horses for spaceships, and *poof* instant space opera.
Willie Nelson is (perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not) an excellent narrator. He doesn't have that polished sound that most American narrators use, which is a plus in my book, and he doesn't go in for fancy voices and accents. But he is a fabulous storyteller, with a warm, down-home voice that really draws you in. It's like listening to a smiling grandpa or uncle tell you a story, which is not a bad thing. There's a reason Nelson is one of the most beloved and celebrated entertainers in America.
Two of the stories also featured full casts, scores and sound effects, making them full-on audio dramatizations, like old-time radio plays. I was honestly kinda ho-hum about this; generally I just prefer my audiobooks being one reader telling me a story, even if they're doing a bunch of silly accents. While I also enjoy radio plays, I feel like that's a different genre/style altogether, and borrowing so much for what is ostensibly an audiobook feels like trying too hard. That being said, one of the stories features a star-studded cast with voices provided by the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, so that was kinda neat. And the other story featured one guy who sounded EXACTLY like former pro-wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, though I can't find credits for the story anywhere to confirm whether this is true. I even asked Steve Austin himself on Twitter about it, but he didn't get back to me.
I haven't read many westerns outside of L'Amour, but he is a perfectly competent adventure writer, capturing the feel of the old west (or what is stereotypical in popular fiction as the "old west") in a easy, well-paced style. This collection contains about ten short-stories, and even with this small sample they get a little repetitive (how many stories can you write about stealing cattle and jumping land claims, anyway? And this collection features at least two stories about mistaken identity) but that being said, the fact that the man wrote hundreds of novels and short stories with any variety at all is incredibly impressive.
I've said it before and I stand by it - the only difference between westerns and romances is how much punching is involved. There's always a love interest, the leads are always described the same way in both, and both usually feature horses. But after listening to this batch I was also struck by how similar westerns are to sci-fi (I kinda knew it already, but this one really stood out for some reason). In any of these stories, you could have easily replaced the hero with Han Solo or Malcolm Reynolds, swapped the six-shooters for lasers and horses for spaceships, and *poof* instant space opera.
Willie Nelson is (perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not) an excellent narrator. He doesn't have that polished sound that most American narrators use, which is a plus in my book, and he doesn't go in for fancy voices and accents. But he is a fabulous storyteller, with a warm, down-home voice that really draws you in. It's like listening to a smiling grandpa or uncle tell you a story, which is not a bad thing. There's a reason Nelson is one of the most beloved and celebrated entertainers in America.
Two of the stories also featured full casts, scores and sound effects, making them full-on audio dramatizations, like old-time radio plays. I was honestly kinda ho-hum about this; generally I just prefer my audiobooks being one reader telling me a story, even if they're doing a bunch of silly accents. While I also enjoy radio plays, I feel like that's a different genre/style altogether, and borrowing so much for what is ostensibly an audiobook feels like trying too hard. That being said, one of the stories features a star-studded cast with voices provided by the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, so that was kinda neat. And the other story featured one guy who sounded EXACTLY like former pro-wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, though I can't find credits for the story anywhere to confirm whether this is true. I even asked Steve Austin himself on Twitter about it, but he didn't get back to me.
November 18, 2022
This review is specifically for the audiobook version of these stories, and more specifically the audio version with the voice cast of big name country music legends such as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. I'm unsure if this title has a written-word edition, so I'd like to clarify that before I get started.
The stories themselves are your standard L'Amour fare: Good, wholesome western stories where the battles are fought and the conflicts resolved not just hand to hand and gun to gun, but with common sense and skill. The good guys win and settle down on good land to build a good home. They marry the sweet girl that loves them and proceed to enjoy their happily-ever-after; creating strong families and cultivating their land with the raising of cattle and the growing of crops. These are kind of stories I love the most in a world where these goals are getting harder and harder to achieve.
I very much enjoyed the performances of the cast and recognizing familiar voices as they appeared, but I do wish this had been a longer novel fully dramatized, and not just a collection of short stories. I personally feel that L'Amour writes best when he's writing full novels, epic sagas, and long-running series (E.g. The Sacketts). I always find myself wishing these short snippets of the west were allowed to be developed and savoured for longer, letting the characters develop and carve out space of their own in the story before it ends and they settle into their lives.
But for what this is--a solid collection of short, inspiring tales with happy endings, spoken aloud by voices I know well and love to hear--it's a beautiful and lovingly-created collection. Well worth the few short hours of listening.
The stories themselves are your standard L'Amour fare: Good, wholesome western stories where the battles are fought and the conflicts resolved not just hand to hand and gun to gun, but with common sense and skill. The good guys win and settle down on good land to build a good home. They marry the sweet girl that loves them and proceed to enjoy their happily-ever-after; creating strong families and cultivating their land with the raising of cattle and the growing of crops. These are kind of stories I love the most in a world where these goals are getting harder and harder to achieve.
I very much enjoyed the performances of the cast and recognizing familiar voices as they appeared, but I do wish this had been a longer novel fully dramatized, and not just a collection of short stories. I personally feel that L'Amour writes best when he's writing full novels, epic sagas, and long-running series (E.g. The Sacketts). I always find myself wishing these short snippets of the west were allowed to be developed and savoured for longer, letting the characters develop and carve out space of their own in the story before it ends and they settle into their lives.
But for what this is--a solid collection of short, inspiring tales with happy endings, spoken aloud by voices I know well and love to hear--it's a beautiful and lovingly-created collection. Well worth the few short hours of listening.
