Smoke from This Altar

by Louis L'Amour

Smoke From This Altar , a book that has become legendary among Louis L'Amour readers, is the very first book L'Amour ever published. It appeared, to great critical praise, for sale only in Oklahoma bookstores more than fifty years ago. Since then it has become the most sought-after L'Amour title of all, with the few circulating copies from the small print run commanding top dollar from rare book collectors. Now, at last, it is being published nationally in this beautiful keepsake Bantam edition.

It was in Smoke From This Altar that L'Amour first gave public voice to his now-celebrated spirit of wanderlust. Like the short stories in his classic, million-copy-selling Yondering , and his best-selling memoir Education of a Wandering Man , the poems in this book are inspired by his experiences and memories of his journeys across oceans and continents. It is vintage L'Amour storytelling--in verse--about nature, the land, and the people who loved and braved it.

Smoke From This Altar begins with a newly written introduction by his wife Kathy in which she discusses the special place this work has held in the L'Amours' lives. In concludes with twenty previously uncollected L'Amour poems selected by his family.

Impassioned, adventurous, heroic, and humorous, Smoke From This Altar is unique L'Amour writing, to be read and enjoyed again and again.

Genres: Poetry, Westerns, Fiction

75 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Louis 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".

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Here’s to the lands untraveled
And the roads I’ve never know…’

Speaking of never known, I had no idea that Louis L’Amour—the quintessential storyteller of the American frontier—had also been a poet. That’s something I love about libraries, things just pass across my desk that make me think “huh!” and then I read them and think “hmmm.” The copy of Smoke From This Alter I happened upon is a reissue of L’Amour’s very first published work (published under the same title) along with some later poems added on at the end. Its fine, its serviceable, its some tough nature guy being tender, its pretty cool I guess. It is a nice and peaceful poetic journey that shows a real tenderness from L’Amour, though while there are a few rather stand-out poems and lines I mostly found it to be more of a curio than necessarily a great collection of poetry. Which isn’t to say it is bad, quite the contrary as it is filled with rather lovely imagery and many of his signature vibes about nature and the people who travel through it. Fans of L’Amour will undoubtedly delight to see him tackle nature and love through poetic form and while I can’t muster much excitement beyond “this was nice” I still quite enjoyed the read.

Leave me, O Night, of your stillness
A calm for my inward soul-
Leave me a breath of your darkness
To cool me, and keep me whole;
Leave me the wind in the willows
The roll of the surf and the sea-
Leave me, Beloved, my memories
Of dreams you have given to me
—From A Handful of Stars

My father used to read me L’Amour novels when I was a little kid so I’ve always had a fondness for the name though I’ve not ever revisited his works so what I know of them has mostly blown away with the years as most things from early childhood that still leave shadows and traces of their experiences. So it was a nice little trip into his poetry which is super nature forward and a lot about exploration being a noble adventure. Take the title poem, Smoke From This Altar, for instance, where he is all about boats being cool: ‘Give us this beauty that will conquer power / give us this strength that will defy the fates…’ And like, yea man, sounds sweet and I don’t even like boats (I’ve written about it extensively)The poems are pretty structured and most have some basic rhyme schemes that give it a nice flow even if they sound a bit stuffy but its all pretty lovely overall. Take this one for example:

An Ember in the Dark

Faintly, along the shadowed shores of night
I saw a wilderness of stars that flamed
And fluttered as they climbed or sank, and shamed
The crouching dark with shyly twinkling light;
I saw them there, odd fragments quaintly bright,
And wondered at their presence there unclaimed,
Then thought, perhaps, that they were dreams unnamed,
That faded slow, like hope's arrested flight.

Or vanished suddenly, like futile fears-
And some were old and worn like precious things
That youth preserves against encroaching years-
Some disappeared like songs that no man sings,
But one remained- an ember in the dark-
I crouched alone, and blew upon the spark

Don’t hate it. Just some decent poetry. Fans of L’Amour will certainly already be well aware of his poetic gifts and skill with painting an exquisite landscape of rocks, hills, trees and rivers through his words. He does have some rather nice imagery such as the poem Winter which is a single impression of trees that is quite enjoyable:

Bare trees standing stark
Against the sky, lifting
Thin, imploring arms
To the cold gray clouds

Though not all is about wandering the wilderness, some poems are about wandering the depths of sorrow and the human heart. Take Nocturn where he writes that he must ‘regret I’ve known / that love can die’. Lost love makes it’s way into a few of these poems, and I like that he investigates emotions with nature imagery:

The hours sound deep,
I cannot sleep
For love is gone;
No stars remain
To mourn my pain
Or greet the dawn.

Tough guy in the woods being tender. Can't hate it I guess. It's all very... early Jim Harrison-y and I can dig that.

