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How the West Was Won
As part of the Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures series, this edition contains exclusive bonus materials!
They came by river and by wagon train, braving the endless distances of the Great Plains and the icy passes of the Sierra Nevada. They were men like Linus Rawlings, a restless survivor of Indian country who’d headed east to see the ocean but left his heart—and his home—in the West. They were women like Lilith Prescott, a smart, spirited beauty who fled her family and fell for a gambling man in the midst of a frontier gold boom. These pioneering men and women sowed the seeds of a nation with their courage—and with their blood. Here is the story of how their paths would meet amid the epic struggle against fierce enemies and nature’s cruelty, to win for all time the rich and untamed West.
Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures is a project created to release some of the author’s more unconventional manuscripts from the family archives.
In Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volumes 1, Beau L’Amour takes the reader on a guided tour through many of the finished and unfinished short stories, novels, and treatments that his father was never able to publish during his lifetime. L’Amour’s never-before-seen first novel, No Traveller Returns, will also be released as a Lost Treasures publication, followed by Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volume 2.
Additionally, many beloved classics will be rereleased with an exclusive Lost Treasures postscript featuring previously unpublished material, including outlines, plot notes, and alternate drafts. These postscripts tell the story behind the stories that millions of readers have come to know and cherish.
They came by river and by wagon train, braving the endless distances of the Great Plains and the icy passes of the Sierra Nevada. They were men like Linus Rawlings, a restless survivor of Indian country who’d headed east to see the ocean but left his heart—and his home—in the West. They were women like Lilith Prescott, a smart, spirited beauty who fled her family and fell for a gambling man in the midst of a frontier gold boom. These pioneering men and women sowed the seeds of a nation with their courage—and with their blood. Here is the story of how their paths would meet amid the epic struggle against fierce enemies and nature’s cruelty, to win for all time the rich and untamed West.
Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures is a project created to release some of the author’s more unconventional manuscripts from the family archives.
In Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volumes 1, Beau L’Amour takes the reader on a guided tour through many of the finished and unfinished short stories, novels, and treatments that his father was never able to publish during his lifetime. L’Amour’s never-before-seen first novel, No Traveller Returns, will also be released as a Lost Treasures publication, followed by Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volume 2.
Additionally, many beloved classics will be rereleased with an exclusive Lost Treasures postscript featuring previously unpublished material, including outlines, plot notes, and alternate drafts. These postscripts tell the story behind the stories that millions of readers have come to know and cherish.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1962
442 people are currently reading
2571 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
999 books3,440 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".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
August 2, 2016
One of Western writer Louie L’Amour’s more recognizable titles, and rightly so, this entertaining fictional history was first published in 1962.
Telling the compact, fast moving story of a family of settlers from the 1840s to the 1880s, L’Amour covers a lot of ground and paints a portrait of the old west in grand scale.
This was clearly well researched by the author. L’Amour made an astute observation about the Western Native Americans, comparing their horse culture with the Mongols and went further to opine that if the tribes had a leader like Khan, they may have pushed the white men back east. Tecumseh had come to early and Quanah Parker too late. While L’Amour’s colloquy falls short of steadfast sympathy for the Native American’s plight, his is a more compassionate narrative than might be expected.
Truth be told, just as his other works I have read – Hondo – Sackett's Land – I have been pleasantly surprised by the minimalistic quality of his prose and the deft art with which he can blend introspective moments of thoughtful reflection amidst a vehicle clearly intended for an action loving audience.
And that reader is not disappointed. L’Amour fills this novel with gunfights, horseback chases, and bear attacks. The truthful legend of Hugh Glass is referenced several times, the real life frontiersman who was the subject of Michael Punke’s 2002 novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge.
A good western.
Telling the compact, fast moving story of a family of settlers from the 1840s to the 1880s, L’Amour covers a lot of ground and paints a portrait of the old west in grand scale.
This was clearly well researched by the author. L’Amour made an astute observation about the Western Native Americans, comparing their horse culture with the Mongols and went further to opine that if the tribes had a leader like Khan, they may have pushed the white men back east. Tecumseh had come to early and Quanah Parker too late. While L’Amour’s colloquy falls short of steadfast sympathy for the Native American’s plight, his is a more compassionate narrative than might be expected.
Truth be told, just as his other works I have read – Hondo – Sackett's Land – I have been pleasantly surprised by the minimalistic quality of his prose and the deft art with which he can blend introspective moments of thoughtful reflection amidst a vehicle clearly intended for an action loving audience.
And that reader is not disappointed. L’Amour fills this novel with gunfights, horseback chases, and bear attacks. The truthful legend of Hugh Glass is referenced several times, the real life frontiersman who was the subject of Michael Punke’s 2002 novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge.
A good western.
February 19, 2014
Good ol' fashioned shoot 'em up fun!
How the West was Won follows an ancestral family tree of folks through short story snippets of their lives as played out over the course of the United States' western expansion.
L'Amour develops characters just enough to make you care if they survive the big moments of the 19th century, such as the gold rush and the Civil War. This is not brilliant prose. For instance, everything in Louis L'Amour's world happens suddenly! He fires off a six-shooter's worth of shortcut adverbs, because his stories are all about the action.
Hey, these rootin' tootin' tales maybe ain't Shakespeare, but sit back a spell, let ol' L'Amour spin ya a heck of yarn and I promise ya won't be sorry ya did!
