Order of Book Series
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Elmer Kelton Books in Order

74 books are credited to Elmer Kelton, published between 1956 and 2021; 7 of them appeared after Elmer Kelton's death in 2009. The first book is Hot Iron (1956) and the newest is Law of the Land (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
74
Published
1956–2021
Confirmed
74 of 74 titles
Pages on record
14,999 in 60 of 74 books
Reading time
250–375 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 14,999 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 60 of 74 titles with a page count on record.

See all 74 books in order Printable Elmer Kelton checklist
Photo of Elmer Kelton, author

Elmer Kelton (April 29, 1926 - August 22, 2009) was an American writer of Westerns, born in Andrews County, Texas. Kelton graduated from the University of Texas in 1948, edited farm and ranch news at the San Angelo Standard-Times until 1963, and was associate editor of Livestock Weekly from 1968 to 1990. Kelton's novels won seven Spur Awards and three Western Heritage Awards, and Kelton received the Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement. The catalogue holds 74 books from Hot Iron (1956) to Law of the Land (2021), including the Texas Rangers, Texas Tradition and Hewey Calloway series.

How many Elmer Kelton books are there?

Elmer Kelton has 74 books, released between 1956 and 2021. 7 of them were published after Elmer Kelton's death in 2009. They include 6 separate series.

Elmer Kelton Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 74 Elmer Kelton books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Hot Iron by Elmer Kelton, book 1 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1956)
  2. Cover of Buffalo Wagons by Elmer Kelton, book 2 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1957)
  3. Cover of Bitter Trail by Elmer Kelton, book 3 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1959)
  4. Cover of Texas Rifles by Elmer Kelton, book 4 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1960)
  5. Cover of Donovan by Elmer Kelton, book 5 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1961)
  6. Cover of Pecos Crossing by Elmer Kelton, book 6 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1963)
  7. Cover of Massacre at Goliad by Elmer Kelton, book 1 of the Buckalew Family series (1965)
  8. Cover of After the Bugles by Elmer Kelton, book 2 of the Buckalew Family series (1967)
  9. Cover of Captain's Rangers by Elmer Kelton, book 1 of the Tales of Texas series (1968)
  10. Cover of The Day the Cowboys Quit by Elmer Kelton, book 1 of the Texas Tradition series (1971)
  11. Cover of Bowie's Mine by Elmer Kelton, book 11 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1971)
  12. Cover of Wagontongue by Elmer Kelton, book 2 of the Texas Tradition series (1972)
  13. Cover of The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton, book 12 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1973)
  14. Cover of Manhunters by Elmer Kelton, book 3 of the Texas Tradition series (1974)
  15. Cover of Joe Pepper by Elmer Kelton, book 2 of the Tales of Texas series (1975)
  16. Cover of Long Way to Texas by Elmer Kelton, book 3 of the Tales of Texas series (1976)
  17. Cover of The Wolf and the Buffalo by Elmer Kelton, book 4 of the Texas Tradition series (1980)
  18. Cover of Barbed Wire by Elmer Kelton, book 13 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1980)
  19. Cover of Eyes of the Hawk by Elmer Kelton, book 14 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1981)
  20. Cover of The Good Old Boys by Elmer Kelton, book 1 of the Hewey Calloway series (1982)
  21. Cover of Llano River by Elmer Kelton, book 15 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1982)
  22. Cover of Stand Proud by Elmer Kelton, book 5 of the Texas Tradition series (1984)
  23. Cover of Shadow of a Star by Elmer Kelton, book 16 of the Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels series (1984)
  24. Cover of Dark Thicket by Elmer Kelton, book 6 of the Texas Tradition series (1985)
  1. 1
    Hot IronElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #11956 · confirmed 3/4
    1956–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Buffalo WagonsElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #21957 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1957224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Bitter TrailElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #31959 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1959224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Texas RiflesElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #41960 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1960224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    DonovanElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #51961 · 176 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1961176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Pecos CrossingElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #61963 · 170 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1963170
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Horsehead CrossingElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #71963 · confirmed 3/4
    1963–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Massacre at GoliadBuckalew Family #11965 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1965224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    After the BuglesBuckalew Family #21967 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1967192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Captain's RangersTales of Texas #11968 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1968224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Savage GunsElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #81968 · confirmed 3/4
    1968–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Shotgun SettlementElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #101969 · confirmed 3/4
    1969–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Day the Cowboys QuitTexas Tradition #11971 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1971288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Bowie's MineElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #111971 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1971192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Looking Back West: Selections form the Pioneer News-ObserverElmer Kelton Non-Fiction #11972 · confirmed 3/4
    1972–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    WagontongueTexas Tradition #21972 · 239 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1972239
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Time It Never RainedElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #121973 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1973416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    ManhuntersTexas Tradition #31974 · 196 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1974196
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Joe PepperTales of Texas #21975 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1975192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Long Way to TexasTales of Texas #31976 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1976192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Wolf and the BuffaloTexas Tradition #41980 · 424 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1980424
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Barbed WireElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #131980 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1980224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Eyes of the HawkElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #141981 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1981192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Good Old BoysHewey Calloway #11982 · 306 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1982306
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Llano RiverElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #151982 · 192 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1982192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Stand ProudTexas Tradition #51984 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1984320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Shadow of a StarElmer Kelton Standalone Novels #161984 · 160 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1984160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Permian: A Continuing SagaElmer Kelton Non-Fiction #21985 · 127 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1985127
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Elmer Kelton: 30 Years of Western FictionElmer Kelton Non-Fiction #31985 · confirmed 3/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Dark ThicketTexas Tradition #61985 · 188 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1985188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Elmer Kelton books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Elmer Kelton Standalone Novels

