[ammodotcom]

L'Amour was born Louis Dearborn LaMoore in 1908 in Jamestown, North Dakota. He's the seventh child of a large animal veterinarian, farm equipment broker, and local politician and his wife. Cowboys were a regular feature in L'Amour's early life. His favorite fame was "cowboys and Indians," but the genuine article regularly passed through Jamestown on their way from the ranches of Montana to the markets back east.

In addition to his surroundings and daily life, L'Amour was also taken with his grandfather's tales of combat during the United States Civil War and against hostile Indian tribes during the taming of the American West. What's more, education and learning were well prized in the LaMoore household. The young L'Amour, an avid reader of Jack London, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Robert Louis Stevenson, sopped up information like a sponge on topics ranging from literature to animal husbandry.

At 15, the LaMoore family fell on hard times and Louis was forced to leave school. Over the next eight years, L'Amour would make money skinning cattle, working in mines, baling hay, and lumberjacking.

When the family needed a little extra money to move to the next town, L'Amour would try his hand at boxing. He continued to coach fighters even after his career was over, including a team from the Army who made it to the Tournament of Champions under his tutelage.

Later, he struck out on his own, finding work as an itinerant laborer and living the hobo life. His travels took him all the way to Egypt, Borneo, Japan, China, and Panama.

[Little Ray]

Louis L’Amour was a prolific writer period. He wrote hundreds of novels about everything from sports to bare-knuckle tramp steamer captains.
And he had the personal experience and knowledge to do so!

But the Westerns made him the most money and garnered him the most fame.

[TexasM1A]

Loved the Sackett books growing up.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

Quite a fellow. I still like to read a book by him from time to time.

[ifinnegan]

I’ve never read anything by this guy or Zane Grey.

Which book of L’Amour’s does anyone recommend?

[ifinnegan]

Thanks to all of you who responded.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Bookmark

[Joe Boucher]

The Sackett series are a fantastic read

[Sawdring]

I went to South Dakota during my 9th grade summer and picked up one of his books at a gas station. I read it, bought two more on the trip and proceeded to collect all of his novels. During college my mom threw them all out, I wish I had that shelf back.

[LegendHasIt]

I pretty much spent my weekly allowance on Louis L’Amour books in high school.... And way back then, they cost 35 cents for a new paperback.

All of them are worth a read, and yeah, the Sackett family series is great.... But for some reason, “Rileys Luck” was my favorite back then, although I couldn’t tell you why now.

I suppose Louis L’Amour is more responsible for forming my value system than any other author, although Horatio Alger’s and ‘Arthur M. Winfield’s’ books from my father’s youth had a lot to do with it too.

[Down South P.E.]

My favorite author hands down.

[LouAvul]

the seventh child of a large animal veterinarian

His dad was fat? What's that got to do with anything?

(Kidding. It's just the way the sentence is worded.)