May 27, 2019
Just finished reading the audible book “LOUIS L’AMOUR COLLECTION” by LOUIS L’AMOUR. More than any other writer before or since, Louis L’Amour brought the American West to life. His action-packed stories deal with eternal themes: honor, deceit, passion, betrayal, loyalty, courage, love. His settings are historically accurate, his prose riveting, and his characters colorful: good guys, bad guys, toughs, roughs, sidekicks and saints. This collection gathers eight popular Louis L’Amour stories performed by a star-studded cast, including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Charles Dean.
This collection includes:
“RIDING FOR THE BRAND”
“THE BLACK ROCK COFFIN MAKERS”
“DUTCHMAN’S FLAT”
“THE NESTER AND THE PIUTE”
“MISTAKES CAN KILL YOU”
“FOUR CARD DRAW”
“TRAIL TO PIE TOWN”
“BIG MEDICINE”
Willie and I listened to these stories while traveling home from Monahans, Texas. Willie Nelson is excellent as the main narrator and the other stars were very good portraying these colorful characters. Who doesn’t love Louis L’Amour, especially if you are from Texas.
This collection includes:
“RIDING FOR THE BRAND”
“THE BLACK ROCK COFFIN MAKERS”
“DUTCHMAN’S FLAT”
“THE NESTER AND THE PIUTE”
“MISTAKES CAN KILL YOU”
“FOUR CARD DRAW”
“TRAIL TO PIE TOWN”
“BIG MEDICINE”
Willie and I listened to these stories while traveling home from Monahans, Texas. Willie Nelson is excellent as the main narrator and the other stars were very good portraying these colorful characters. Who doesn’t love Louis L’Amour, especially if you are from Texas.
October 21, 2023
This was the first work of this author that I read back in the mid-1970s as a young boy. The story was published just a few years before I was born, but is about a time a century earlier - and rung true to a young mind growing up in the American west himself. The details were not about grand events or people of high office and position, but family, relationships and opportunities - following a trail on horseback, noticing small details about friends, their clothes, habits, speech and gear. A less spectacular Sherlock Holmes-esque way of looking at the world. Still love it, and have the entire leather bound collection. The protagonist(s) are always fighters, independent, usually an underdog for some reason, from similar cultural backgrounds, and at a disadvantage to 'bad actors' and outnumbered. Formulaic? Perhaps. But the details are always different, even if connected occasionally, and always interesting.
March 15, 2025
I had never read or listened to a Louis L'Amour story before this collection, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it! It's a collection of short stories and I was so impressed at how the author was able to create short stories that felt full and complete. For the audiobook, each story's length of time differs, but I still felt like I had listened to full stories. They were fun and enjoyable and I would definitely read or listen to those stories again!
The stories were similar but different at the same time, and I enjoyed being swept back in time to the Wild West.
I definitely recommend this collection of stories to everyone!
The stories were similar but different at the same time, and I enjoyed being swept back in time to the Wild West.
I definitely recommend this collection of stories to everyone!
January 25, 2024
Seven L'Amour yarns, spun in this audiobook by the one and only Willie Nelson, alongside a full cast, sound effects, and tunes strummed on his trusty guitar, Trigger. First tale even echoes with the voices of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. As a vintage country aficionado and a lover of the wild west, had to give this a whirl. These stories are a hoot, embodying the essence of a darn good western short story roundup. Short but mighty enjoyable! A hearty recommendation for fellow L'Amour enthusiasts.
October 11, 2024
I had never read Louis L'Amour before. I guess I don't think of western stories as my cup of tea.
But these are some good stories! They are funny, not too dated, and relaxing to listen to. And this production (free from Audible) features Willie Nelson's voice as well as those of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
What could be better?
4 stars
But these are some good stories! They are funny, not too dated, and relaxing to listen to. And this production (free from Audible) features Willie Nelson's voice as well as those of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
What could be better?
4 stars
May 14, 2019
I listened to these stories with my husband while on short road trips. He is more a fan of Western style novels than I am. The first story with a full cast was better than Willie Nelson on his own. The frequent guitar interludes became annoying, and I love the guitar.
Nice for brief road trips, but not something I would select again.
Nice for brief road trips, but not something I would select again.
December 11, 2021
This is one of my favorite collections, and I can't get enough of the audio dramatization with the lead starring names such as Cash and Nelson. Even though all the stories in the collection aren't dramatized to that extent, they are all excellent and Willie Nelson does a fantastic job of narrating these stories. I will probably listen to this collection another 20 times each year.
June 11, 2023
I enjoyed this collection of short stories. I like that the audiobook was narrated by Willie Nelson. Pretty standard western fare. I think I may have read one of the stories before, but it would have been several years ago. I can see why Louis L'Amour was one of my dad's favorite authors. He can tell really engaging stories.
May 10, 2018
This was a fun dramatized version of these stories, some of which I had read or heard elsewhere. The addition of sound effects and music made the tellings more like the radio shows of old.
July 5, 2018
I love Louis L’Amour’s books
December 20, 2018
I checked out the audiobook because The Highwaymen read the first story. The story was predictable but not bad. I enjoyed hearing Johnny, Waylon, Kris, & Willie read it.
November 7, 2019
Loved hearing Willie tell the stories. particularly the one with Willie, Waylon, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.
January 19, 2020
Really loved this collection of stories. The narrators were great, too
February 19, 2020
I missed Louis L’amour.
March 1, 2020
Just a great classic western
Read
July 3, 2020Willie Nelson is not the best narrator. Hard to listen to. The music in between was strange as a lot of the time it did not flow with the narration.
August 11, 2020
Louis L’Amour is an entertaining master writer! Perfect Collection fo a road trip.
December 5, 2022
Nice set of Western stories by the great Louis L'Amour! Willie Nelson does a fine job narrating the tales, but I'm not a fan of the dramatized versions of audio books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews