Customer Reviews

The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour: Unabridged Selections from The Frontier Stories: Volume 1

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am 71 years young and have been reading since I was five. I think I have read about every kind of book imaginable. Since I became a mature adult, (about 50 years), one thing has become important to me. That is the ability of the author to hold my attention. I have found only three able to do that and only one consistantly. About ten years ago I started a collection of Louis L'Amour Leather Bound books. I have completed that collection and now I read about forty Louis L'Amour books a year. Every year. The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour have all been written before in other volumes. Sometimes in more than one volume but, if you are going on a trip and you want to read for enjoyment and not take several books along this book meets all requirements. It has several genre's of stories, mainly western, and it leaves a reader feeling accomplished and satisfied after completing a short story.
The world lost a great person and story teller when Louis passed on. I hope his children keep putting out his hidden works and if they do I will certainly add them to my collection, even if they are reprints from other books.

When I was young, I overlooked Louis L'amour simply because he was so popular. My thinking being that a writer this popular must not dwell in the rarified air of the true "artist." Good God Almighty, how ignorant the young can be.

These are great stories, crafted with a sure, firm hand. After reading several of the stories, and enjoying every one, it became clear what made L'amour so enduring a writer. First, the stories are constructed like brick houses. Even the very short ones have within them a clean, pure structure. They always start off at full speed, moving very quickly through conflict and resolution. Also, they are very intriguing stories, meaning that I was curious and eager, in every single one, to discover what happens. Finally, L'amour wrote about real people. Set against the current trend in American literature to create outlandish characters, chalk full of oddball ticks and habits, L'amour's characters seemed somehow all that more memorable.

I don't know about you, but I have lost track of the number of books I have started recently, and after about 100 pages have to admit that 1) I really don't care about any of the characters. 2) I really don't care what happens next, and
3) the author is an oversensitive child, full of tricks and drama but nothing really to say.

Sound familiar? If it does, give this book a try. It's the antidote. These were stories written by a grown man that had lived a real life, and he had something to say. Luckily for us, he was also a great writer with a gift for storytelling.

I am ashamed to admit that this is the first time I ever read anything by Louis L'Amour. I like short stories, so when I saw this for $3 in a cut-rate shop, I figured, "What the heck." I am halfway through and already looking for the next volume so it is at hand when I finish that one. If you are a short story fan, buy the book. It is fabulous. If you are a writer of short stories looking for good examples, buy the book. These stories are very well written. He makes you care about the characters immediately. So much so that I am aften sad that the story is through. I want to read more about these folks! Anyway, I love it.

I have all Louis L'Amour's writings in hardcover, and though these short stories are scattered throughout those 100 books, it is about time they appeared in their own right, in separate hardcover.

The one thing somewhat surprising is of this date, only 5 reviews are listed here for this collection. There are 35 stories in this hardcover, and while they are not all classics, each and everyone is very good, to say the least. And while I've been reading Louis on/off for the last 35 years, it is good to know that a newer generation will still have the reading pleasure he gives.

Louis was writing short stories for pulps and western magazines long before he attempted any novels. He, as with Ernest Hemingway, learned his craft very well. If he hadn't, he would not have been paid, and would have washed out as a writer. While I personally think Louis wrote too many 'non-essential' books, those he has written are all at least readable. I would rather he had spent more time on his Sackett, Talon, & Chantry, series, and less time on other marginal books. For when he died, that series was left unfinished, never to be finished.

A few of my personal favorites from this 1st volume would be: The Gift of Cochise, Trap of Gold, End of the Drive, A Mule for Santa Fe, Ironwood Station, and Beyond the Chaparral.

I've got the 2nd volume on order, and will reread all these stories once again. My favorite short stories of Louis are I believe included in this 2nd volume. For the Chick Bowdre Texas Ranger stories are just about the best Mr. L'Amour ever wrote.

