I was trying to find a way to describe my relationship with the works of Louis L'Amour. At one point in my life I believe I owned a copy of everything L'Amour had published. But owning and reading are two very different things.

I have <em>not</em> read everything Louis L'Amour has written. In fact I've read very little, given his body work, but I I've liked everything I've read. It often comes down to the genre as much as anything else. I like western fiction and when I'm in the mood for a western I'm most likely to pick up a L'Amour novel. But I'm not a western <em>fan</em> - constantly reading westerns - but I am a fan of good story-telling, and Louis L'Amour is a good storyteller.

Since Louis L'Amour's death in 1988, Beau L'Amour, Louis' son, has been the overseer of the estate. And like almost every writer I've ever known, Louis left an awful lot of unfinished manuscripts. Beau has sorted through pile of manuscripts and shares with us.

This is a fascinating look at the process of an established author. We have here sometimes a few chapters of a novel, sometimes the treatment for a screenplay, sometimes a chapter followed by notes on where the story would go or notes with questions about a character and his motivation. And in a t least one instance we have multiple starts to a story.

I don't know that I have a favorite ... how can you have a favorite when it's a collection of unfinished work? But I think "Trail of Tears: The First Seven Chapters of a Historical Novel" is among the most interesting. Aside from being the most complete work included here, Beau L'Amour notes that this was one of Louis' attempts to break out of being labelled as a 'western' writer. It also includes a breakdown of all the major plot points of the book which ends with the note to himself: "Begin writing tomorrow and do 1,000 words of the beginning. Do them over. Begin with action, poetry, power. Create a character worth reading about."

Also of great interest is "Samsara: Three Beginnings for an Adventure Novel, and a Treatment" because it gives us a look at how a story changed as L'Amour rewrote it. Though Beau does comment (on a different story included here):

“There were so many rewrites that I could see the storytelling begin to deteriorate; even as he got certain aspects of the plot nailed down, he began to take others so much for granted that he glossed over them, probably because he knew them too well by then. Louis did not like rewriting for this exact reason -- unless a writer truly enjoys revision (and he did not), too many drafts can suck the life out of a story before it ever gets going.”

Reading all the stories that weren't westerns here, I wondered why neither he nor his publisher never had L'Amour use a pseudonym. Certainly the name L'Amour was bankable, but clearly the man was a talented writer and his adventure novels or historical fiction might have done very well under another name (think Stephen King and his work as Richard Bachman).

All in all, this was a wonderful read and every budding writer should look at this as a textbook on the writing process, and fans of L'Amour will rightfully look at this as the treasures the title suggests.

Looking for a good book?<em> Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures Volume 1</em> is a wonderful collection of unfinished stories and novels by one of the great storytellers of our time.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I usually write long reviews that go on and on, but there just aren't enough words to explain the beauty of this book. I was never a Louis L'Amour fan personally until my Dad turned me on to his novels and stories. This collection is not only a tribute to the power and beauty of his writing but the hope of what Beau provides carrying on his traditions. I loved the history of this book combined with manuscripts and stories. A great read for L'Amour lovers!

I really enjoyed this collection of Louise L'amour's writings. I liked that they were previously unseen a.d showed many of his different types of writings.

Long have I loved Louis L'Amour's tales and thus looked forward to dipping into this treasury; it was different from but more than what I had expected. In the first place, these are all fragments, some more complete than others, and you must use your own imagination to create an ending for most, although there are hints dropped in some of his notes on how they might have been resolved. Interspersed with the tales are biographical details which expand the depths of story backgrounds while tossing in flotsam and jetsam of the lives Louis lived before becoming husband, father, author.

In this highly informative, mind expanding, delightful volume, you are invited to travel the seven seas and wander the mysterious East, delve into the sinister pre- and post-war intrigues of the Pacific and, yes, visit a few cowboys along the way. Every type of fiction imaginable was explored by Mr. L'Amour and, as shared by his son Beau, it is likely not all fiction! My impression is that Beau enjoyed a delightful childhood listening to his father spin yarns.