Rating: 3.5
How the West was Won follows an ancestral family tree of folks through short story snippets of their lives as played out over the course of the United States' western expansion.
L'Amour develops characters just enough to make you care if they survive the big moments of the 19th century, such as the gold rush and the Civil War. This is not brilliant prose. For instance, everything in Louis L'Amour's world happens suddenly! He fires off a six-shooter's worth of shortcut adverbs, because his stories are all about the action.
Hey, these rootin' tootin' tales maybe ain't Shakespeare, but sit back a spell, let ol' L'Amour spin ya a heck of yarn and I promise ya won't be sorry ya did!
Rating: 3.5
March 17, 2022
Good fun and an enjoyable western. I'll definitely read more of L'Amour.
June 1, 2025
P.68: They had scarcely begun . . . how many would die before the West was won? How many by river, by disease, by blizzard and tornado and flood? How many by starvation and exhaustion? It was a long way to the shining mountains. He was glad they were not going that far . . . nor many miles farther, when it came to that.
P. 217: “There’s a kind of man who hates anything unlike himself and what he understands, and just seeing the Indians out there doing nothing that he can see, it bothers him.”
My expectations for this book were muted. Additionally, it was a book club entry that only became available post meeting. Needless to say, I was reluctant to saunter over to the library and pick this up when the notification came, but I am sure glad I did not let my preconceived notions and general pigheadness get the best of me. I am a sucker for multigenerational stories and this book did credit to that style, with compelling characters and a fluid pace.
Linus Rawlings is a man who lives by his own code. As a fur trapper, he has seen many sights, from mountain vistas to desert oases. He lives for adventure and the last thing on his mind would be settling down.
Eve Prescott is a young woman, who longs for someone that may not even exist. Someone who is earnest and heroic, yet mysterious. She gets teased for having this impossible dream of finding a “noble savage,” which is understandable given the outlandishness of finding her romantic ideal in a land that rewards steadfastness and practicality.
Their courtship was short, tumultuous and violent. He trapped many beaver, but ultimately it was her beaver which trapped him. Her strong will and determination left an indelible mark which resonated with him to the marrow. His inclination, “to see the varmint,” as he put it, essentially the ability to live a life of unencumbered freedom, was bested by his love for Eve. This idea, “to see the varmint,” would shape the Prescott and Rawlings families, essentially becoming a microcosm for those who braved the perilous journey further and further west, shaping their own destinies whether manifest or not.
Lilith Prescott, the younger sister of Eve, is not like her sister. While Eve’s ideal life revolves around home and hearth, she has always longed for something different. Her future and fortune would be in glitz and glamour, not corn and timber. Her independence, self-assurance mixed with some feminine wiles would be the combination which propelled her. Steel-willed, she made and lost fortunes with boldness. Eve had an ideal mate, but Lilith had an ideal life, which she would be willing to share with a partner, one who needed to be her equal. Through many trials and tribulations, Eve is able to find that partner, in an unexpected manner.
Zeb Rawlings, the offspring of Eve and Linus, was a mixture of both parents. He had his father’s adventurous streak, joining the Union army during the Civil War and remaining there for a good deal longer, fighting against indigenous people, in the further subjugation of native populations. He also had his mother’s good sense and fastidiousness, trying to function as peacemaker and voice of reason, helping his post-military career of lawman. Despite the iterant nature of his job, he valued steadiness and his pursuit of his wife, Julie, was telling. As opposed to the railroad tycoon Mike King who was wooing Julie with promises of largesse, Zeb had his honor, decency and salary of a corporeal.
Befitting another Western motif, Zeke Prescott “Ralls,” the youngest and often sickly brother in the Prescott clan, made his calling and name as an outlaw. Causing a line of mayhem and mischief, he survived on instinct. The line of good and evil often wavy even in the best times, was even more opaque. What makes a man robbing a train any different or worse than the robber baron who has exploited the labor and killed hundreds or thousands in the wake? What makes a horse thief or a cattle rustler different than the man selling supplies to prospectors at exploitative prices? Though ruthless in his demeanor, Zeke was no less cunning and calculating than his siblings. They were all part of the same tapestry, the very fabric that shaped the American frontier.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I was expecting a book which was filled with generalizations and caricatures and what I got was far more nuanced. I enjoyed the ambiguous nature of the characters, neither angels nor devils, besides Mike King, he was a dick. The native populations were not depicted as bloodthirsty or peace-loving, but as fighting for their way of life. Some tribes were more prone to violence and others with compromise. You needed to have a sharp backbone and a bit of luck to survive the rigors of the frontier lifestyle and Mr. Louis L’Amour did a wonderful job of showing this without overwrought sentimentality or austerity, striking the correct balance.
P. 217: “There’s a kind of man who hates anything unlike himself and what he understands, and just seeing the Indians out there doing nothing that he can see, it bothers him.”
My expectations for this book were muted. Additionally, it was a book club entry that only became available post meeting. Needless to say, I was reluctant to saunter over to the library and pick this up when the notification came, but I am sure glad I did not let my preconceived notions and general pigheadness get the best of me. I am a sucker for multigenerational stories and this book did credit to that style, with compelling characters and a fluid pace.