I’m A Stranger Here

If I, between two suns, should go away,
No voice would lift to ask another why,
No word would question my retreat, nor sigh,
Nor wonder why I'd chosen not to stay;
For I am a stranger here, of other clay:
A guest within this house, a passerby-
A roving life whose theme has been "Goodbye"
A shadow on the road, a thing astray.

What dim ancestral heritage is mine.
That now awakens in my blood regret?
What destiny is this, what strange design,
That I must seek a haunting silhouette
In unremembered lands my dreams divine,
But cannot quite recall or quite forget?

So overall, this is fine. Nothing great, nothing bad, just some serviceable poetry that mixes well with the American frontier and is a cool little find. L’Amour was quite a fan of poetry, it turns out and it was fascinating to learn that he got his start in publishing with poems before his short stories and novels and adventures of the Sacketts brought him fame. Worth a glance if you come across it for sure.

3.5/5

Let Me Forget

Let me forget the dark seas rolling
The taste of wind the lure and lift of far blue shrouded shores
No longer let the wild winds singing build high
the waves in this my hearts own storm
Now let me quietly work for I have songs
Let not my blood beat answer to the sea
The beaches lie alone so let them lie
Let me forget the gray banked distant hills
The echoing emptiness of ancient towns
No longer let the brown leaves falling move me to wander
I have songs to sing

[Werner]

Back in February of this year (when few imagined that 2020 wouldn't be just another normal year --in some ways, it seems an epoch ago!), I gave up on this book; but for some reason, at the time, I didn't write any note explaining why. While it's still fairly fresh in my mind, I decided to do that now. I'd resolved, at the end of last year, to try to read at least one book of poetry every year, starting this year. This one seemed like a natural choice to begin that program with, since I'm a fan of Louis L'Amour's fiction and count him as a favorite author; so this, his only poetry collection, had been on my radar and to-read shelf for ages. I knew little or nothing about his poetry, but I expected something that would have a basic literary vision and underlying message similar to that of his fiction. Unfortunately, it proved to be a disappointment.

Despite the religious connotations of the title, L'Amour's poetry is not religion-oriented. That wasn't the deal-breaker; poetry doesn't have to be Christian-themed, or about religious subjects, for me to like it. But although it's technically accomplished, L'Amour's poetry was mostly "lyric" poetry, that is, poems expressing his personal feelings. And at least at this stage of his life (when the collection was first published, he was only 31, and still single; this edition contains some additional poems written later in his life, but I didn't read that far), his feelings were mostly profoundly sad, angsty, and despairing, redolent with emotional pain. The loneliness of a rootless wanderer who'd traveled the world, but at the cost of having a home and personal ties, and the sorrow of failed romantic relationships, bulk large as themes; but even where these are absent, there's plenty of jaundiced vision and woe to go around. A couple of poems I read that try to be upbeat are mostly celebrations of human hubris, gloried in from a purely anthropocentric, secular perspective.

So all in all, the collection wasn't for me (though others might appreciate it more). I found it a depressing downer, and I realized I was finding my reading sessions a miserable chore rather than a pleasure. So it was definitely time to quit! L'Amour went on to become a distinctive and powerful voice in 20th-century American fiction; I've greatly liked a number of his books in that form, and hope to read a great many more. But the fact that, after 1939, he stuck almost entirely to that form says something about his own estimation of where his true literary gifts lay; and I'm inclined to agree with him there!

[Clayton Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book LL ever got published. Of all the macho stories he wrote, I loved to see the gentle side of his spirit in his collection of poems. They tell of his great travels, from the sea to lonely valleys, dark mines to artillery tanks. He lived a full life, and could very easily fill the shoes of his badass characters. This is one of the books I want on my coffee table someday.

“I wandered along the dusty way
seeking the dawn of another day,
like a drifting chip on a lonely stream,
like a breath of wind or a vagrant dream
a forgotten soul on a weary quest
searching for home and love and rest.

I wandered along the dusty way
and found my idols with feet of clay,
my letters were ashes, my castles dust-
the sword I wielded eaten by rust,
my dreams were shattered- a heavy load
is all that is left on a winding road.”

[Nevaeh Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Louis L’Amour so much this has just made me want to go back to reading his westerns

[Rogue-van (the Bookman) · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'Amour transports you into the lonely and beautiful places he has visited in these poems. They show his facility with words and his love of the frontier. The mystery in nature is only partly received by a heart that is reaching out, seeking, calling, wandering. I'm not really into poetry, but I think Thoreau would have appreciated these.

[C. Hollis Crossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd find a volume by Louis L'Amour in the poetry section of the library unless it was mis-shelved. Having been proved wrong, I certainly didn't expect to enjoy what I found there, or for the poems to be good. Thank God for wonder and surprises.

L'Amour's poems aren't great, but most of them are pretty good, and a few are even very good. This was apparently the first book he published, after having wandered the world as a sailor, soldier and boxer from the age of fifteen.