I had requested this from Netgalley when I stumbled across it in their listings, and hadn't realized quite how massive a compendium had been compiled; and this is listed as Volume I! One can only imagine what secrets might lurk in a second volume. FABULOUS!

“A man had to talk to somebody and most cow-horses received a lot of confidential chatter which they were in no position to repeat.”
A prolific writer like Louis L’Amour almost always leaves behind unfinished stories and drafts of ideas. His son Beau has gone through all the writings Louis L’Amour has left behind and released 22 “Lost Treasures,” even though they were sure to “frustrate” the readers. Some of the stories get you very interested in just a chapter or two and then they end. Beau fills in the gaps with what he knows from his father’s life, times of other writings and stories from the dinner table.

I’ve only read one L’Amour book before this one – Sitka. I really enjoyed it and loved how L’Amour brought characters to life so quickly. Sitka was set in Alaska during its pre-territory years. I requested this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review.

Some of the stories in this volume are westerns, but others are set in the Far East or are written as mysteries. The shorter drafts are interesting, but I really got hooked into the longer drafts. One of the most intriguing ones that I wished L’Amour could have finished was about people who were realizing they were reincarnated and had important information for mankind that other people were hunting. Another one toyed with the idea of a tapestry having the secrets to a treasure woven into it and passed down through several generations and many people were trying to get their hands on it.

If you’re looking for some good character studies or like short stories, you would enjoy this book. Fans of L’Amour’s would enjoy it for sure. If a volume 2 is every released, I would probably read it just to see what other characters L’Amour came up with.

I think I've been in love with Louis L'Amour's storytelling for nearly forty years. It began the moment I swiped my dad's paperback when I ran out of my own books and was immediately engrossed in the historic western mystery I had in my hands.

I learn now that being immediately engrossed was no accident. In this fantastic revealing of the behind the scenes to the life and stories of a beloved writer, Louis' son, Beau shares that L'Amour believed in the opening lines packing a punch even over the finale of his stories.

Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures Vol. 1 was a feast for a fan like me. First there was a fantastic discussion and trip back into the past where I got to meet the writer through his son's eyes. This included his early years, his thoughts on writing, his fails and successes. Then, Beau L'Amour shares samples of the stories that didn't make the cut for one reason or another, the outlines and interest letters with story outlines to publishers and movie makers, and drafts. Along the way, there are photographs, notes, letters to pour over...

This book may seem to be aimed at L'Amour's readership, but I saw plenty for authors to glean from about the man's writing craft, habits, and samples. There is advice here though it is not written as such.

I was enthralled to be welcomed behind the curtain. Even these incomplete and shelved stories managed to pull me in and make me groan when they ended. I do appreciate Beau including any notes from Louis or his own surmises about the direction of the stories so I wasn't left hanging too badly. Speaking of being left hanging, I must share that there are no plans to complete these stories post-humorously. I get why, but man I am greedy and would not be upset if some talented writer were to take up the task.

So, all in all, I found this quite the gem and was grateful for a glimpse at what was piled on shelves, in boxes, or on the writing desk of a favorite and endearing author who excelled at western, historical, adventures, contemporary, or any other genre he set his mind to write.

Book Talk…10/20/17
Traci Kenworth

Lost Treasures of Louis L’Amour Beau L’Amour. Netgalley. Oct. 2017.

Exploring the creative process of an American original, the Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures project will uncover the hidden history behind the author’s best known novels . . . and his most mysterious and ambitious unfinished works.

In this first collection, Beau L’Amour presents many never-before-seen manuscripts. Using his father’s handwritten notes, journal entries, and correspondence, along with his own memories, Beau uncovers how and why they were written, as well as speculating about the ways they might have ended.

These selections celebrate L’Amour’s vision and virtuosity, including the first seven chapters of a powerful novel about the Trail of Tears, a chilling Western horror story, and a tale of the American Revolution featuring a character related to L’Amour’s well-known Sackett family. At the other end of the spectrum are classic adventures, such as The Golden Tapestry, set in 1960s Istanbul, as well as several uniquely different attempts at what would have been the most profoundly intimate of all of L’Amour’s novels, a saga of reincarnation that stretches from a time before time, to the period of Alexander the Great, and on to Warlord-Era China.
Illustrated with rare photographs and copies of handwritten notes, this book reveals the L’Amour you have never known, his personal struggles as a writer, and the contest between mortality and a literary legacy too big for one life to contain.

Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures is a project created to release some of the author’s more unconventional manuscripts from the family archives.

In Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volumes 1, Beau L’Amour takes the reader on a guided tour through many of the finished and unfinished short stories, novels, and treatments that his father was never able to publish during his lifetime. L’Amour’s never-before-seen first novel, No Traveller Returns, will also be released as a Lost Treasures publication, followed by Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures: Volume 2.

Additionally, many beloved classics will be rereleased with an exclusive Lost Treasures postscript featuring previously unpublished material, including outlines, plot notes, and alternate drafts. These postscripts tell the story behind the stories that millions of readers have come to know and cherish.

This was an intriguing glimpse into a legend’s work. You got to read twenty stories with various chapters for each, never finished, but you could tell would’ve been masterpieces if they were. I particularly enjoyed the western horror story. This has been a genre I’ve been fascinated by for some time and I think Louis L’Amour really had something with this story. There were westerns and historicals, action, and adventure to name a few, each story with a story behind them as told by his son in memories and research and the notes Lous L’Amour kept.
I personally think from the samples, Louis L’Amour could’ve wrote in any kind of genre and sold well. The stories behind the stories were as interesting as the tales themselves. Give this a read, you’ll find a lot to like!
*****

As always with L’Amour I was transported to the west and enjoyed the journey. His reflections on a time long gone is the stuff of magic and truly the way a western should be presented. The art of the western is a solely American institution and L’Amour is a master of this art.

When my son was young, I would read to him nightly. We both enjoyed this ritual . . . I would read, scanning ahead for an exciting part and just as the climax appeared on the horizon, as the hero started to emerge, as the damsel began to fight back, I would look at my watch (my wrist really as i don't wear a watch) and say ... "WOW it's late ... Bed time!" and I would close the book. His response, invariably was an anguished cry of "NOOOOOooooo, DAAAAAAD You can't stop there!" But I would simply say "To Be Continued Tomorrow" and smile.

Our favorite books were the novels of Louis L'Amour. I liked them for all of the standard reasons; they displayed good values, expressed the importance of self reliance and taking responsibility for ones actions, they were romantic without being crass, AND they always had an exciting passage lurking just around the corner so it was fun to build up to our stopping points.

Often times we would spend a minute or two wondering, speculating, imagining, what would happen now? How could the hero possibly escape the trap? Can they really fight off a wolf and evade the Apache that was tracking them? Such mutual dreaming would usually result in a throat clearing "Ah hmmm" from my wife at the door as she would remind us that we really did need to wrap it up and go to sleep.

Even today, decades later, my son laughs when I tell others about our ritual and smiles in fond remembrance. It invariably brings on a hug. What could be better?

Well, how about an entire book filled with just such exciting, imagination fueling stories and ideas, from one of my all time favorite authors? In Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures Volume One, Beau L'Amour (Louis' son) has released a selection of the vast mountain of materials which, as he puts it, were ". . . never graced by a final "The End.""

In 21 chapters, each it's own testament to the hard work and dedication that Louis L'Amour put in so that we could enjoy our bed time routine so very much, Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures truly delivers a treasure! Sometimes tragically unfinished and often times rough around the edges, every piece of this book is carefully and lovingly annotated by Beau giving context and revealing the personal details that surrounded the working life of Louis L'Amour. His aspirations to be more than just a writer of Westerns. Drawings, notes, research and tasty tidbits he would scribble down on a scrap of paper for later use in a story. Beginnings with no ending, treatments of complete stories never fleshed out, three chapters, four chapters, seven chapters and more of stories which were left by the wayside of a man whose self imposed mission in life was to be a writer. Ideas that flowed through his fingers, translated by typewriter to the page only to be abandoned or re-written.

"This book may drive you crazy."

