This is a list of some notable authors in the Western fiction genre.

Note that some writers listed below have also written in other genres.

A

__NOTOC__

  • Edward Abbey (1927–1989)
  • Maria Dolores Acevedo (1932-1998)
  • Andy Adams (1859–1934)
  • William Lacey Amy (1877-1962)
  • Rudolfo Anaya (1937–2020)

B

  • Todhunter Ballard (1903–1980)
  • S. Omar Barker (1894–1985)
  • Rex Beach (1877–1949)
  • James Warner Bellah (1899–1976)
  • Don Bendell (born 1947)
  • Tom W. Blackburn (1913–1992)
  • James Carlos Blake (1943–2025)
  • William Blinn (1937–2020)
  • Stephen Bly (1944–2011)
  • Frank Bonham (1914–1988)
  • Allan R. Bosworth (1901–1986)
  • Peter Bowen (1945–2020)
  • B.M. Bower (1871–1940), (pseudonym of Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair)
  • Leigh Brackett (1915–1978)
  • Max Brand (1892–1944), (pseudonym of Frederick Schiller Faust)
  • Lyle Brandt (1951–2021), (pseudonym of Michael Newton)
  • Peter Brandvold, (pseudonym, Frank Leslie)
  • Matt Braun (1932–2016)
  • Dee Brown (1908–2002)
  • Anthony Burgess (1917–1993)
  • Walter Noble Burns (1866–1932)

C

  • Daniel Carlson (born 1963)
  • David Wynford Carnegie (1871–1900)
  • Forrest Carter (1925–1979)
  • David F. Case (1937–2018)
  • Frank Castle (1910-1994)
  • Willa Cather (1873–1947)
  • Robert W. Chambers (Robert William Chambers) (1865–1933)
  • A.M. Chisholm (1871–1960)
  • Walter van Tilburg Clark (1909–1971)
  • Walt Coburn (1889–1971)
  • Don Coldsmith (1926–2009)
  • Jackson Cole, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
  • Ralph Compton (1934–1999)
  • Robert J. Conley (1940–2014)
  • Will Cook (William Everett Cook) (1921–1964)
  • Courtney Ryley Cooper (1886–1940)
  • James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)
  • Barry Cord, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
  • Ralph Cotton
  • William R. Cox (1901–1988)
  • Bill Crider (1941–2018)
  • Elizabeth Crook (born 1959)
  • James Oliver Curwood (1878–1926)

D

  • Sandra Dallas
  • H. L. Davis (1894–1960)
  • John Deacon
  • J. Frank Dobie (1888–1964)
  • Gary Dobbs (born 1965)
  • Ivan Doig (1939–2015)
  • Harry Sinclair Drago

E

  • J. T. Edson (1928–2014)
  • Edward S. Ellis (Edward Sylvester Ellis) (1840–1916)
  • Louise Erdrich
  • Loren D. Estleman (born 1952)
  • Wade Everett, (pseudonym of Will Cook, Giles A. Lutz)

F

  • Edna Ferber (1885–1968)
  • Norman A. Fox (1911–1960)
  • Ron Franscell (born 1957)

G

  • Brian Garfield (1939–2018)
  • Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954)
  • W. Michael Gear (born 1955)
  • George G. Gilman, (pseudonym of Terry Williams Harknett) (1936–2019)
  • Jean Giraud (1938–2012)
  • Arthur Henry Gooden (1879–1971)
  • Edward Gorman (1941–2016)
  • Jackson Gregory (1882–1943)
  • Dorien Grey
  • Zane Grey (1872–1939)
  • James J. Griffin (born 1949)
  • Jesse Edward Grinstead (1866–1948)
  • Fred Grove (1913–2008)
  • Frank Gruber (1904–1969)
  • A.B. Guthrie, Jr. (1901–1991)

H

  • Derek Haas (born 1970)
  • Mel Hague
  • William Wister Haines (1908–1989)
  • Oakley Hall (1920–2008)
  • Donald Hamilton (1916–2006)
  • Ron Hansen (novelist) (born 1947)
  • Bret Harte (1836–1902)
  • Kent Haruf (1943–2014)
  • Ernest Haycox (1899–1950)
  • Will Henry (Henry Wilson Allen) (1912–1991)
  • Tony Hillerman (1925–2008)
  • Lee Hoffman (1932–2007)
  • Robert E. Howard (1906–1936)
  • Clair Huffaker (1926–1990)

I

  • Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957)
  • Washington Irving (1783–1859)

