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The PublicBookshelf western book category covers a wide variety of fiction topics from cowboys to contemporary western stories. Read books online free.

Westerns are stories whose settings occur in the Wild West of America's history. The period these stories are set in span from the pre-Civil War days to the end of the Indian Wars in 1890. The stories center on conflicts, which can involve cowboys and Indians, ranchers and settlers, or gunslingers and the local law enforcement.

The plot lines of western stories usually follow a pattern of good and honorable protagonist prevailing over the uneducated and evil antagonist. Good and bad characters may also be determined by their method of dress, color of clothing and the faithful steed that they ride. The good guys are always wearing white and they fight the injustices on the prairie or in their small towns. The bad guys tend to wear black, ride ill-mannered horses and are prone to drinking and shooting up the town. Of course, that is in addition to robbing banks and scaring unsuspecting settlers on the outskirts of town.

Even though westerns may seem to follow a certain formula, writers are forever thinking up new twists on old themes. New westerns may have the good guy losing, the bad guys winning, and Indians seeking revenge for wrongdoings perpetrated by the Calvary. Just when you thought all westerns were the same, PublicBookshelf rides in with a new posse of talented writers.

So sit down, shake the dust off your boots, and hop along to the Internet to browse our selection of new and exciting Western titles.

 Total "9" Results - Sort by:
Rating Title/Author

The Gentleman from Indiana
Booth Tarkington

Rating: 3.1/5
(30 votes cast)

The Gentleman from Indiana
by Booth Tarkington

A fresh young face in the newspaper business, John Harkless believes in printing the truth. His policy is dangerous in a town terrorized by bandits who attack the journalist and leave him for dead. It is up to his girlfriend Helen to run the paper and find out what really happened to John.

Categories: Romance, Western, Western Romance

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The Girl from Montana
Grace Livingston Hill

Rating: 3.0/5
(61 votes cast)

The Girl from Montana
by Grace Livingston Hill

Alone in the Montana mountains, Elizabeth hides from the man who has threatened her life. She rides East, seeking shelter with grandparents she has never met. Her journey takes many twists and turns, and she always remembers the kind man who rides with her for part of her journey.

Categories: Romance, Western, Western Romance

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Riders of the Purple Sage
Zane Grey

Rating: 2.8/5
(41 votes cast)

Riders of the Purple Sage
by Zane Grey

Jane Withersteen, Mormon-born Utah native, goes against her church when she befriends a young Gentile rider, Venters. He is trailing the mysterious Masked Rider through the Old West. Both Venters and a notorious gunman named Lassiter bring adventure, intrigue, and romance to the Withersteen ranch.

Categories: Romance, Western, Western Romance

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The Heritage of the Desert
Zane Grey

Rating: 2.7/5
(7 votes cast)

The Heritage of the Desert
by Zane Grey

Coming to Utah for healing, New Englander John Hare thinks he has found it with a Mormon family and the beautiful Indian girl Mescal. But when he learns Mescal is promised to one of his rescuers, his loyalties are tested. Can he woo Mescal without alienating the very people who are protecting him?

Categories: Western, Western Romance

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Desert Gold
Zane Grey

Rating: 2.7/5
(32 votes cast)

Desert Gold
by Zane Grey

Which is the true treasure, love or money? Prospecting in an Arizona border town, Richard Gale sees the possibilities of passion and gold when he finds himself trying to save a beautiful Spanish heiress from a Mexican bandit.

Categories: Romance, Western, Western Romance

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The Lighted Match
Charles Neville Buck

Rating: 2.6/5
(28 votes cast)

The Lighted Match
by Charles Neville Buck

Traveling in disguise, a beautiful princess travels through the United States and finds herself falling in love with an American man. Though bound to another across the water, she struggles to free herself to be with her true love in America.

Categories: Romance, Western, Western Romance

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Fascinating Colorado
Bonnie Marie DeWolfe

Rating: 2.6/5
(29 votes cast)

Fascinating Colorado
by Bonnie Marie DeWolfe

This collection of fascinating mini trips is filled with engaging travel facts about Colorado, engaging stories of Colorado's rich history and tall tales of people, lost treasure and ghosts.

Categories: History, Western, Other Non-fiction

The Daughter of a Magnate
Frank Hamilton Spearman

Rating: 2.4/5
(28 votes cast)

The Daughter of a Magnate
by Frank Hamilton Spearman

An accomplished railroad engineer woos a beautiful heiress to a railroad fortune in this Western romance. The would-be lovers must survive freezing gales, blocked train tracks and driving blizzards in their quest to be together.

Categories: Romance, Western, Western Romance

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Dwellers in the Hills
Melville Davisson Post

Rating: 1.4/5
(9 votes cast)

Dwellers in the Hills
by Melville Davisson Post

Climb into the mountains of West Virginia in the days before settlers changed the landscape forever and discover what love of the land has in common with love of a woman. Also uncover the mystery of oft-told legends that speak of dwarfs inhabiting these hills long before men came along.

Categories: Western, Western Romance

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