Linus Rawlings is a man who lives by his own code. As a fur trapper, he has seen many sights, from mountain vistas to desert oases. He lives for adventure and the last thing on his mind would be settling down.
Eve Prescott is a young woman, who longs for someone that may not even exist. Someone who is earnest and heroic, yet mysterious. She gets teased for having this impossible dream of finding a “noble savage,” which is understandable given the outlandishness of finding her romantic ideal in a land that rewards steadfastness and practicality.
Their courtship was short, tumultuous and violent. He trapped many beaver, but ultimately it was her beaver which trapped him. Her strong will and determination left an indelible mark which resonated with him to the marrow. His inclination, “to see the varmint,” as he put it, essentially the ability to live a life of unencumbered freedom, was bested by his love for Eve. This idea, “to see the varmint,” would shape the Prescott and Rawlings families, essentially becoming a microcosm for those who braved the perilous journey further and further west, shaping their own destinies whether manifest or not.
Lilith Prescott, the younger sister of Eve, is not like her sister. While Eve’s ideal life revolves around home and hearth, she has always longed for something different. Her future and fortune would be in glitz and glamour, not corn and timber. Her independence, self-assurance mixed with some feminine wiles would be the combination which propelled her. Steel-willed, she made and lost fortunes with boldness. Eve had an ideal mate, but Lilith had an ideal life, which she would be willing to share with a partner, one who needed to be her equal. Through many trials and tribulations, Eve is able to find that partner, in an unexpected manner.
Zeb Rawlings, the offspring of Eve and Linus, was a mixture of both parents. He had his father’s adventurous streak, joining the Union army during the Civil War and remaining there for a good deal longer, fighting against indigenous people, in the further subjugation of native populations. He also had his mother’s good sense and fastidiousness, trying to function as peacemaker and voice of reason, helping his post-military career of lawman. Despite the iterant nature of his job, he valued steadiness and his pursuit of his wife, Julie, was telling. As opposed to the railroad tycoon Mike King who was wooing Julie with promises of largesse, Zeb had his honor, decency and salary of a corporeal.
Befitting another Western motif, Zeke Prescott “Ralls,” the youngest and often sickly brother in the Prescott clan, made his calling and name as an outlaw. Causing a line of mayhem and mischief, he survived on instinct. The line of good and evil often wavy even in the best times, was even more opaque. What makes a man robbing a train any different or worse than the robber baron who has exploited the labor and killed hundreds or thousands in the wake? What makes a horse thief or a cattle rustler different than the man selling supplies to prospectors at exploitative prices? Though ruthless in his demeanor, Zeke was no less cunning and calculating than his siblings. They were all part of the same tapestry, the very fabric that shaped the American frontier.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I was expecting a book which was filled with generalizations and caricatures and what I got was far more nuanced. I enjoyed the ambiguous nature of the characters, neither angels nor devils, besides Mike King, he was a dick. The native populations were not depicted as bloodthirsty or peace-loving, but as fighting for their way of life. Some tribes were more prone to violence and others with compromise. You needed to have a sharp backbone and a bit of luck to survive the rigors of the frontier lifestyle and Mr. Louis L’Amour did a wonderful job of showing this without overwrought sentimentality or austerity, striking the correct balance.
April 12, 2017
I was inspired a couple weeks ago to pick up a western – I remember stacks of Louis L’Amour books around as a kid and thought he’d be a natural choice for such a compulsion. I had picked up a used copy of this book in great condition at Half Price Books and decided to crack it open – I didn’t notice until that particular moment that this book is actually a novelization of a screenplay for the epic movie by the same name. If it didn’t say that right on my cover, I probably would have assumed that book came before movie. Nevertheless, I wasn’t discouraged and figured that at least I’d get what I was hankerin’ for and I’d get a sense of L’Amour’s style.
Mission accomplished on both counts. A multi-generational tale spanning 50 years of history, there was plenty ‘Western’ to appreciate. Indian battles, outlaw battles, saloons and gambling – tough, rugged and honorable men and the strong woman that supported them. Each family member had their own vignette that showed a different aspect of expansion west - from the rivers to the prairies to the Civil War and the Gold Rush. I think my favorite, by far, was Cleve and Lilith’s story – that of a reformed gambler and a highly independent singing beauty. It was easy to love that one because Lilith had so much character and vim – she partners up with another single lady in a wagon train to head west, proving that she didn’t need a man or a traditional life, she could find her own way.
A real highlight of the book for me was this running gag from the patriarch of the book – Linus Rawlings. And this isn’t L’Amour because I’m pretty sure it’s in the movie, but Linus going to ‘see the varmint’ as a euphemism for sex is probably the funniest thing I’ve read in a while. Straight from a mountain man’s mouth, sure, but the way that this runs through the generations of the book was very amusing. Towards the very end, the outlaw in this family recognizes distant kin because he mentions someone had ‘see’d the varmint’. I’ve actually said varmint so many times this last week (because I'm just *that* immature) or two that it’s become almost a non-word, but do you know what I see when I think of varmint?
I can’t help it.