25 books

25 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Elmer Kelton Non-Fiction

13 books

13 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Texas Rangers in order

9 books
  1. 1. The Buckskin Line
  2. 2. Badger Boy
  3. 3. The Way of the Coyote
  4. 4. Ranger's Trail
  5. 5. Texas Vendetta
  6. 6. Jericho's Road
  7. 7. Hard Trail To Follow
  8. 8. Other Men's Horses
  9. 9. Texas Standoff

Texas Tradition in order

8 books
  1. 1. The Day the Cowboys Quit
  2. 2. Wagontongue
  3. 3. Manhunters
  4. 4. The Wolf and the Buffalo
  5. 5. Stand Proud
  6. 6. Dark Thicket
  7. 7. The Man Who Rode Midnight
  8. 8. Honor at Daybreak

Elmer Kelton Short Story

8 books

8 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Tales of Texas in order

3 books
  1. 1. Captain's Rangers
  2. 2. Joe Pepper
  3. 3. Long Way to Texas

Hewey Calloway in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Good Old Boys
  2. 2. The Smiling Country
  3. 3. Six Bits a Day

Sons of Texas in order

3 books
  1. 1. Sons of Texas
  2. 2. The Raiders
  3. 3. The Rebels

Buckalew Family in order

2 books
  1. 1. Massacre at Goliad
  2. 2. After the Bugles

Do you have to read Elmer Kelton books in order?

You only need to read Elmer Kelton books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Elmer Kelton

Start with Hot Iron (1956), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Elmer Kelton book?

Law of the Land (2021) is the newest Elmer Kelton book released so far.

Is there a new Elmer Kelton book coming?

No next Elmer Kelton book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Elmer Kelton at a glance

Died
Elmer Kelton died in 2009, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Elmer Kelton are still being published after Elmer Kelton's death in 2009; the newest appeared in 2021.
Release pace
Elmer Kelton books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
14,999 pages across the 60 of 74 books with a recorded length, a median of 240 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Elmer Kelton books, 18 of 74, were published in the 1990s.

What the Elmer Kelton books are about

62 of the 74 Elmer Kelton books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: westerns is tagged on 41 of 62. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.