Most of the poems deal with the implacability and grandeur of nature, and of man's ambivalence as a noble and insignificant creature. L'Amour worked mostly in forms—sonnets were clearly his favorite, but he also experimented with blank verse, sestinas, etc.

The influence of Classical poets (Virgil, Hesiod, etc.) is clear, as is the even more prevalent influence of the Romantics, primarily Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Shelley. A biographical sketch claims that L'Amour's personal library included 17,000 volumes—I'd believe he'd read most of them.

Most of the poems are beautiful in virtue of the sentiment expressed, but there are moments where L'Amour captured that most evasive of butterflies, a truly beautiful line. This was my favorite: "Even the wings of death avoid this place, / Avoid these barren fields, for Death itself / Must nestle to the warmth of life and youth, / And nothing dies where nothing lives."

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad poetry. Very melancholy. Some moments that shine. Not sure this book would be as interesting were it not written by who wrote it.

[Bethany ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful poetry. Poems that are deep and very spiritual and also sensual.

[Trish Boese · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* I was thrilled to find this poetry collection by Louis L'Amour. I don't like all of the poems, but a few of them I really love.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there's one thing L'Amour excels at as a writer, it is his gift for describing nature. And, since the vast majority of these poems are odes to nature's beauty, SMOKE ON THE ALTAR winds up being way better than you'd expect from a guy who made his career on penning pulp westerns. Here, there are no cliche characterizations to get on your nerves, no bad dialog, and no predictable plotting or cheesy romance.
In fact, this book is very well done, and it's a shame L'Amour never wrote another like it. I especially enjoyed some of the poems that were only included in later additions, like the piece in which L'Amour disparages professional critics, or the one in which he vents his irritation at people who consider themselves well-read simply because they keep up with the latest blockbusters (specifically, in this case, GONE WITH THE WIND). Such poems show a different side of L'Amour--a slightly bitter side that doesn't quite fit the popular image he so carefully honed for himself.

[Sara Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up more out of curiosity rather than interest, but I'm glad I did. L'Amour has a lovely way with words. Even if he's a bit too formal and structured for my everyday taste, he had some wonderful lines, and a few absolute gems in this collection. It was easy to see that the poems collected at the end (not in the original publication) were not as polished as the rest, but considering his wife added those after his death, it's not a big surprise.

A fantastic collection of poetry

[Doug Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents recently moved across the country, so I've "inherited" a lot of their books. I would like to read them all, but this one was at the top of the list. It caught my attention because it is a book of poems by Louis L'Amour. I know him as a western paperback writer. My parents had so many of his books. Stacks of them. I've read a few, and I will probably read another couple if I get through my parents' book inheritance.

This book took me by surprise. Such beautiful words! And hand-crafted, ornate phrases. I don't read much poetry, but this one really made me think I need to seek out more poetry books. These poems are collected mostly from earlier in his career before he was the famous western writer. He wrote them while wandering around the globe, taking various jobs as a miner, seaman, lumberjack, etc. The wanderlust here appealed to my own. I'm A Stranger Here is about my favorite. It has a very "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" feel to it.

And that brings me to something else that really struck me, which is how much the poems here reminded me of the writings of Tolkien and Robert E. Howard, who wrote Conan. When Louis L'Amour writes in Enchanted Mesas about blasted rocks and desert's melancholy mood or in Winter writes about bare trees lifting thin, imploring arms to cold gray clouds, the imagery of Robert Howard's poem "Cymmeria" came to mind. And I know that Robert Howard was writing in a western setting in Central Texas. The influence of a western landscape into these separate worlds is powerful. Speaking of Yucca in Enchanted Mesas, L'Amour writes, "Like nightmare creatures from teh ages past Returned to conquer fiefs they knew of old; These crumbling walls, and rambling ramparts vast, and tumbled stones from nature's shattered mold--Their solitude is mine, and all their moonlit gold." Compare that with Howard's "land of Darkness and the Night."

Not all of these poems are so heavy-thinking. The collection contains several poems written later in his life. The highlights here are two poems about fan encounters. Clearly he gets asked the same two questions. His frustration with having to answer two questions are addressed in the poems "I Haven't Read Gone With The Wind" and "In Protest." His name is Louis L'Amour. It does not rhyme with armor. It rhymes with spoor.

Great read for anyone who likes western/fantasy poetry.

[Brent Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louis L'Amour's wife, Kathy, wrote an introduction for this book which was, in 1939, his first published book, and it contains many of what L'Amour considered to be his best poems.
She said of that time, that "poetry was the expression of Louis' most important thoughts and feelings. It was the first manner in which he wrote about his life, his views, and the places he had seen."

