Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour

     

L'Amour wrote this book a year before he died in 1988 at the age of 80. It is the closest we have to an autobiography.  So, we are glad for what we have.  

L'Amour was born and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1908.  He dropped out of school at 15 and began to make a living wherever he traveled.  He did all kinds of manual labor: elephant handler, mining, harvesting, cutting wood, cooking.  He worked as a deckhand on ships. He did whatever was available to him.  The list is extensive. All the while he continued to read books.  

One of the great discoveries in this book for me was "The Little Blue Books." I did not know these existed. These books were about the size of playing cards and could easily fit in a shirt pocket.  They were available in gas stations, drug stores, restaurants, and wherever else books were sold in the 1920's and 30s. They published good literature and L'Amour read a bunch of them.  L'Amour also made use of libraries whenever he could.  

Even though L'Amour was not in school, he was bound and determined to get an education through books.  His education was furthered through talking to the many people he met and the sights that he happened upon. As he was wandering the west in the 20's and 30's, he actually met people who knew Billy the Kid or lived through the first waves of the Gold Rushes or the development of the west.  He listened to people's stories and he asked questions.  He had a natural curiosity for the world and the places he was in and he was not afraid to ask questions and talk to strangers. 

L'Amour says that later in life many people assumed that he left home and wandered the world as he did in order to gain experience to prepare him to be a writer.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  He did not know he wanted to become a writer until later.  He did what he did for economic reasons.  There just wasn't enough money to be made in Jamestown at the time.  

Because of his travels, and because he had to travel light, he recalls many of the books he read through his memory.  However, at the back of the book he lists the titles of books and their authors from 1930-1935 and in 1937.

As L'Amour tells his story, he lists titles but rarely goes into an in depth analysis of the books.  But, that does not take away from the book or his story.  Certain titles are remembered because they were read during a particular job or experience.  He writes about those jobs and experiences.  

I read a number of L'Amour's books in the 70's and 80's.  I discovered him for the first time in a gas station in IL near the IA border. We had a few more hours to go on our family trip and my sister and I had been bickering back and forth.  Dad happily paid for the paperback to keep me occupied. I wish I remember which book it was but it began a long reading relationship with Mr. L'Amour.  

What I liked about his westerns is that I felt like I was there because he described the geography, place, and people in a way that made sense to me.  His stories were descriptive but moved along.  In fact, I learned later that all of his books were historically accurate.  He researched his topics and he personally visited the places he wrote about. That is why they felt authentic. 

L'Amour says he learned to tell stories from listening to the Old Timers.  Then, in the 40's when he was trying to get published, he read additional books on how to write short stories.  This helped him get published.  

I am glad I read Education of a Wandering Man.  It really is about his wandering and about his education through books and the people he met.  Unfortunately, there is no reportage of how he met his wife or having children or further conversation about his family of origin. He lived with his parents for a time when they moved to Oklahoma but does not explain when he left OK.  He died before he could write his autobiography.  This is a shame, but we are glad for what we have.  

One additional item. When L'Amour looks back on his life, it is clear to him and the reader that he could not live the same kind of life of wandering and working in the 70's or 80's.  Nor could he after 9/11,  just get on a ship and work without documentation and references.  The world has changed.  Back in the 20's and 30's, L'Amour pointed out that because the need for seasonal manual labor was so great, men actually made their living by going from job to job.  They were called Hoboes. This was not a derogatory word. Hoboes worked.  Tramps, on the other hand, tended to be lazy or drunks.  There were those too, but they were easily distinguished from hoboes. 

L'Amour was born at a unique time in American history.  The old west was fading and he met many who could tell him the way it was.  L'Amour was able to travel and support himself as he went. And, he could read good literature for very little money spent.  T'was a good life and he made good use of all of his experiences.  L'Amour wrote this book a year before he died in 1988 at the age of 80. It is the closest we have to an autobiography.  So, we are glad for what we have.