List of Western fiction authors

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

 * Edward Abbey (1927–1989)
 * 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 (born 1947)
 * 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 (born 1932)
 * 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)
 * Willa Cather (1873–1947)
 * Robert W. Chambers (Robert William Chambers) (1865–1933)
 * A.M. Chisholm (1871–1960)
 * Walter van Tilburg Clark (1909–1971)
 * Robbie Coburn (born 1994)
 * 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)
 * 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 (born 1943)
 * 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 1936)
 * Tom Lin (born c. 1996)
 * 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)
 * Lorin Morgan-Richards (born 1975)
 * 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)
 * Robert O'Hanlin (2003-2023)

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 (born 1951)
 * 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)

Z

 * S. Craig Zahler (born 1973)