Without seeing the movie, I’m fairly sure that L’Amour inserted some of his own knowledge and history therein this book – a man who’d been there, done that, he adds some interesting commentary regarding the Indians and other things, relating them to other parts of history. My book jacket says that L’Amour’s great grandfather (or was it grandfather?) was scalped by a Sioux Indian - there’s just a certain amount of weight given to someone who was related to someone who was scalped. That’s probably as close as I’d like to come to any bloody event, anyway. I’m a right pansy about things like that. <- Said in my best western voice.
It can’t go unsaid that the West was really won by us running roughshod over the peoples here first, but the book doesn’t really excuse that bad history, it just tells the story. I’ll be looking for another L’Amour down the road, one of his originals this time.
Mission accomplished on both counts. A multi-generational tale spanning 50 years of history, there was plenty ‘Western’ to appreciate. Indian battles, outlaw battles, saloons and gambling – tough, rugged and honorable men and the strong woman that supported them. Each family member had their own vignette that showed a different aspect of expansion west - from the rivers to the prairies to the Civil War and the Gold Rush. I think my favorite, by far, was Cleve and Lilith’s story – that of a reformed gambler and a highly independent singing beauty. It was easy to love that one because Lilith had so much character and vim – she partners up with another single lady in a wagon train to head west, proving that she didn’t need a man or a traditional life, she could find her own way.
A real highlight of the book for me was this running gag from the patriarch of the book – Linus Rawlings. And this isn’t L’Amour because I’m pretty sure it’s in the movie, but Linus going to ‘see the varmint’ as a euphemism for sex is probably the funniest thing I’ve read in a while. Straight from a mountain man’s mouth, sure, but the way that this runs through the generations of the book was very amusing. Towards the very end, the outlaw in this family recognizes distant kin because he mentions someone had ‘see’d the varmint’. I’ve actually said varmint so many times this last week (because I'm just *that* immature) or two that it’s become almost a non-word, but do you know what I see when I think of varmint?
I can’t help it.
Without seeing the movie, I’m fairly sure that L’Amour inserted some of his own knowledge and history therein this book – a man who’d been there, done that, he adds some interesting commentary regarding the Indians and other things, relating them to other parts of history. My book jacket says that L’Amour’s great grandfather (or was it grandfather?) was scalped by a Sioux Indian - there’s just a certain amount of weight given to someone who was related to someone who was scalped. That’s probably as close as I’d like to come to any bloody event, anyway. I’m a right pansy about things like that. <- Said in my best western voice.
It can’t go unsaid that the West was really won by us running roughshod over the peoples here first, but the book doesn’t really excuse that bad history, it just tells the story. I’ll be looking for another L’Amour down the road, one of his originals this time.
December 19, 2024
How the West was won
Conocida en español como "La conquista del oeste" se trata de un muy buen intento de resumir en trescientas páginas un período de más de cincuenta años durante los cuales el oeste americano fue invadido para siempre y nunca volvió a ser lo mismo.
La novela está dividida en cinco partes. A través de la vida de una familia estos años van pasando desde los antiguos mountain Man y los primeros colonos que se aventuraban hacia el oeste salvaje. La fiebre del oro y las interminables caravanas hacia California. La guerra de secesión, la construcción del ferrocarril Unión Pacific y por fin la época de los forajidos y de cómo la ley llegó para imponerse.
Pocas páginas para tanto, pero el autor tuvo el talento para plasmar la síntesis de la época, incluso el engaño y el expolio a los indios nativos.
Al poco de publicarse esta novela la industria de Hollywood no perdió el tiempo e hizo una superproducción dirigida por varios directores de renombre y un gran grupo de primeros actores.
Conocida en español como "La conquista del oeste" se trata de un muy buen intento de resumir en trescientas páginas un período de más de cincuenta años durante los cuales el oeste americano fue invadido para siempre y nunca volvió a ser lo mismo.
La novela está dividida en cinco partes. A través de la vida de una familia estos años van pasando desde los antiguos mountain Man y los primeros colonos que se aventuraban hacia el oeste salvaje. La fiebre del oro y las interminables caravanas hacia California. La guerra de secesión, la construcción del ferrocarril Unión Pacific y por fin la época de los forajidos y de cómo la ley llegó para imponerse.
Pocas páginas para tanto, pero el autor tuvo el talento para plasmar la síntesis de la época, incluso el engaño y el expolio a los indios nativos.
Al poco de publicarse esta novela la industria de Hollywood no perdió el tiempo e hizo una superproducción dirigida por varios directores de renombre y un gran grupo de primeros actores.
March 8, 2009
My dad loves all his books and I read over a hundred while staving off the night terrors when growing up.
It is a strange fact about the old west, Indians, and the genocidal take over of the land now called the United States that fiction writing about them is often taken for truth (see Ward Churchill's Fantasies of the Master Race). The back of almost every L'amour novel lauds his knowledge of "how it really was" and the fact that he could've been one of the tough, honorable, lonely fighting men he wrote about. This is complete crap. L'amour was a seller of fantasy, of lies, and of ideals that white men like to think they possess.
He uses Indians simultaneously as "noble warriors" and "bloodthirsty savages" and justifies the take over of their land with the old "their time was passing..." illogic--as if there wasn't an agent behind their passing.
Reading one of his novels, one gets the feeling he never did any research required of historical novels. Details are always vague. Little reference is made to historical events, ways of doing things, or period details that would lend credence to his imaginings. His stories could just as easily been set on Mars for all the research that shows through his writing. But Americans are already disposed to believing all this romantic Old West bullshit, so you don't have to try very hard.
