The Greatest Books of All Time Set in West (U.S.)

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
558 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Dee Alexander Brown 1970 American English
623 Lonesome Dove Larry McMurtry 1985 American English
886 Riders of the Purple Sage Zane Grey 1912 American English
1928 The Frontier in American History Frederick J. Turner 1920 American English
2098 The Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver 1988 American English
2300 Journals Meriwether Lewis, William Clark 1804 American English
2534 Into the Wild Jon Krakauer 1996 American English
3313 Roughing It Mark Twain 1872 American English
3400 Great Plains Ian Frazier 1989 American English
5854 The Oregon Trail Francis Parkman 1849 American English
6490 A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains Isabella L. Bird 1879 British English
8023 Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner 1986 American English
9892 Bad Land Jonathan Raban 1996 British English
15718 The Exploration of the Colorado River John Wesley Powell 1875 American English
16721 Life in the Far West George Frederick Ruxton 1849 British English
17119 Across the Wide Missouri Bernard A. DeVoto 1947 American English
16816 The Adventures of Captain Bonneville Washington Irving 1837 American English
17044 Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Conditions of the North American Indians George Catlin 1841 American English
17085 Narrative of a Journey Across the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River John Kirk Townsend 1839 American English
17119 Exploration and Empire William H. Goetzmann 1966 American English