Louis Dearborn L'Amour (March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988) was an American novelist and short-story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, he also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His works include; (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction). There are more than 265 million copies of his books in print worldwide. In May 1972 he was awarded an Honorary Ph.D. by Jamestown College, as a testament to his literary and social contributions. In 1979, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. His novel - "Bendigo Shafter" (1979) won the U.S. National Book Award in the one-year category Western. Less