So starts the introduction by Beau L'Amour to this amazing book of possibilities. I don't care who you are, if you are a reader, this book is for you! If you've never heard of Louis L'Amour but have ever stared in amazement at a shelf full of books from a single author and wondered "How the heck do they do that?" If you have ever stopped mid-sentence just for dramatic effect and to get that one prescious "NOOOooo" from your child, and you want a chance to relive that moment of inspiration, imagination, and mystery, you will enjoy this book. I know I did!

A great volume with stories I had not read before. It was nice to fund these.

I finally found some Louis L'Amour short stories I hadn't read. As usual from him, an awesome book.

First I have to say that I am, like millions of others, am a huge Louis L’Amour fan. I started reading his books in the late 60’s and have enjoyed every one. The Lost Treasures gave me an insight I have never had of any author let alone such a successful one.
The very clever editing allowed his son, Beau to give us a peak into his life, methods and drive to tell his story’s. I often wonder what it would be like to have a long lunch with an author to discuss his process and creative methods, this book is even better!

As Beau’s outlines in his forward and in his commentary explaining the various vignettes these writings are not complete but allow your imagination to wander down the paths Louis L’Amour started upon – there was not a single item that did not capture my attention so thoroughly that I was disappointed to to have missed all the work that was to come if Louis L’Amour had been with us for a little longer.

Beyond the content I found Louis L’Amour’s work ethic so inspirational, something that his whole family displays in keeping his work alive for us all to enjoy, so thank you Beau and team for a fascinating insight to this truly great American.

I highly recommend this book to you.

Louis L'Armour's Lost Treasures: Volume 1 is a fascinating look at what could have been from a beloved author.
4 stars.

Strictly by chance I attempted "The Silmarillion" yet again this week, and, as I concurrently read "Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures", I could not help but compare the two. Beau L'Amour's job of sorting out a mountain of his father's papers sounds no less daunting than Christopher Tolkien's, and each son has published reams of materials beginning shortly after their father's deaths, JRR in 1973 and Louis in '88. Christopher Tolkien released "The Silmarillion" in 1977, and it was followed by a long string of ancillary works included completed stories and fragments. Mr. L'Amour started releasing posthumous short story collections the year after his father's death.

While JRR Tolkien has had a wider influence on the international world, Louis L'Amour's work has been equally influential in a smaller arena. I am a fan of each.

That being said, I found "Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures" interesting as an insight into Louis L'Amour's work habits and I certainly wish that he had finished some of these stories, some of the fragments are really good. But the book as a whole is unsatisfying simply because they are fragments. I find the Tolkien fragments unsatisfying too. Beau L'Amour is a more engaging narrator than Christopher Tolkien, something I attribute to the great difference in their ages and the different literary traditions in which they work. I greatly prefer Mr. Tolkien's habit of referring to "my father" over Mr. L'Amour referring to his father by his first name.

I don't think this book is worth much effort unless you are a collector.

I received a review copy of "Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures: Volume 1: Unfinished Manuscripts, Mysterious Stories, and Lost Notes from One of the World's Most Popular Novelists by Louis L'Amour" edited by Beau L'Amour (Random House – Ballantine) through NetGalley.com.

Great book! I was happy to see this lost collection. Hope to see more.

It is a pleasure to find a detailed look at the inner workings of one of my favorite authors. Louis L’Amour (1908-1988) has had a tremendous impact on my life of books and writing. Although not a particularly influential or classic writer of the old school, or a noted grammarian, he is, to my mind, the embodiment of the butt-on-a-chair and grind-it-out disciplinarian, a practice all writers should subscribe to.

His career lasted nearly fifty years and produced “ninety-one novels and nearly four hundred writings, including short stories, articles, screenplays, and poems,” and literally “hundreds of unfinished works,” according to his son, Beau. More than three hundred million copies of his books are out there somewhere. Because of the sheer volume of his work, there are huge amounts of leavings.

“Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures, Volume 1,” is Beau’s compilation of the scraps of material created and left behind by his father. It is, indeed, a treasure. Those of us who admire L’Amour will be excited to have this inside look at how he thought and functioned.