His poetry received high praise. A poem he had published in the Daily Oklahoma, "Banked Fires", was commented on by the editor who sent him a letter saying "the poem is exquisite........The craftsmanship shows the master workman...........The imagery is all one could ask."
The poems found in "Smoke From This Altar" are reflective of a master craftsman. You will find poetry that takes you to and resonates with his writings of the American Frontier, and the stories he is so well known for.

The Literary Favorites sections has a post on Louis L'Amour the author, and the Poetry Reviewed section has a post on the poem "I am a Stranger Here".

L'Amour's books are beloved and are favorites of many, many, people. Even if you don't like poetry this book, "Smoke From This Alter", is something L'Amour fans will like and then see him as a person, more clearly. More on this book at www.connectedeventsmatter.com

[Ike · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a poet, Louis L’Amour, may not be the best of poets, but I really enjoyed “Smoke From This Altar” his first published book and his only book of poetry. Simply put, poetry is “an interplay of words and rhythm, often employing rhyme and meter.” It flows, it moves, it stirs souls, it can be quite personal or it can rally individuals to a cause. L’Amour is best known as a western writer (and I’ve read all of those books, as he’s my favorite). One thing I enjoy about his westerns is the descriptions of the land where they take place. Why? Because he’s been to the places, seen them and simply described what he’s seen. It’s the same with his poetry. Having worked on ships, he’s seen the waves and clouds and understands their movement, he’s been to the corners of the Earth and observed events, happenings, and put them into rhyme and meter. He’s taken his life experiences and turned them into words to create feelings of loneliness, of elation, of emotions, in essence he’s created poetry, and I for one thoroughly appreciate “Smoke From This Altar.”

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was originally published in 1939 and was before L'Amour turned to writing westerns. It was his first book and was popular enough to get him to entertain the notion of becoming a writer but not popular enough to feed him which is why he turned to genre fiction. The book primarily contains rhyming poems that are enjoyable (except for some schmaltzy lovelorn sonnets) as a record of L'Amour's adventures as a young man. It apparently appealed to the general populace but he was in no danger of challenging Robert Frost or Edna St. Vincent Millay and certainly wasn't going to help usher in the Modern era. This book is essentially for those who are curious about L'Amour. That said, it wasn't too painful to read and left me curious about L'Amour's life.

[John Geddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a poetry collection from early in the western writer’s career, re-published more recently with additions from later in his career.

I found the first section hard going. There wasn’t much unique there. It felt like someone’s idea of poetry after reading the classics. But then I read the Newly Collected Poems section and I really enjoyed them. For me, it’s a wonderful testament how how someone’s writing can change and improve over time. The later works have a real sense of voice and a whimsical streak to them.

My rating sort of cuts down the middle, but it is worth it if you happen to be a fan.

[Jessica DuBose · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love L’Amour, this was a bit of a disappointing read. There were a few beautifully written, emotionally- evocative poems for sure but most seemed to yearn for hope without real resolution. Perhaps that’s just the mark of the western on his poetry (the evil that’s good vs the evil that’s bad). Perhaps that’s why people are drawn to his work. However, futility is not something I care to read about.

[Wilson E. Stevens Sr. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is some of the Poetry written by Louis L'Amour. He started his writing career writing poetry, and then turned to stories. While some of his poetry is nice, and I enjoyed it, I am not a poetry lover so rated the book very low.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read this author before, and I was surprised at how good his poetry is! Most of it is on a topic that's not personally interesting to me, but much of it was humorous, or heartfelt, or a witty observation, and I really enjoyed it!

[Elise Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in honor of my grandpa, as this was his favorite author.

I quite enjoyed his eloquence! He had a wonderful way with words, and there were a few poems that stuck out to me that either made me laugh, made me think, or even made me cry.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cant say that I read much poetry but this book was enjoyable. Each poem was something different and interesting. I think my favorite of his poems is "Question" and "Let it snow". You can definitely see what kind of person he was through his writing.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few books of poetry I've actually enjoyed. There's an interesting range of kinds of poems, which also means I only like most of them, but overall, enjoyable.

[Christine Norvell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle read that contains simple melodic lines often in sonnet or quatrain form describing travel and landscape. I love that it was published in 1939 before L'Amour's novel career began in earnest.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to find book because it was the author's first. Luckily my dad had an old, dog eared copy.

[Crystal Ellyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book! It was something different from what I've read from this author. I have read some of his western books before and like them.

[John Worthington · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Book of Poems - I'm not really into poems

[robert e. rayunas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man of the world can be a poet “

Enjoyed the view in his work! Like the way his mind developed the verse! Some interesting topics and delivery of the themes.

[Jessie Turpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

After slogging through a different poet and giving up, I picked up this book of poems by Louis L’Amour and fell in love.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I gave it only 4 stars, I am definitely keeping my copy.

[Bradley Schlieper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t much care for this book. Poetry apparently isn’t my thing.