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Louis L’Amour, the "laureate of the lariat," was born on this day in history, March 22, 1908.
A veteran of World War II, L’Amour worked as an elephant handler, miner, merchant seaman, animal skinner, lumberjack and professional boxer along his journey.
His breakout novel, "Hondo," was published in 1953.
It was his novelization of the screenplay and film of the same name starring John Wayne based on L’Amour’s 1952 short story "The Gift of Cochise."
"Hondo" was published the day the movie hit screens with a blurb from John Wayne stating that "Hondo" was the finest Western he had ever read.
During his lifetime, Louis L’Amour published over 100 works, including "Last of the Breed," one of the four novels that directly influenced my own thriller, "Savage Son."
Bestselling author Jack Carr (right) shares his appreciation for famed writer Louis L'Amour (1908-1988), who "worked as an elephant handler, miner, merchant seaman, animal skinner, lumberjack and professional boxer" all before he became a prolific author of Western novels. (Getty Images/Simon & Schuster)
The first and last chapters of "Last of the Breed" are nothing short of brilliant.
Louis L’Amour was presented with the National Gold Medal for lifetime literary achievement by Congress in 1983 and the Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
His life and work continue to influence many others today.
Get to know the man behind the books through his autobiography, "Education of a Wandering Man."
Author Louis L'Amour (center) is shown with guests at a party hosted by his publisher, Bantam Books, in Los Angeles. L'Amour wrote over 100 books during his lifetime. He thought of himself, he said, "in the oral tradition — as a troubadour, a village taleteller, the man in the shadows of the campfire." (© Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images)
Said Louis L'Amour," "I think of myself in the oral tradition — as a troubadour, a village taleteller, the man in the shadows of the campfire. That’s the way I’d like to be remembered — as a storyteller. A good storyteller."
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More facts about Louis L'Amour
The man who would become Louis L'Amour grew up in the fading days of the American frontier, according to a website devoted to L'Amour's life and books.
He was born Louis Dearborn LaMoore on March 22, 1908, the youngest of seven children in the family of Dr. Louis Charles LaMoore and Emily Dearborn LaMoore.
For the first 15 years of his life, his home was in Jamestown, North Dakota, a farming community.
"Though the LaMoore household had a modest collection of books, it was at the nearby Alfred Dickey Free Library, where his eldest sister, Edna, was a librarian, that Louis spent many long hours exploring in depth subjects only touched on by the schools," notes louislamour.com.
"The idea of education has been so tied to schools, universities and professors that many assume there is no other way, but education is available to anyone within reach of a library, a post office or even a newsstand."
He studied history and the natural sciences.
He read the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Edgar Rice Burroughs and many others.
He allowed himself to be carried away "to the south seas, the gold fields of the Yukon, the Spanish Main, the center of the Earth and the dying red planet of Mars."
One of America's bestselling Western novelists, Louis L'Amour, is shown holding up his book "The Californians" at his home in California. (© Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images)
At age 15 he quit school — and roamed the West, holding a wide variety of jobs.
In his memoir published posthumously, "Education of a Wandering Man," L'Amour touted the benefits of personal education.
"The idea of education has been so tied to schools, universities and professors that many assume there is no other way, but education is available to anyone within reach of a library, a post office or even a newsstand," he wrote.
"Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more."
He also wrote, "Somewhere back down the years, I decided, or my nature decided for me, that I would be the teller of stories."
L'Amour went on to become the bestselling author of more than 100 books. His Westerns were popular because of their meticulously researched portrayals of frontier life.
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At least 30 of his books, according to several sources, became the basis of films, including "Kilkenny" (1954), "Guns of the Timberland" (1955), "The Burning Hills" (1956), and "How the West Was Won" (1963).
None of Louis L’Amour’s Bantam titles have ever been out of print, according to the official L'Amour website.
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He died in 1988 at the age of 80.
One of his best quotes is this: "Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more."
This is the first in a series for Fox News Digital that bestselling novelist Jack Carr is writing in 2023 about key figures and moments in history. Stay tuned for more!
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