J. T. Edson (1928–2014)

John Edson's popular tales of the Wild West were crafted in the unlikely setting of the Leicestershire town of Melton Mowbray. A former army sergeant, he was running a fish and chip shop when he decided to take up writing to supplement the family income. His first novel, Trail Boss, written in 1961, was published after it won a competition and his career was launched. Writing under the name J T Edson he was soon churning out seven Westerns a year, most of which paid little heed to any idea of political correctness. He built up a loyal readership, many of whom appreciated his in-depth knowledge of 19th Century US firearms. He didn't actually visit America until 13 years after his first novel and declared he had no intention of living in the landscape he wrote about. "I've never been on a horse," he once said. "They look highly dangerous at both ends."