Standalone Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Standalone books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: January 2026
Publication Order
Hot Iron
Buy on Amazon1956
Buffalo Wagons
Buy on Amazon1957
Bitter Trail
Buy on Amazon1959
Texas Rifles
Buy on Amazon1960
Donovan
Buy on Amazon1961
Pecos Crossing
Buy on Amazon1963
Horsehead Crossing
Buy on Amazon1963
Savage Guns (With: Brian Garfield,Alex Hawk)
Buy on Amazon1968
Shotgun Settlement (With: Brian Garfield,Alex Hawk)
Buy on Amazon1969
Bowie's Mine
Buy on Amazon1971
The Time It Never Rained
Buy on Amazon1973
Barbed Wire
Buy on Amazon1980
Eyes of the Hawk
Buy on Amazon1981
Llano River
Buy on Amazon1982
Shadow of a Star
Buy on Amazon1984
Hanging Judge
Buy on Amazon1988
Slaughter
Buy on Amazon1992
The Best Christmas
Buy on Amazon1993
The Indian in Frontier News
Buy on Amazon1993
The Far Canyon
Buy on Amazon1994
The Pumpkin Rollers
Buy on Amazon1996
Cloudy in the West
Buy on Amazon1997
Christmas at the Ranch
Buy on Amazon2003
Shotgun
Buy on Amazon2007
Many a River
Buy on Amazon2008
There's Always Another Chance, and Other Stories
Buy on Amazon1986
The Big Brand
Buy on Amazon1986
Legend
Buy on Amazon1999
ReadWest
Buy on Amazon2011
Wild West
Buy on Amazon2017
Hard Ride
Buy on Amazon2018
The Cowboy Way
Buy on Amazon2020
Law of the Land
Buy on Amazon2021
Frequently Asked Questions
The recommended reading order for the Standalone series is publication order: 1. Hot Iron (1956), 2. Buffalo Wagons (1957), 3. Bitter Trail (1959), 4. Texas Rifles (1960), 5. Donovan (1961), and 28 more. This is generally the best way to experience the story as the author intended.
The Standalone series by Elmer Kelton contains 33 books. The series began in 1956 and continues to be a popular choice for readers.
The Standalone series is written by Elmer Kelton. You can find more books and series by this author on our website.
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