Education of a Wandering Man

Louis L'Amour was the best selling author of Western fiction probably of all time, but he also wrote short stories, poetry, non-fiction and a historical novel, "Walking Drum." He was entirely self educated, and wrote this memoir to be "about education." Obviously, a big part of that education came from books. Starting around 1930, at age 22, he started keeping a list of the books he read; thus, he does something here few writers have done -- present an account of his reading and education. I am appreciative that one of the best selling authors of all time made the effort to do that since we can see where he got his ideas -- from his reading and life experiences before he started writing. (L'Amour had been a hobo in the years before the show more depression, a ranch hand, a miner, a merchant seaman in the East Indies, worked in a lumber camp and sawmill, and earned money fighting all before he attempted to sell his first stories.). This book motivated me to start listing the books I have read and record them on this site. I have forgotten dozens if not hundreds of them, so I wish I had started keeping a list when I was younger.

There are many worthwhile observations here. He believes, for example, that historical novels are "without question" the best way of learning history. And: "a book is less important for what it says than what it makes you think." He mentions so many authors who are largely forgotten. I will look several of these up on Amazon like "Travel Diary of a Philosopher" by Count Herman Keyserling, and "Black Sparta" by Naomi Mitchison, and many others.

This book was written in 1989, more than 30 years ago, yet in addition to saying how he was influenced by the "greats" of western civilization, he mentions with approval the work of black poets like Claude McKay who wrote "Harlem Shadows" and said he very much enjoyed the work of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, a black poet who wrote in dialect. He chides readers for concentrating so much on the history of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. He was a lover of eastern culture and praised "Dream of the Red Chamber" as one of China's finest novels, as well as Outlaws of the Marsh, translated by Pearl Buck, which he deemed "exciting." He noted that Americans would have to deal in the future with changes led by the rise of India and China (this long before that was obvious). He says the key to understanding any people is through their art, including writing, painting and sculpture.

I gave it four stars only because the book cited no sources supporting some remarkable statements (at least I thought they were). Like Hannibal might have defeated Rome except the "peace party" in Carthage at the time refused to support him, thus Carthage was defeated and destroyed. Also, according to L'Amour, Rome had a trade deficit with India so severe that it was a cause of the collapse of the Roman empire, and an entire Roman legion sold its services to the Chinese and served as mercenary soldiers in "many of their wars." Really? Perhaps so, but I'd like to see some sources to follow up on these assertions.

In sum, they don't make them like Louis L'Amour any more. He didn't graduate from creative writing school but from the school of hard knocks. I would compare him more to Jack London than Wallace Stegner (who also wrote beautifully about the west). One other thing: in addition to his voracious reading, he collected over 10,000 books. He wanted to preserve books "as books" and to have a historical record of the eras he found most important. His memoir made me look at all the books on my bookshelf and consider why they are there, and ask how they have contributed to my education. show less

I love the idea of tracing one's growing up alongside the books that shape thinking. L'Amour was a voracious reader, and I enjoyed this memoir. The connection between his reading and his life isn't always clear, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. At several points, I found myself wondering whether some chapters would not be good reading for discussion with young adults, giving a vision for the kind of self education that I found inspiring in his fiction. I don't think it's so good that I would give it to every person, but I do think it's worthwhile reading for anyone interested in self education, even for those unfamiliar with L'Amour's fiction.

This was an unexpected treasure. Written shortly before his death, this book is like a stew of reminiscence, book lists, thoughts on life, autobiography,...all in one. It is a little disconcerting to read, because there is very little order to how ideas are presented. It reads as if you are spending hours of conversation with L'Amour. He was a self-educated man, schooled by a harsh life and by his voracious reading. Several years of his reading lists are included. I'm sure I'll be reading this again.

I can't remember how I ended up with this on my "to read" list - especially since I've never read any of his novels or short stories - but regardless I'm glad it did. The reflections of a learned man - one who learned just through a love and devotion to reading and learning - was right up my alley. While I cannot hold a candle to his prolific levels of reading, I can certainly appreciate his views on it, and all that he learned.

In the book, he talks about the books he read over certain time periods (including lists he kept for several years) and discusses them in the context of what he was doing at that point in his life. He also provides his commentary on life then and life now. In terms of writing, this book meanders and is uneven in show more places. Occasionally he sounds preachy. But overall, it's a fascinating read. He was an interesting spirit. I think it is a book you could pick up and read a chunk, then put down for awhile to read something else. While largely chronological, his reflections and memories are not culminating to one point. Rather just the observations of a man that traveled the world, had many great adventures and experiences, and recognized how books provided insights into people, places, and cultures. Highly recommended. Four stars instead of five because of some of the unevenness. show less

First of all, I'm not one of L'Amour's big fans. I've read a few of his books over the years, but was never a rabid reader of westerns. I much enjoyed his novel, Hondo - one of his early successes - but didn't continue to follow him that closely. But since I knew he was one of the most popular and best-selling writers in American for forty-some years - and still sells a lot of books since his death more than twenty years ago - the idea of a "memoir" from this guy intrigued me. And it started out pretty well, telling a bit about his boyhood and first jobs and a life-long love affair with books. But then it just seemed he kind of lost his way, blathering on in a not very organized way about all the books he had read in his life and how show more our approach to history here in America was skewed and incomplete. Then he told small bits and pieces of his life on the road and at sea, visits to the Far East and other exotic places. But details, personal and other, are few and far between. It seemed he didn't want to give away anything very personal about his life. He dwelled way too long on how he had educated himself by reading - encyclopedically. And I love books too, so this should have been interesting, but in the end I found it simply boring and bland, and skimmed the last hundred pages or so, looking for some nuggets about L'Amour himself. He did serve in WWII, but he glosses over this in a few scant pages with almost no details at all, as if it were no more than an inconvenient interruption. So the book stayed boring. This book was published after L'Amour died, and I can't help wondering if he would have published it himself. Because, as all of his readers and fans know, he was a much MUCH better writer than this book demonstrates. If you want to read - and appreciate - Louis L'Amour, read his westerns. They are some of the best in the genre - up there with Zane Grey, Luke Short and (later) Elmer Kelton. Unfortunately, this so-called "memoir" is not worth the time. show less

This is my new favorite book. I'm not much into reading Westerns, and as such was not previously familiar with L'Amour's work. But this book really spoke to me as a fellow bibliophile.

L'Amour was largely self-educated. He believed that you should read: read anything. Read everything. Read while you are waiting for the bus or waiting in line. It doesn't matter what you start reading, only that you are reading.

Education of a wandering man follow his travels as a young man through a multitude of professions (he worked a variety of jobs not, as so many have said, to research his writing, but because he had to eat.) and climates, and the books and education he found for himself along the way.

I especially love the bibliographies at then end show more of the lists he started to keep after 1930 of every book he read.

Read this book. It's intellectual, but written on a down-to-earth level that anyone will enjoy. Just read it, damnit! show less

This is a memoir of a lifelong love affair with learning and books. Self-taught both through experience and by reading, Louis L'amour fills his account of his life with both action and reflection. The result was a story of a unique journey that I found uplifting. His list of books rivals any "great books" list that I have ever seen and suggests his signature western novels have an unexpected literary foundation. His story of a life of travel and self-education is as interesting as any but it is his selection of reading from the 1930s that I found most valuable. Filled with reminders of books you share with the author, the suggestion for those that you have not is sufficient reason for reading this book and a good reference for any show more life-long reader. show less