When a writer taps into our national myths, they don't have to be accurate or true, because most of our national myths are lies already believed.
December 18, 2014
More of a 3.5, but quite good, more meat than the typical L'Amour. Sort of a quick version of John Jakes' Bicentennial series, just focused on the mid to late 1800's. I was surprised to find out that L'Amour just wrote the novelization of the screenplay, not the original story.
March 6, 2025
Unlike most L'Amour books, this one doesn't follow a single group of characters. Instead it traces the members of a family across time, in five separate sections. They are:
The Rivers, following a family moving from New York to Ohio along the Erie Canal and Ohio River.
The Plains, where a daughter of the original couple travels on the Oregon Trail.
The War takes a grandson to the Civil War and the battle at Shiloh.
The Iron Horse sees that young man serving in the Cavalry along the Transcontinental Railroad.
The Outlaws moves to San Francisco and finds the grandson is now a US Marshall.
I definitely prefer books that stick with one set of characters and tell one linear story, but I did enjoy this overall. The first three sections were the best, the last two focused more on one man's fight against the bad guy, which doesn't interest me as much. I definitely prefer to read about people exploring or interacting with with others, instead. Still, I did enjoy this and will undoubtedly reread the first three sections again, as novellas.
NB - L'Amour wrote this as a novelization alongside the movie. According to material in my edition, he frequently disagreed with the script and argued against inaccuracies. At times he altered the story to reflect his understanding of the times, at others he felt compelled to follow the movie. So historical errors could probably be blamed on the movie makers and the general knowledge at the time, not laid at his feet, as I understand he really did strive to be historically correct in his books. Though I'll admit I don't read a book like this for the accuracy, but for the tale.
The Rivers, following a family moving from New York to Ohio along the Erie Canal and Ohio River.
The Plains, where a daughter of the original couple travels on the Oregon Trail.
The War takes a grandson to the Civil War and the battle at Shiloh.
The Iron Horse sees that young man serving in the Cavalry along the Transcontinental Railroad.
The Outlaws moves to San Francisco and finds the grandson is now a US Marshall.
I definitely prefer books that stick with one set of characters and tell one linear story, but I did enjoy this overall. The first three sections were the best, the last two focused more on one man's fight against the bad guy, which doesn't interest me as much. I definitely prefer to read about people exploring or interacting with with others, instead. Still, I did enjoy this and will undoubtedly reread the first three sections again, as novellas.
NB - L'Amour wrote this as a novelization alongside the movie. According to material in my edition, he frequently disagreed with the script and argued against inaccuracies. At times he altered the story to reflect his understanding of the times, at others he felt compelled to follow the movie. So historical errors could probably be blamed on the movie makers and the general knowledge at the time, not laid at his feet, as I understand he really did strive to be historically correct in his books. Though I'll admit I don't read a book like this for the accuracy, but for the tale.
September 18, 2017
Louis L'Amour was not one of the most technical or long-winded writers, he was short, succinct, and to the point and had a way that grabs you into the story immediately. The descriptions of the scenery, events, people, and situations made you feel as if you were right there living it side-by-side with his characters.
With this book, he expands that a little bit into a family saga of the 1800's. You learn about the ruggedness of the survivors and how quickly a life could be snuffed out with the weak and unlucky.
With this book, he expands that a little bit into a family saga of the 1800's. You learn about the ruggedness of the survivors and how quickly a life could be snuffed out with the weak and unlucky.
March 29, 2015
I was prepared to give this book three stars - until Zeb went West. The first half of the book was a poor imitation of the movie. The second half, however, is superior to the movie. Once Zeb goes west, L'Amour takes over and offers us context, back stories and complexity that the movie could not explore. It truly feels like two different books. What Jimmy Stewart gave us in Linus could not be beaten by L'Amour but what LLA gave to Zeb, Julie and Jethro could have been its own classic film.
May 26, 2017
A sprawling book written with the usual L'Amour skill. The movie was a bit of a mess but the book was much cleaner if still somewhat messy.
October 8, 2025
My favourite Louis Lamour thus far!
November 27, 2021
2021 Back to the Classics Challenge #2 A 20th century classic
I received a paperback of this book in a Goodreads giveaway a couple of years ago, though I read the Kindle version since it's packed away right now. This book has sentimental meaning for me, since my dad loved to read Louis L'Amour books, though I haven't seen this one in his boxes of worn-down paperbacks, and wonder if he ever read it.
Dad always said that L'Amour was the best storyteller, and I couldn't really see that in this novel... but, that was probably because this wasn't actually L'Amour's story! It was a novelization of the 1962 movie of the same name. This version of the book, the "Lost Treasures" edition, gave some insight into the novelization process with a letter L'Amour wrote to the movie's producers. He was novelizing someone else's story, and was frustrated with all of the continual script changes he had to adapt to, and the inaccuracies of the movie. L'Amour considered himself a great historian of the Old West, and changed details to fit his version of history.
It's a Western, and the elements of the story were good, but they just weren't enough for the epic that it was supposed to be. It spans the 1840s-1880s, and covers several different stories within the same extended families. But, the book was relatively short, so we never really got any good character development before the novel abruptly switched to the next completely different section, and by the time we came back to the original character, it was generally just to show their death. But, it was action-packed and exciting, like a Western should be.
