The Louis L'Amour Companion [Paperback]

Robert Weinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1992

A companion reference on the life and work of Louis L'Amour features an interview with the late author, essays on various facets of his writings, a biographical profile, a chronicle of his literary career, an annotated checklist of works, and more. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Here is the book that Louis L'Amour fans everywhere have been eagerly awaiting. The Louis L'Amour Companion chronicles the extraordinary life and career of America's favorite storyteller, from his early days as a pulp fiction writer to his well-earned place as one of history's best-selling authors.

Biographical sketches, rare out-of-print articles, previously unpublished correspondence, and personal recollections and reviews by fellow writers such as Harlan Ellison, Ed Gorman, and Judith Tarr reveal as never before the larger-than-life story of the real man behind the legendary fiction. Inside you'll find a treasure trove of information unavailable in any other single source, including:

L'Amour's first published story--never before collected in book form.

A complete chronicle of L'Amour's novels and short stories, including synopses, publication dates, and histories.

A listing of rare, still uncollected L'Amour stories.

A checklist of L'Amour novels and stories adapted to film, television, and audiotape.

Rare photos of L'Amour, memories, and memorabilia.

For both collectors and fans of L'Amour's great fiction, The Louis L'Amour Companion is the next best thing to sitting beside the fire with your favorite storyteller. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Here is the book that Louis L'Amour fans everywhere have been eagerly awaiting. The Louis L'Amour Companion chronicles the extraordinary life and career of America's favorite storyteller, from his early days as a pulp fiction writer to his well-earned place as one of history's best-selling authors.



Biographical sketches, rare out-of-print articles, previously unpublished correspondence, and personal recollections and reviews by fellow writers such as Harlan Ellison, Ed Gorman, and Judith Tarr reveal as never before the larger-than-life story of the real man behind the legendary fiction. Inside you'll find a treasure trove of information unavailable in any other single source, including:



L'Amour's first published story--never before collected in book form.



A complete chronicle of L'Amour's novels and short stories, including synopses, publication dates, and histories.



A listing of rare, still uncollected L'Amour stories.



A checklist of L'Amour novels and stories adapted to film, television, and audiotape.



Rare photos of L'Amour, memories, and memorabilia.



For both collectors and fans of L'Amour's great fiction, The Louis L'Amour Companion is the next best thing to sitting beside the fire with your favorite storyteller. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: Andrews Mcmeel Pub (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836279964
• ISBN-13: 978-0836279962
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,877,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born on August 29, 1946, making me one of the famous "baby boomer" generation. I attended Hillside High School in New Jersey, then got my B.S. degree in mathematics at Stevens Institute of Technology. I later obtained by M.S. in mathematics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where I taught math for two years. I was working on my Ph.D. in Number Theory at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago when I met my (future) wife Phyllis in 1972. We were married in 1973 and I left college to start my own business. I ran three very successful corporations after leaving college and did some writing on the side. When I was 40, I decided I wanted to concentrate more on writing fiction, which I had done in college but had abandoned afterwards. So I started writing novels in 1986. My first book, THE DEVIL'S AUCTION, was published in 1998 and I've written another 15 novels since then. I'm probably best known as the author of a popular trilogy I wrote for White Wolf Games entitled THE MASQUERADE OF THE RED DEATH. These three novels have been published in a number of different languages (including French, German, Spanish and Hungarian) and I've gotten well over 1,000 fan letters about them since they first appeared.

I also have written 17 non-fiction books, many of them in the pop-science field with my friend, Lois H. Gresh. And, in my spare time, I've edited around 150 anthologies. I like to keep busy!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER VIEWPOINT CONCERNING THIS BOOK., May 3, 2010

By 

Kay's Husband (Virginia, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Louis L'Amour Companion (Paperback)

Let's get a few things straight at the beginning: I am a Louis L'Amour reader have been for some time now, I also have most of his writings in the hardcover Bantam Library editions. I also think he wrote very good, sometimes excellent books. No, I do not feel as the author of this companion feels that Louis L'Amour was the best western writer ever. Also in lieu of the other two reviews here, this book is very much for his fans, and no, definitely No, this book should not be skipped, IT IS VERY MUCH FOR HIS FANS.

Further this is not a book written by Louis L'Amour, nor is it a book detailing his books, such as the Sackett Companion does, nor is it a strict chronological listing of his works. Let's see have I missed anything, well probably so but if so we'll try to sort more through it as we go along.

The book has several sections or chapters as will quickly be seen. The book has a complete chronology of not only his books and novels but also of his life. You would kinda expect that in a companion volume. However, the book also goes beyond the biographical details having out-of-print articles, interviews, and written, personal recollections from other authors, such as Ed Gorman, and Jon Tuska, as well as several other writers. There is also a short section of letters by L'Amour from his time in service during World War II. There are also a couple interviews with Louis L'Amour. I cannot imagine that the 'true' fan of L'Amour's writings will want to shun this book. If one does not read it cover-to-cover as one of Louis' westerns just leafing through picking sections which stand out will more than serve the book's purpose and usefulness.

I bought a couple copies of this paperback in '94 when it came out, lost them in a move from Ohio to Virginia a few year back, and just today found a copy at our local Goodwill. I am thankful that I now have a copy back on the shelves with the rest of L'Amour's writings. In fact other than Louis' own autobiographical writings this is the only compendium I have of this type. I do so because of the various material within the book.

In closing you may remember I said I could not say Louis L'Amour, for all his greatness, was the 'best' of the western field, well that is mainly due to my having hundreds, possibly thousands of westerns fiction and non-fiction on my home library shelves. I have western books and writings for instance by Frank Bonham, Luke Short, Ray Hogan, Peter Field, Ralph Cotton, Fred Grove, Robert Randisi, and Frank O'Rourke among many many others. To say that Louis L'Amour was the greatest would be almost like saying Babe Ruth was the best of all time in baseball. Clearly not possible nor is it true. Louis was and will forever remain as the British often say, a first among equals.

But Louis L'Amour fans should not avoid this book, you do so at your own loss.

Semper Fi.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Louis L'Amour Companion, January 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Louis L'Amour Companion (Paperback)

I found this book entertaining and informative. I have just begun to scratch the surface of quality westerns and this book allows some insite to one of the genre's best writers. If you do like Louis L'Amour and want to understand the background concerning this man... don't pass this up.

10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for fans, August 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Louis L'Amour Companion (Paperback)

This book might be useful if you want to know the chronology of L'Amour's works, but it offers very little else for readers who are familiar with his books. The author's opinions about the value of particular stories might lead you to skip some very enjoyable reading. If you have read L'Amour and like his work, skip this book.