The Spur Award for Best Western Novel is a prize given by the Western Writers of America as part of the annual Spur Awards.
The category was introduced in 1953, when it was known simply as the "Novel" award. A second category for novel-length prose fiction, the Historical Novel award, was introduced in 1972. The original Novel award was renamed Western Novel in 1985, while Historical Novel became Novel of the West in 1988. This resulted in a period in which the Spur Awards included both a Best Western Novel category as well as a Best Novel of the West category. John Mort explains the distinction in his book Read the High Country: "WWA defines Westerns... in market terms. A Western novel is a 'traditional' tale of revenge, rival cattlemen at war, or settlers fighting Indians. Owen Wister's The Virginian is a famous example, as well as Louis L'Amour's Hondo. A 'novel of the West' is what's otherwise known as a historical, where characterizations are based around historical events, and historical personages such as Davy Crockett, George Armstrong Custer, and Crazy Horse become characters.", pp. xii, 415.
During 2000, the official Spur Award website defined both categories as "book-length novels... dependent in whole or in part on settings, characters, conditions, or customs indigenous to the American West or early frontier," the distinction being that Best Western Novel was for works "90,000 words or less" while Best Novel of the West was for works "90,000 words or more." In 2007, the Western Novel and Novel of the West categories were replaced with Best Short Novel and Best Long Novel. These categories were removed in 2014, with Best Contemporary Novel, Best Historical Novel and Best Traditional Novel being added.
List of winners
1953 - Novel: "Lawman" by Wayne D. Overholser using the pseudonym Lee Leighton 1954 - Novel: "The Violent Land" by Wayne D. Overholser (2) 1955 - Novel: "Somewhere They Die" by L.P. Holmes 1956 - Novel: "High Gun" by Leslie Ernenwein 1957 - Novel: "Buffalo Wagons" by Elmer Kelton 1958 - Novel: "Short Cut to Red River" by Noel Loomis 1959 - Novel: "Long Run" by Nelson C. Nye 1960 - Novel: "The Nameless Breed by Will C. Brown 1961 - Novel: "The Honyocker by Giles A. Lutz 1962 - Novel: "Comanche Captives" by Fred Grove 1963 - Novel: "Follow the Free Wind" by Leigh Brackett 1964 - Novel: "The Trail to Ogallala" by Benjamin Capps 1965 - Novel: "Sam Chance" by Benjamin Capps (2) 1966 - Novel: "My Brother John" by Herbert R. Purdum 1967 - Novel: "The Valdez Horses" by Lee Hoffman 1968 - Novel: "Down the Long Hills" by Louis L'Amour 1969 - Novel: "Tragg's Choice" by Clifton Adams 1970 - Novel: "The Last Days of Wolf Garnett" by Clifton Adams (2) 1971 - Novel: "The Day the Cowboys Quit" by Elmer Kelton (2) 1972 - Novel: "A Killing in Kiowa" by Lewis B. Patten 1973 - Novel: "The Time It Never Rained" by Elmer Kelton (3) 1974 - Novel: "A Hanging in Sweetwater" by Stephen Overholser (son of Wayne D. Overholser) 1975 - Novel: "The Shootist" by Glendon Swarthout 1976 - Novel (tie): "The Spirit Horses" by Lou Cameron and "The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer" by Douglas C. Jones 1977 - Novel: "The Great Horse Race" by Fred Grove (2) 1978 - Novel: "Riders To Cibola" by Norman Zollinger 1979 - Novel: "The Holdouts" by William Decker 1980 - Novel: "The Valiant Women" by Jeanne Williams 1981 - Novel (tie): "Eye of The Hawk" by Elmer Kelton (4) and "Horizon" by Lee Head 1982 - Novel: "Match Race" by Fred Grove (3) 1983 - Novel: "Leaving Kansas" by Frank Roderus 1984 - Novel: no award 1985 - Western Novel: "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry 1986 - Western Novel: "The Blind Corral" by Ralph Robert Beer 1987 - Western Novel: "Skinwalkers" by Tony Hillerman 1988 - Western Novel: "Mattie" by Judy Alter 1989 - Western Novel: "Fool's Coach" by Richard S. Wheeler 1990 - Western Novel: "Sanctuary" by Gary Svee 1991 - Western Novel: "Journal of the Gun Years" by Richard Matheson 1992 - Western Novel: "Nickajack" by Robert J. Conley 1993 - Western Novel: "Friends" by Charles Hackenberry 1994 - Western Novel: "St. Agnes' Stand" by Tom Eidson 1995 - Western Novel: "The Dark Island" by Robert J. Conley (2) 1996 - Western Novel: "Blood of Texas" by Preston Lewis (writing as Will Camp) 1997: W.W.A. changed the time-frame from 'year published' to 'year award presented' 1998 - Western Novel: "The Kiowa Verdict" by Cynthia Haseloff 1999 - Western Novel: "Journey of the Dead" by Loren D. Estleman 2000 - Western Novel: "Masterson" by Richard S. Wheeler (2) 2000 - Western Novel: "Summer of Pearls" by Mike Blakely 2001 - Western Novel: "The Gates of the Alamo" by Stephen Harrigan 2002 - Western Novel: "The Way of