I received a paperback of this book in a Goodreads giveaway a couple of years ago, though I read the Kindle version since it's packed away right now. This book has sentimental meaning for me, since my dad loved to read Louis L'Amour books, though I haven't seen this one in his boxes of worn-down paperbacks, and wonder if he ever read it.
Dad always said that L'Amour was the best storyteller, and I couldn't really see that in this novel... but, that was probably because this wasn't actually L'Amour's story! It was a novelization of the 1962 movie of the same name. This version of the book, the "Lost Treasures" edition, gave some insight into the novelization process with a letter L'Amour wrote to the movie's producers. He was novelizing someone else's story, and was frustrated with all of the continual script changes he had to adapt to, and the inaccuracies of the movie. L'Amour considered himself a great historian of the Old West, and changed details to fit his version of history.
It's a Western, and the elements of the story were good, but they just weren't enough for the epic that it was supposed to be. It spans the 1840s-1880s, and covers several different stories within the same extended families. But, the book was relatively short, so we never really got any good character development before the novel abruptly switched to the next completely different section, and by the time we came back to the original character, it was generally just to show their death. But, it was action-packed and exciting, like a Western should be.
July 24, 2016
I know that there are people out there who have read every single one of Louis L'Amour's books. Most of them also probably fall into the category of people who have rarely read a book written by anybody else. I saw a documentary about something-or-other once wherein the documentarian interviewed a man who bragged that he had read every Louis L'Amour novel at least ten times, marking the dates that he'd the read each book inside the front cover.
I'm not that guy. Before now, I've never read anything by L'Amour, or had any desire to. There are just too damn many good books in the world to be wasting time on bodice rippers and ranch romances. Having said that, when I found a copy of "How the West Was Won" in a pile of books inherited from my father, I decided to have a go at one of Louis' books.
"How the West Was Won" was about what I expected from L'Amour, but perhaps just a bit more. The book was clearly a hybrid of movie script and standard L'Amour fare. But maybe because it channeled the 1962 film (which I haven't seen), the book felt cinematic and a bit heroic--at least in the style of an old Hollywood Western.
Mirroring a Hollywood archetype isn't all that horrible, especially for a very short book. You won't get any depth to the characters or nuanced motives from this book. What you will get is a nice description of several generations of a family who "went West" and fairly readable segments describing their adventures.
I'm not that guy. Before now, I've never read anything by L'Amour, or had any desire to. There are just too damn many good books in the world to be wasting time on bodice rippers and ranch romances. Having said that, when I found a copy of "How the West Was Won" in a pile of books inherited from my father, I decided to have a go at one of Louis' books.
"How the West Was Won" was about what I expected from L'Amour, but perhaps just a bit more. The book was clearly a hybrid of movie script and standard L'Amour fare. But maybe because it channeled the 1962 film (which I haven't seen), the book felt cinematic and a bit heroic--at least in the style of an old Hollywood Western.
Mirroring a Hollywood archetype isn't all that horrible, especially for a very short book. You won't get any depth to the characters or nuanced motives from this book. What you will get is a nice description of several generations of a family who "went West" and fairly readable segments describing their adventures.
November 26, 2011
The holidays are a perfect time to read Louis L'Amour. So I found this at the local library. When I checked it out I thought the title seemed a little familiar, just like the classic movie staring Jimmy Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, John Wayne, Gregory Peck and others, and wondered how Hollywood could have used the exact same title. Well, it turns out that the movie IS exactly the same as the book. I decided that this is one of the ultra-rare occasions where the movie is MUCH better than the book. The book had a lot more internal dialogue, which was interesting, but the movie is such a classic that I found myself watching the movie in my head. And surprise...after some research I found that Louis L'Amour based his book on the movie! How disappointing! A great writer like L'Amour having to write a book based on a movie. They euphemistically call it "the novelization of the screenplay." Time to go back to Zane Gray for my next Western hankering.
July 19, 2017
A great Western yarn. All the ingredients with a family moving west and tracing their progress through two generations. Lots of action, tragedy and steadfastness in the face of adversity. One aspect is the morality. However, the outlaws always get their comeuppance while politicians just get rich off corrupt dealings. A good read.
April 12, 2023
By far, this story is among the best of Westerns/historical fiction I know. This is obviously, then, a hands-down favorite of mine. I first saw this at the HIP Theater. Memories!
🎥 Movie version.
🎵 Music.
🎥 Movie version.
🎵 Music.
January 29, 2022
What a beautiful story! I love this author.
April 21, 2025
I randomly picked this book up from a Little Free Library and didn’t expect to like it so much. It read just like an old John Wayne western and reminded me of watching Gunsmoke with my Papa. I couldn’t put it down 😂
July 13, 2017
Another really enjoyable book. It is one which follows the different generations of a family and their contribution to the West. Fictional, but fun.
April 14, 2023
Continuously good stuff from L’Amour.
December 19, 2023
I enjoyed this book, but didn't think it was one of L'Amour's best. There have been many (I think about 30) Louis L'Amour books made into movies. This one was the opposite, a novelization of the 1962 movie by the same name. The movie was one of those epic pictures with a long list of stars, Jimmy Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, and John Wayne.
I think my favorite thing from this book is the euphemism for sex that was repeated several times, "I went to see the varmint."