Semper Fi.

hey there. I got this book for christmas '03 and read it like there was no tommorrow. I had recently gotten into western history in-depth sometime before that christmas and was really enjoying the films and shows on the Westerns channel(still do), like the classic and brilliant "Gunsmoke".
My dad had been into western history and life appreciation for most of his life and seeing this same interest developing in me, surprised me with this book. I was over the moon and count it as probably the best present I got that year.
I had recently turned 26, and of course had heard of Louis L'Amour and had seen his countless books over my life almost everywhere, but had never looked at one before. Maybe I wasn't yet ready...
But when I say it was the best present I received, I do mean it. Louis L'Amour's writing opened up an amazing world to me. Not only scenes of wonderous beauty, but also of the stark and forboding as well. His characters bristle with life. The tales are smart, realistic, accurate, compelling and believable. His stories and themes are universal and yet apply so well within the context of the time and settings.
And THAT'S the thing about these stories...
Not that they are just western stories...but they are THE western stories. It is Louis L'Amour's WRITING that so captures the imagination. I can honestly imagine a hundred authors trying to do what he does but only he truly succeeding in the romance and honesty that fill his pieces.
I am an avid reader, and now count Louis L'Amour as one of my favorite authors. I can seriously doubt there are any who write a much better short story than he can. he raises it to an absolute art. His writing sets you free. and that, I hope, may be one of the best things one can say about an author's work.
I realize I sound gushing in my praise, but only because if you are reading this and uncertain if this is a good book, I want you to get it. If it does for you only half the things it did for me, then you will have had a good time for sure.
I will admit I was a complete Louis L'Amour novice upon starting this book, having never read a word of his before. And what a fantastic place to start, too. I look forward to reading more of his books in the future and especially the continued short story collections.
Thanks for the stories Louis. I know you have passed on, but your stories are a true gift to us and an American treasure.
cheers!

I would be a card-carrying Louis L'Amour fanatic if such cards were issued. I have all his books, as well as books about him. I am even working on my own book about his writings and anyone who reads my novels will see his enfluence pretty quickly. (Order my novel from Amazon! "First Time: The Legend of Garison Fitch" by Samuel Ben White.) Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp according to my local zoologist, so it's no surprise that my writing would reflect the great LL after all I have ingested.
When this book came out, though, I had mixed feelings. All of these stories have been collected and published elsewhere. So there is no "new" material here. I debated about whether to buy it or not, but my rabid nature won out and I did.
All that being said, this is a wonderful book. For the price, you get more L'Amour than usual. 35 stories, instead of the usual 10-15 in most of the short story collections--which sell for the same price. The presentation is great, with a clear type and readable kerning.
That's not why you read L'Amour, though. You read L'Amour because he knew how to tell a story. There are no wasted words, no throwaway phrases. Side characters get no more than their due, but in such a way that leaves the reader saying, "Wait! Tell me more about that guy!" You don't say it for long, though, because you can't wait to get to what comes next.
If you have every LL book, your only need for this one is if you are a collection-completer like me. My highest recommendation for this book, though, is for that person who's never read LL and wants a good sample of his work. It's all here: the characterization, the tight plots, the explosive action and the scenic description so exquisite that when his character's lost in the desert you need a glass of water or when she's on a mountain you reach for your coat.

My grandpa used to read these to me when I was in gradeschool from old-fashioned looking books that he had a lot of. He always wanted to read me a whole novel, but I was never visiting long enough so he read me stories and some of the ones I still remember all these years later are in this collection. I have always wanted to write a western and am working on one because I loved them so much as a child. This is a really nice collection that is full of super stories so get it.

An excellent introduction to one of the greatest American storytellers. A very good gift to anyone who admires American Western courage, independence, and sense of honor.

I inherited an affinity for Louis L'Amour stories from my dad - and literally inherited volumes of his books from my dad. I read all kinds of genres and couldn't begin to explain one over the other. I can't explain why a book says 'pick me up and read me.' Sometimes it's the cover, sometimes it's the title...but with L'Amour, it's the name. This volume of short stories is my perfect bedtime read. I don't do well with novels at bedtime - I get caught up in the story and later realize it is 3 a.m. I was thrilled to find a volume of L'Amour's short stories. I read a story and am transported to another time and place (perfect for de-stressing from a long day) and then (satisfied with an ending) I go to sleep. L'Amour has never disappointed me with tales of the old west.

After a mild stroke, my Dad had trouble reading smaller print. Now he is able to read one of his favorite authors with no trouble. A beautiful book!