My husband reads talking books all the time. He received a Elmer Kelton Western from the Library for the Blind and was hooked on Kelton's writing. Elmer Kelton writes in such a way that you can picture yourself in the middle of the action, sweating because he says it is hot, or thirsty because the cowboys are out in the hot Texas sun. You feel the emotions he poured into his characters and can find yourself teary-eyed when something happens to one of them. I have never listened to such awesome story telling details as Elmer Kelton wrote. My husband has requested every Elmer Kelton book from the library and can't wait until the next one arrives.
Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.
LIST OF ELMER KELTON BOOKS:Hot Iron. New York: Ballantine, 1955
Buffalo Wagons. New York: Ballantine, 1956; London: Four Square, 1960. Spur Award 1957
Shadow of a Star. New York: Ballantine, 1959; London: Four Square, 1961.
The Texas Rifles. New York: Ballantine, 1960; London: Four Square, 1960.
Donovan. New York: Ballantine, 1961; London: New English Library, 1962.
Bitter Trail. New York: Ballantine, 1962.
Horsehead Crossing. New York: Ballantine, 1963.
Massacre at Goliad. New York: Ballantine, 1965; London: New English Library, 1967.
Llano River. New York: Ballantine, 1966; London: Panther, 1968.
After the Bugles. New York: Ballantine, 1967.
Captain's Rangers. New York: Ballantine, 1968: London: Arrow, 1971.
Hanging Judge. New York: Ballantine, 1969.
Shotgun Settlement. New York: Paperback Library, 1969. Writing as Alex Hawk.
The Day the Cowboys Quit. New York: Doubleday, 1971. Spur Award 1971
Bowie's Mine. New York: Ballantine, 1971.
Wagontongue. New York: Ballantine, 1972.
Looking Back West. San Angelo: The Talley Press, 1972.
The Time It Never Rained. New York: Doubleday, 1973. Spur Award and Western Heritage Award
Manhunters. New York: Ballantine, 1974.
Joe Pepper. New York: Doubleday, 1975. Writing as Lee McElroy.
Long Way to Texas. New York: Doubleday, 1975. Writing as Lee McElroy.
The Good Old Boys. New York: Doubleday, 1978.
Barbed Wire. New York: Ballantine, 1979.
The Wolf and the Buffalo. New York, Doubleday, 1980.
Eyes of the Hawk. New York: Doubleday, 1981. Writing as Lee McElroy. Tie for Spur Award 1981
Frank C. McCarthy: The Old West. Trumbull, Conn.: Greenwich Press, 1981.
Stand Proud. New York: Doubleday, 1984.
Dark Thicket. New York: Doubleday, 1985.
The Big Brand. New York: Bantam, 1986.
There's Always a Second Chance. San Angelo: Fort Concho Museum Press, 1986.
The Man Who Rode Midnight. New York: Doubleday, 1987. Western Heritage Award
Sons of Texas. New York: Berkley Books, 1989. Writing as Tom Early.
Sons of Texas, Book Two, The Raiders. New York: Berkley Books, 1989. Writing as Tom Early.
Sons of Texas, Book Three, The Rebels. New York: Berkley Books, 1990. Writing as Tom Early.
Honor at Daybreak. New York: Doubleday, 1991.
Slaughter. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Spur Award 1992
The Art of Howard Terpning. New York and Trumbull, Conn.: Bantam-Greenwich Workshop, 1992.
Elmer Kelton Country: The Short Nonfiction of a Texas Novelist. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1993.
The Art of James Bama. New York and Trumbull, Conn.: Bantam-Greenwich Workshop, 1993.
The Indian in Frontier News. San Angelo: The Tally Press, 1993.
The Far Canyon. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Spur Award 1994
My Kind of Heroes: Selected Speeches by Elmer Kelton. Austin, Texas: State House Press, 1995.
The Pumpkin Rollers. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1996.
Cloudy in the West. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1997.
The Smiling Country. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1998.
The Buckskin Line. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1999.
Badger Boy, New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 2001.
The Way of the Coyote , New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 2001.
Any opportunity you might get to read a Elmer Kelton book I would highly recommend these Westerned themed works of art. Elmer Kelton was a one-of-a-kind author!
