The Trailsman
Encyclopedia
The Trailsman is a series of short Western novels published since 1980 by Signet books, a division of New American Library
. The series is still published under the name Jon Sharpe
, the original author of the series, although it is now written by a number of ghostwriters under contract. The publisher releases 12 editions of the serial a year, with longer Giant Trailsman titles appearing periodically. The first title was Seven Wagons West: Seven Ways to Die, which was recently reissued in print.
Trailsman stories are short, usually under 200 pages, and feature the hero, Skye Fargo. Skye is known for his "lake blue" eyes, and despite his sexual prowess with women, he is single by choice. His sidekick is his unnamed horse, known only as "the Ovaro", and his gun of choice is a .44 Colt
.
The Trailsman series was created by John Joseph Messmann aka Jon Messmann. He wrote most of the
first 200 books in the series before retiring in the late 1990s. Messmann died in 2004. He also wrote many novels in the classic Nick Carter series. Messmann later created another western series featuring Canyon O'Grady, a western detective. In The Trailsman #100 Skye Fargo and Canyon O'Grady joined forces. Messmann got his start in writing by scripting comic books beginning in the 1940s.
David Robbins has been the principal writer of the Trailsman books since Messmann's retirement. Authors like Robert J Randisi
, J. B. Keller, Bill Crider
, Ed Gorman
, Will C. Knott, Robert Vardeman, John Edward Ames
, and James Reasoner
have also written entries in the series. Some of the Trailsman books have been written by female novelists.
New American Library
New American Library is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948; it produced affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works, as well as popular, pulp, and "hard-boiled" fiction. Non-fiction, original, and hardcopy issues were also produced.Victor Weybright and Kurt...
. The series is still published under the name Jon Sharpe
Jon Sharpe
Jon Sharpe was the original author of The Trailsman series of Western novels, published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group...
, the original author of the series, although it is now written by a number of ghostwriters under contract. The publisher releases 12 editions of the serial a year, with longer Giant Trailsman titles appearing periodically. The first title was Seven Wagons West: Seven Ways to Die, which was recently reissued in print.
Trailsman stories are short, usually under 200 pages, and feature the hero, Skye Fargo. Skye is known for his "lake blue" eyes, and despite his sexual prowess with women, he is single by choice. His sidekick is his unnamed horse, known only as "the Ovaro", and his gun of choice is a .44 Colt
.44 Colt
The .44 Colt was an American centerfire revolver cartridge produced commercially from 1871 until the 1940s.The cartridge was developed for the United States Army, and introduced by Colt's Patent Firearms around 1871...
.
The Trailsman series was created by John Joseph Messmann aka Jon Messmann. He wrote most of the
first 200 books in the series before retiring in the late 1990s. Messmann died in 2004. He also wrote many novels in the classic Nick Carter series. Messmann later created another western series featuring Canyon O'Grady, a western detective. In The Trailsman #100 Skye Fargo and Canyon O'Grady joined forces. Messmann got his start in writing by scripting comic books beginning in the 1940s.
David Robbins has been the principal writer of the Trailsman books since Messmann's retirement. Authors like Robert J Randisi
Robert J Randisi
Robert J. Randisi is an American author who writes in the detective and Western genres.He has authored more than 500 published books and has edited more than 30 anthologies of short stories. Booklist magazine said he "may be the last of the pulp writers."...
, J. B. Keller, Bill Crider
Bill Crider
Bill Crider was born in Mexia, Texas. He received an M.A. at the University of North Texas . Later, he taught English at Howard Payne University for twelve years, before earning a Ph.D. at the University of Texas, where he wrote a dissertation on the hardboiled detective novel...
, Ed Gorman
Edward Gorman
Ed Gorman is an award-winning American author best known for his crime and mystery fiction. He wrote The Poker Club which is currently in post production for a film of the same name directed by Tim McCann....
, Will C. Knott, Robert Vardeman, John Edward Ames
John Edward Ames
John Edward Ames is an American writer of novels and short stories from Toledo, Ohio. A critically acclaimed writer of western fiction, Ames began his career writing for pulp magazines before penning horror novels and stories...
, and James Reasoner
James Reasoner
American author James Reasoner specializes in historical military novels, westerns, and mysteries. He also writes under the pseudonyms "Mike Jameson" and "Dana Fuller Ross." He has written more than 40 novels. His spouse, Livia Washburn Reasoner, is also a prolific writer of westerns, mysteries,...
have also written entries in the series. Some of the Trailsman books have been written by female novelists.