Western Fiction Genre

Websites | Readers' Advisory Books | Definition | Keywords for Searching


Websites

Read West.com - An online magazine featuring authors and books of western literature. Includes best westers of all time, 50 greatest westerners, Spur Awards, news releases, online bookstore, an author directory with author profiles, and book reviews. -- Review from http://www.readwest.com

Western Writers of America - Founded in 1953 to promote the literature of the American West and bestow Spur Awards for distinguished writing in the western field. Today it has over 500 members who write everything from mainstream fiction to local history. WWA actively helps its members promote their books and articles, and aggressively promotes the literature of the American west, which it considers this country's unique contribution to world literature.
-- Review from http://www.westernwriters.org

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Readers' Advisory Books

Read the High Country

Mort, John. (2006). Read the high country: A guide to western books and films. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.

Covers the entire spectrum of the Western, describing and mapping the genre--from classics to more contemporary and literary "novels of the West" that feature the alluring themes of freedom, individualism, and moral regeneration set against the magnificent backdrop of the Western landscape. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, the book guides users to similar titles and read-alikes. -- Review from http://www.amazon.com

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Definition

Western fiction is defined primarily by being set in the American West in the second half of the 19th century, and secondarily by featuring heroes who are rugged, individualistic horsemen (cowboys). Other genres, such as romance, have subgenres that make use of the Western setting. -- From http://en.wikipedia.org/

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Keywords for Searching

Western stories
Fiction, Western
Stories, Western
Westerns
West (U.S.) Fiction

-- From http://authorities.loc.gov

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