I think my favorite thing from this book is the euphemism for sex that was repeated several times, "I went to see the varmint."
February 2, 2019
Beau L'Amour was born in 1961 which gave his father, celebrated author,Louis L'Amour,a really good reason to take on the novelization of screen epic"How the West Was Won" which Metro Goldwyn Mayer hoped to release within a year.They succeeded by February,1963,having successfully navigated their way through tempestuous rivers,perilous plains,dangerous outlaws,hostile Indians and a Civil War,together with no end of objections from a meticulous Louis whenever James R.Webb's script proved historically inaccurate.Louis won most of his battles and the script won an Academy Award and so hopefully everyone went home happy!
The postscript at the end of this book gives some clues as to what Louis rewrote by including several extracts from his diary;this one largely sums up the writer's singular integrity:
July 15th 1962—“Some irritation over HOW THE WEST WAS WON. Bernard Smith, the producer, had an idea the mountain men always got along with the Indians, which is false, and that outlawry in the West ended in 1883, which couldn’t be more wrong. I wouldn’t change it, and presented a list of 40 train robberies (there were more) after that time. It was train robbery upon which he based his argument for some reason….I don’t think he liked it or me. I try to be authentic as possible, and believe believe a writer owes it to his readers to be so.”
In my view,the studio knew exactly what it was doing and certainly managed to keep Louis 'on task' and 'on time,'in spite of many changes made to the plot during production.MGM were used to dealing with big names-and,for that matter,big egos!The film,with which I am very familiar,rather decided for me what characters would look like in my mind’s eye and I inevitably pictured Jimmy Stewart,Debbie Reynolds,Carroll Baker,John Wayne-and many more of Hollywood's elite-in their onscreen roles-although I will admit I got a little mixed up,substituting Howard Keel for Gregory Peck's role as Reynolds' would be suitor due to his having played a very similar character in "Showboat" - the dissembling riverboat gambler, Gaylord Ravenal -but then, my memory isn't what it was!
I've given Louis five stars because I think he deserves credit for making a production-which largely depends on the visual-come alive on paper.He has done all the necessary research,using what he refers to as:
“My own library of carefully selected western Americana numbers in excess of 3,000 volumes and mss. Among these are the journals of many of the mountain men such as Osborne Russell, Isaac Rose, Jedediah Smith, [Harrison] Rogers, etc. I also have at hand the accounts of Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Hugh Glass, John [Colter], Joe Walker, Old Bill Williams, Uncle Dick Wootton and many others.”
What the initial scenes of believable war footage did for the film "Gladiator,"Louis does for "West".He places characters in believable history.We ‘think’ their thoughts,catch on to their attitudes and learn what motivated the people of their day to live such courageous and determined lives.
Quotes taken from :L'Amour, Louis. How the West Was Won (Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures) . Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The postscript at the end of this book gives some clues as to what Louis rewrote by including several extracts from his diary;this one largely sums up the writer's singular integrity:
July 15th 1962—“Some irritation over HOW THE WEST WAS WON. Bernard Smith, the producer, had an idea the mountain men always got along with the Indians, which is false, and that outlawry in the West ended in 1883, which couldn’t be more wrong. I wouldn’t change it, and presented a list of 40 train robberies (there were more) after that time. It was train robbery upon which he based his argument for some reason….I don’t think he liked it or me. I try to be authentic as possible, and believe believe a writer owes it to his readers to be so.”
In my view,the studio knew exactly what it was doing and certainly managed to keep Louis 'on task' and 'on time,'in spite of many changes made to the plot during production.MGM were used to dealing with big names-and,for that matter,big egos!The film,with which I am very familiar,rather decided for me what characters would look like in my mind’s eye and I inevitably pictured Jimmy Stewart,Debbie Reynolds,Carroll Baker,John Wayne-and many more of Hollywood's elite-in their onscreen roles-although I will admit I got a little mixed up,substituting Howard Keel for Gregory Peck's role as Reynolds' would be suitor due to his having played a very similar character in "Showboat" - the dissembling riverboat gambler, Gaylord Ravenal -but then, my memory isn't what it was!
I've given Louis five stars because I think he deserves credit for making a production-which largely depends on the visual-come alive on paper.He has done all the necessary research,using what he refers to as:
“My own library of carefully selected western Americana numbers in excess of 3,000 volumes and mss. Among these are the journals of many of the mountain men such as Osborne Russell, Isaac Rose, Jedediah Smith, [Harrison] Rogers, etc. I also have at hand the accounts of Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, Hugh Glass, John [Colter], Joe Walker, Old Bill Williams, Uncle Dick Wootton and many others.”
What the initial scenes of believable war footage did for the film "Gladiator,"Louis does for "West".He places characters in believable history.We ‘think’ their thoughts,catch on to their attitudes and learn what motivated the people of their day to live such courageous and determined lives.
Quotes taken from :L'Amour, Louis. How the West Was Won (Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures) . Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
February 20, 2015
This epic leads off with the Rawlings family headed west from upstate New York via the Erie Canal. Action is the mainstay of Louis L'Amour's world. And in Louis L'Amour books, the action takes place suddenly! Suddenly the family encounters a band of bandits on the Ohio River! Suddenly dangerous waters overturn their homespun raft with devastating results! And suddenly the family members part paths and embark on new adventures throughout the American West.
