Who Is Louis L'Amour? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Born on March 22, 1908, Louis L'Amour was an esteemed American novelist and short story writer known for his extensive contributions to the Western genre. He passed away on June 10, 1988, leaving behind a rich legacy of literature that continues to captivate readers worldwide. L'Amour's storytelling prowess allowed him to sell more than 330 million copies of his works, making him a literary icon.
| Occupation | Memoirist |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | March 22, 1908 |
| Age | 80 Years |
| Birth Place | Jamestown, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 10 June, 1988 |
| Died Place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Popularity
Louis L'Amour's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details of Louis L'Amour's height and weight during his lifetime are not easily accessible, he was often described as having a rugged, outdoorsman appearance, fitting for a writer of Western novels. His robust physical presence complemented the adventurous spirit that infused his tales.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Louis L'Amour was married to Kathleen, his beloved wife, for many years. Together they raised their children and created a supportive family dynamic that influenced L'Amour's writing. While specific details of his dating life before marriage are scarce, it's clear that his familial relationships played a pivotal role throughout his life.
His mother had Irish ancestry, while his father was of French-Canadian descent. His father had arrived in Dakota Territory in 1882. Although the area around Jamestown was mostly farm land, cowboys and livestock often traveled through Jamestown on their way to or from ranches in Montana and the markets to the east.
Louis played "Cowboys and Indians" in the family barn, which served as his father's veterinary hospital, and spent much of his free time at the local library, the Alfred E. Dickey Free Library, particularly reading the works of 19th-century British historical boys' author G. A. Henty.
L'Amour once said, "[Henty's works] enabled me to go into school with a great deal of knowledge that even my teachers didn't have about wars and politics."
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his passing, Louis L'Amour's estimated net worth was around $20 million. His wealth stemmed not only from his prolific writing career but also from film adaptations of his novels and various licensing deals. Many of his books have continued to sell posthumously, generating ongoing income through royalties and adaptations.
He had success with poetry, articles on boxing and writing and editing sections of the WPA Guide Book to Oklahoma, but the dozens of short stories he was churning out met with little acceptance.
Finally, L'Amour placed a story, Death Westbound, in "10 Story Book", a magazine that featured what was supposed to be quality writing (Jack Woodford, author of several books on writing, is published in the same edition as L'Amour) alongside scantily attired or completely naked young women.
Several years later, L'Amour placed his first story for pay, Anything for a Pal, published in True Gang Life. Two lean disappointing years passed after that, and then, in 1938, his stories began appearing in pulp magazines fairly regularly.
Career, Business, and Investments
L'Amour's illustrious career as a writer began in the 1930s, with his first published work appearing in 1935. He honed his craft through various publications, ultimately specializing in the Western genre. His relentless work ethic and dedication to storytelling allowed him to publish over 100 novels and more than 250 short stories. Beyond writing, L'Amour also ventured into screenwriting and worked with major film studios to bring his stories to life on the big screen.
In addition, he was astutely aware of the publishing industry's dynamics and made several smart investments that contributed to his financial success.
L'Amour continued as an itinerant worker, traveling the world as a merchant seaman until the start of World War II. During World War II, he served in the United States Army as a lieutenant with the 362nd Quartermaster Truck Company. In the two years before L'Amour was shipped off to Europe, L'Amour wrote stories for Standard Magazine.
After World War II, L'Amour continued to write stories for magazines; his first after being discharged in 1946 was Law of the Desert Born in Dime Western Magazine (April 1946).
L'Amour's contact with Leo Margulies led to L'Amour agreeing to write many stories for the Western pulp magazines published by Standard Magazines, a substantial portion of which appeared under the name "Jim Mayo".
The suggestion of L'Amour writing Hopalong Cassidy novels also was made by Margulies who planned on launching Hopalong Cassidy's Western Magazine at a time when the William Boyd films and new television series were becoming popular with a new generation. L'Amour read the original Hopalong Cassidy novels, written by Clarence E.
Mulford, and wrote his novels based on the original character under the name "Tex Burns". Only two issues of the Hopalong Cassidy Western Magazine were published, and the novels as written by L'Amour were extensively edited to meet Doubleday's thoughts of how the character should be portrayed in print.
Strongly disagreeing—L'Amour preferred Mulford's original, much rougher characterization of Cassidy—for the rest of his life he denied authoring the novels.
Social Network
Louis L'Amour's impact extended beyond just novels. He built a strong following through book clubs, fan interactions, and literary societies dedicated to his work. In 2025, platforms like Goodreads and social media sites have continued to keep his legacy alive, as fans share quotes, insights, and book discussions surrounding his influential works.
Louis Dearborn L'Amour (né LaMoore; March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988) was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series.
L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings.
At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".
Education
Though Louis L'Amour did not complete a formal college education, he was an avid reader and learner throughout his life. His self-directed studies and diverse experiences—ranging from his youth in the Great Depression to his travels across the American West—allowed him to acquire extensive knowledge that enriched his writing.
"I have no argument that L'Amour's total sales have probably surpassed every other author of Western fiction in the history of the genre. Indeed, at the time of his death his sales had topped 200,000,000. What I would question is the degree and extent of his effect 'upon the American Imagination'.
His Western fiction is strictly formulary and frequently, although not always, features the ranch romance plot where the hero and the heroine are to marry at the end once the villains have been defeated.
Not only is there nothing really new in the basic structure of his stories, even L'Amour's social Darwinism, which came to characterize his later fiction, was scarcely original and was never dramatized in other media the way it was in works based on Zane Grey's fiction."