J

  • Will James, (1892–1942)
  • Paulette Jiles (1943–2025)
  • Craig Johnson (born 1961)
  • Dorothy M. Johnson (1905–1984)
  • Terry C. Johnston (1947–2001)
  • William W. Johnstone (1938–2004)
  • E.Z.C. Judson, (pseudonym of Ned Buntline)

K

  • Jim Kane (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
  • Mike Kearby
  • Elmer Kelton (1926–2009)
  • Charles King (1844–1933)

L

  • Oliver La Farge (1901–1963)
  • Louis L'Amour (1908–1988)
  • Marcial Lafuente Estefanía (1903–1984), (his pen name, M.L. Estefanía, was later borrowed by his sons)
  • Joe R. Lansdale (born 1951)
  • Elmore Leonard (1925–2013)
  • Chuck Lewis (born 1963)
  • Tom Lin (born )
  • Jake Logan (author)
  • Milton Lott (1919–1996)
  • Giles A. Lutz (1910–1982)
  • Francis Lynde (1856–1930)
  • Stan Lynde

M

  • Milo Manara (born 1945)
  • Kat Martin
  • Richard Matheson (1926–2013)
  • Karl May (1842–1912)
  • Ardath Mayhar (1930–2012)
  • Cormac McCarthy (1933-2023)
  • Lucile Saunders McDonald (1898–1992)
  • Michael McGarrity (born 1939)
  • Thomas McGuane (born 1939)
  • Larry McMurtry (1936–2021)
  • Leonard Frank Meares
  • Joaquin Miller (1837–1913)
  • Balduin Möllhausen (1825–1905)
  • Clarence Edward Mulford (1883–1956)

N

  • John D. Nesbitt (born 1948)
  • Frederick Nolan (1931–2022)
  • Frank Norris (1870–1902)
  • Andre Norton (1912–2005)
  • Nelson Nye (Nelson C.(Coral) Nye) (1907–1997)

O

  • Chad Oliver (1928–1993)
  • T.V. Olsen (Theodore V. Olsen) (1932–1993)
  • Frank O'Rourke (1906–1989)
  • Wayne D. Overholser (1906–1996)

P

  • Lauran Paine (1916–2001)
  • Robert B. Parker (1932–2010)
  • Lewis B. Patten (1915–1981)
  • Charles Portis (1933–2020)
  • Bill Pronzini (born 1943)
  • Annie Proulx (born 1935)

R

  • William MacLeod Raine (1871–1954)
  • Robert J Randisi (1951–2024)
  • James Reasoner (born 1953)
  • John H. Reese (1910–1981), (pseudonyms Eddie Abbott, John Jo Carpenter, Camford Cheavly, Camford Sheaveley & Camford Sheavely (chron.))
  • Conrad Richter (1890–1968)
  • Lucia St. Clair Robson (born 1942)
  • Dana Fuller Ross (born 1953)
  • Zola Helen Ross (1912–1989)
  • James L. Rubel (1894-1960)

S

  • Jeff Sadler (1943–2005), (pseudonym of Geoffrey Sadler; also wrote under the pen name Wes Calhoun).
  • M.H. Salmon (1945-2019)
  • Jack Schaefer (1907–1991)
  • Charles Alden Seltzer (1875-1942)
  • Jon Sharpe
  • Luke Short (1908–1975), (pseudonym of Frederick D. Glidden)
  • Jack Slade (publisher house name, pseudonym of Peter B. Germano and others)
  • Frank H. Spearman (1859–1937)
  • Kai Starr (born 1964)
  • John Steinbeck (1902–1968)
  • Wallace Stegner (1909–1993)
  • Louis J. Stellman (1877–1961)
  • Manning Lee Stokes (1911–1976), writing as Ford Worth
  • Charles S. Strong
  • Gary Svee (1943–2019)
  • Glendon Swarthout (1918–1992)

T

  • Robert Lewis Taylor (1912–1998)
  • David Thompson
  • Harlan Howard Thompson
  • Nye Tredgold
  • Clay Turner, (pseudonym of Peter B. Germano)
  • Mark Twain (1835–1910)

V

  • Robert Vaughan
  • Gerald Vizenor, (born 1934)

W

  • Dale L. Walker (1935–2015)
  • Charles Marquis Warren (1912–1990)
  • Larry Watson (writer) (born 1947)
  • Richard S. Wheeler (1935–2019)
  • Harry Whittington (1915–1989)
  • G. Clifton Wisler (1950–2006)
  • Owen Wister (1860–1938)
  • Richard Wormser (1908–1977)

Y

  • R.G. Yoho (born 1959)

Z

  • S. Craig Zahler (born 1973)

Notes

See also

  • Western fiction
  • Western movie
  • List of authors
  • Western Writers of America
  • Western lifestyle