The amusing thing about his American West is that all the people curiously seem to know each other, in fact or by reputation, and have crossed paths no matter where in the country they have been, from North Dakota to Arizona, California to Texas, and everywhere in between. I suppose the West of the 1850s might just have been such a place, but the way the story lines intermingle makes the geography seem more on the scale of a county in rural Iowa than fully half the North American continent.
This book has broad sweep in recounting the tales of immigrants headed west via canal, river and wagon, the construction of the intercontinental railroad, miners hitting it big in the Comstock and so on. No western would be complete without some mention of the Mormons settled up in Salt Lake. There's loads of rough and tumble action and plenty of violence, which is only to be expected in any great western. There is even the obligatory shoot-'em-up train scene where the peacekeeping marshal ferrets out a villainous band of gangsters who have boarded the engine they intended to stall dead on its tracks with an artificial barricade deliberately maneuvered onto the railroad to set up a dramatic final showdown between the black hats and the white.
It could just be that I grew up in an era where such storytelling was taken for granted. After all, dozens of Louis L'Amour books were translated to the silver screen long ago before I was even born. Still I'd say this fun escapism is mainly for a reader whose particular interests include tales of the Old West. I picked it up for ambiance on a family weekend to a rustic cabin site near an Idaho ghost town situated along the old Oregon Trail. It did the trick; otherwise I'm not so sure this genre would typically capture my interest.
Louis L'Amour is an American icon, after all, so I figure becoming familiar with his canon is worth a bit of my time.
The amusing thing about his American West is that all the people curiously seem to know each other, in fact or by reputation, and have crossed paths no matter where in the country they have been, from North Dakota to Arizona, California to Texas, and everywhere in between. I suppose the West of the 1850s might just have been such a place, but the way the story lines intermingle makes the geography seem more on the scale of a county in rural Iowa than fully half the North American continent.
This book has broad sweep in recounting the tales of immigrants headed west via canal, river and wagon, the construction of the intercontinental railroad, miners hitting it big in the Comstock and so on. No western would be complete without some mention of the Mormons settled up in Salt Lake. There's loads of rough and tumble action and plenty of violence, which is only to be expected in any great western. There is even the obligatory shoot-'em-up train scene where the peacekeeping marshal ferrets out a villainous band of gangsters who have boarded the engine they intended to stall dead on its tracks with an artificial barricade deliberately maneuvered onto the railroad to set up a dramatic final showdown between the black hats and the white.
It could just be that I grew up in an era where such storytelling was taken for granted. After all, dozens of Louis L'Amour books were translated to the silver screen long ago before I was even born. Still I'd say this fun escapism is mainly for a reader whose particular interests include tales of the Old West. I picked it up for ambiance on a family weekend to a rustic cabin site near an Idaho ghost town situated along the old Oregon Trail. It did the trick; otherwise I'm not so sure this genre would typically capture my interest.
Louis L'Amour is an American icon, after all, so I figure becoming familiar with his canon is worth a bit of my time.
February 26, 2011
yeah, so i'm looking at my list and trying to figure out how i can pad it out, so as to look erudite, and i figured, well, i know i read probably close to 40 titles...lying on my rack on board the mccain, ensign such-and-such making the rounds, get off your rack, sailor...
so....i went out to the 01 level weatherdeck where the captain tripped over my legs...underway and all, me, lost in the wild wild west and out there on the blue lonesome.
didn't they make a movie of this one? all those conestoga wagons w/all those tuff pioneer brawds that could shoot a man around a corner by calculated ricochet.
where have you gone matt dillon, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo, woo, woo.
so....i went out to the 01 level weatherdeck where the captain tripped over my legs...underway and all, me, lost in the wild wild west and out there on the blue lonesome.
didn't they make a movie of this one? all those conestoga wagons w/all those tuff pioneer brawds that could shoot a man around a corner by calculated ricochet.
where have you gone matt dillon, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo, woo, woo.
February 1, 2011
** "How The West Was Won", by Louis L'Amour, begins well, but deteriorates. The first part is the clearest, a trapper snared by the elder daughter of a pioneer family, whose relations people the other four parts. The second part matches the younger sister with a gambler who toughens into an honorable gunman, practically synonyms in L'Amour language. Perhaps my confusion stems from the book being based on a screenplay, trying to weave too many threads, railway through Indian land, war with the Union, and outlaws taking a good man.
November 16, 2018
How the West was Won - James Stewart and George Preppard. An 'LL western novel made into a very good movie. A trapper headed to St Louis assist a boat with a family and he meets the daughter. After they settle down they have numerous children and everything is fine until the Civil War breaks out. The trappers and one son go to war. The youngest son when old enough heads West and becomes a U.S. Marshal. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2008
This was not original with L'Amour--it is actually a novelization of the movie screenplay by James R. Webb. At any rate, I felt like the novel had too many characters scattered throughout and tried to tell too expansive of a story. Although I did enjoy the details and some of the characters, I found that the whole thing wasn't very cohesive.
December 7, 2014
Fun, quick read. Skimmed from character to character a little too shallowly, but I guess it's a Louis l'amour so you should expect it. There are river pirates, buffalo, trains, gold, arapahoes, and some altercations with bears...what more could you ask for?
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