The Coyote" by Elmer Kelton (5) 2003 - Western Novel: "The Chili Queen" by Sandra Dallas 2004 - Western Novel: "I Should Be Extremely Happy In Your Company" By Brian Hall 2005 - Western Novel: "Buy The Chief A Cadillac" by Rick Steber 2006 - Western Novel (tie): "Camp Ford: A Western Story" by Johnny D. Boggs and "The Undertaker's Wife" by Loren D. Estleman (2) 2007 - Best Western Short Novel: "The Shape Shifter" by Tony Hillerman (2) 2008 - Best Western Short Novel: "Tallgrass" By Sandra Dallas (2) 2009 - Best Western Short Novel: "Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson 2010 - Best Western Short Novel: "Far Bright Star" by Robert Olmstead 2011 - Best Western Short Novel: "Snowbound" by Richard S. Wheeler (3) 2012 - Best Western Short Novel: "Legacy of a Lawman" by Johnny D. Boggs (2) 2013 - Best Western Short Novel: "Tucker's Reckoning" by Matthew Mayo 2014 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel" by James Lee Burke; Best Western Historical Novel: "Silent We Stood" by Henry Chappell; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Crossing Purgatory" by Gary Schanbacher 2015 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Bad Country" by C.B. McKenzie; Best Western Historical Novel: "Wild Ran the Rivers" by James D. Crownover; Best Western Traditional Novel: "The Big Drift" by Patrick Dearen 2016 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Crazy Mountain Kiss: A Sean Stranahan Mystery" by Keith McCafferty; Best Western Historical Novel: "Paradise Sky" by Joe R. Lansdale; Best Western Traditional Novel: "The Last Midwife" by Sandra Dallas (3) 2017 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Off the Grid: A Joe Pickett Novel" by C.J. Box; (no awards were given for Best Western Historical Novel); Best Western Traditional Novel: "The Mustanger and the Lady" by Dusty Richards 2018 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Double Wide" by Leo W. Banks; Best Western Historical Novel: "The Coming" by David Osborne; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Silver City: A Novel of the American West" by Jeff Guinn 2019 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "The Flicker of Old Dreams" by Susan Henderson; Best Western Historical Novel: "River of Porcupines" by G.K. Aalborg; Best Western Traditional Novel: "The Return of Kid Cooper" by Brad Smith 2020 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "On Swift Horses: A Novel" by Shannon Pufahl; Best Western Historical Novel: "A Forgotten Evil" by Sheldon Russell; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Cherokee America" by Margaret Verble 2021 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Winter Counts" by David Heska Wanbli Weiden; Best Western Historical Novel: "All Things Left Wild" by James Wade; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Like Rum Drunk Angels" by Tyler Enfield 2022 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Dark Sky: A Joe Pickett Novel" by C.J. Box; Best Western Historical Novel: "Ridgeline" by Michael Punke; Best Western Traditional Novel: "The Loving Wrath of Eldon Quint" by Chase Pletts 2023 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Beasts of the Earth" by James Wade; Best Western Historical Novel: "Properties of Thirst" by Marianne Wiggins; Best Western Traditional Novel: "The Secret in the Wall: A Silver Rush Mystery" by Ann Parker 2024 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "The Longmire Defense" by Craig Johnson; Best Western Historical Novel: "Death in the Tallgrass: A Young Man's Journey Through the Western Frontier" by Donald Willerton; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Aesop's Travels: A Crackerjack Tale of the Old West" by Daniel Boyd 2025 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Blue Wild Indigo" by James Jennings; Best Western Historical Novel: "Bloody Newton" by Johnny D. Boggs; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Dust Covered Lies" by Catherine M. O'Connor 2026 - Best Western Contemporary Novel: "Of Saints and Rivers" by Jim Logan; Best Western Historical Novel: "Arkansas Black" by Alexander Blevens; Best Western Traditional Novel: "Lost and Broken Things" by Linda Sandifer
12 authors have won the award on more than one occasion: Wayne D. Overholser 1953, 1954; Elmer Kelton (5): 1957, 1971, 1973, 1981, 2002; (3) each for: Fred Grove 1962, 1977, 1982; Benjamin Capps 1964, 1965; Richard S. Wheeler 1989, 2000, 2011; (2) each for: Clifton Adams 1969, 1970; Tony Hillerman 1987, 2007; Robert J. Conley 1992, 1995; Loren D. Estleman 1999, 2006; Sandra Dallas 2003, 2008, 2016; Johnny D. Boggs 2006, 2012, 2025; C.J. Box 2017, 2022; James Wade 2021, 2023.
References