One of the highlights of L’Amour’s novels is the beginning of each book. In this collection are examples of these openings, sometimes written in different forms, offering insight into just how hard he worked at getting his stories just right from the start to quickly draw the reader into the action. There are chapters that present intriguing stories that suddenly end with no further indication of where the story is going. That is disturbing because the fragments are intriguing and begging to be finished. Great novels can be envisioned but will never be.

There are samples of horror, historical writing, adventure, crime stories, and western themes. There are treatments of ideas presented to publishers, unfinished chapters, poetry fragments, and ideas scribbled out for further exploration. The scope of L’Amour’s interests is presented in his own words, sometimes in his own handwriting.

His son offers comments about the material and tells stories of his relationship with his dad. His dedication in digging through this conglomeration and assembling it into an interesting format is obvious. The memories he relived while producing a compilation of such intriguing awareness were surely as heartbreaking as they were insightful.

This book is a great look at the mechanics of putting stories and novels together as well as the working habits of a prolific writer with incomparable skills. I heartily recommend it.

A big Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC for my honest review. I give this a 4.5. I found this to be a unique, inciteful look into an author beloved by many. I adored his writing when I was a teenager and just exploring the written word. They were great books as they were well written and very interesting. I never even thought about how he got pigeon holed into one genre. Can you imagine what he could have done on a computer? His work was all typed. He was an amazing man and so prolific. This is a glimpse into what could have been. Some of them made me want to shout....NO don't stop this is GREAT. A rare glimpse into his private world. Thanks for sharing-what a wonderful legacy. I think anyone who ever read Louis L'Amour would find this a fascinating read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Bantam for allowing me to read a digital galley of this book.

When Beau L'Amour became the executor of his fathers estate in 1988 there were literally tons of books, manuscripts, unfinished stories, outlines, notes and other random material to be gone through. Louis L'Amour made his name as an author of fictional stories of the American West. He wanted to write about so much more. In L'Amour's case he was held captive by the time period in which he wrote. The paperback novel was inexpensive enough for people to be able to afford them and the subject matter was interesting to readers wanting to escape into a time when the lines between right and wrong were easily seen. Plus, it certainly didn't hurt at all that L'Amour wrote well and created characters a reader connected with. All of this was wonderful for Louis L'Amour the man, but Louis L'Amour the author wanted to spread his wings and move into different genres of fiction.

In this volume Beau L'Amour has gathered 22 unfinished manuscripts, short stories and "treatments" from the works left by his father. A treatment is a brief presentation suitable for explaining to a publisher, television or movie producer the basic premise of a story. If the story was accepted, the entire story would be written. L'Amour wanted to do more than western novels, he wanted to work with historical novels, crime fiction, and adventure stories. Only toward the later part of his writing career did publishers begin to accept material from him which didn't fit the profile of a standard western novel.

Beau L'Amour has included an introduction to explain the concept behind this book as well as a comment at the beginning of some of the works and notes at the end of each piece. These end notes are where you will find an incredible amount of information about the L'Amour family, how the household worked in order to provide a haven for an author and what a task it was to piece together found material to form what you had just finished reading. In one instance a novel had been started and set aside at least ten times with changes being made each time the project was picked up again.

There is a wealth of detail in this book concerning Louis L'Amour as a person and as an author. Some of the reading is bittersweet when you find a story you are drawn into only to find that it ends on the next page. Some stories are longer than others, one goes on for seven chapters, but they are all unfinished. What a shame it is that L'Amour was an author ahead of his time, that his work was mostly confined to a single genre, so we will never get to read some of these intriguing stories.

There is no other writer like Louis L'Amour. This volume of lost treasures is a true gift. The same, beloved author tells new tales that delight. This is a must for the millions of fans of Louis L'Amour.

It is great to read something new by a beloved writer. Sadly, these are not complete stories. I think, this is a book for anyone interested in writing and its process. Beau L'Amour provides context for each story and treatment that's included. As a fan, I am grateful that no one is trying to finish these. It is rare to find an author to continue a writer's vision.