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Series · western
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers series by Elmer Kelton has 9 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Buckskin Line (1999).
- Books
- 9 books
- First published
- 1999
- Status
- deceased
- Last checked
Start here: The Buckskin Line (1999) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Buckskin Line
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Buckskin Line - Book 2:
Badger Boy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Badger Boy - Book 3:
The Way of the Coyote
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Way of the Coyote - Book 4:
Ranger's Trail
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ranger's Trail - Book 5:
Texas Vendetta
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Texas Vendetta - Book 6:
Jericho's Road
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Jericho's Road - Book 7:
Hard Trail to Follow
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hard Trail to Follow - Book 8:
Other Men's Horses
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Other Men's Horses - Book 9:
Texas Standoff
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Texas Standoff
About the Texas Rangers series
Elmer Kelton's last extended body of work follows Rusty Shannon, orphaned as a child in a Comanche raid and raised by a Texas Ranger veteran, as he grows into a Ranger himself in the turbulent decades around the Civil War and Reconstruction on the Texas frontier. Across nine novels published between 1999 and 2010, the series widens from Rusty's own story to follow the next generation, including Andy Pickard, a boy Rusty rescues from a Comanche war party in the opening book, as the frontier itself changes around them -- Comanche raids giving way to Reconstruction-era range wars, cattle rustling, and the slow closing of the open frontier.
Texas Standoff (2010) was published after Kelton's death in August 2009, closing out both the series and Kelton's career; it was his last novel.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in Elmer Kelton's Texas Rangers series?
Nine, published 1999-2010, following Rusty Shannon and later Andy Pickard.
Is this the last series Elmer Kelton wrote?
Yes -- the final book, Texas Standoff, was published in 2010, after Kelton's death in August 2009, and was his last novel.
Does this series connect to Kelton's other Texas Ranger fiction?
No -- despite the shared name, it is unrelated to the earlier Buckalew family novels or any other Kelton series.
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Reading order last verified .