This image is the cover for the book Joe Pepper, Tales of Texas

Joe Pepper, Tales of Texas

A Texas outlaw recounts his dramatic life story in this classic historical Western from the multiple Spur Award–winning author.

Joe Pepper is a Texas badman with quite a past. In fact, there isn’t much that Joe hasn’t done in his forty years of living on both sides of the Texas law—except face the hangman.

Now, convicted of murder, Joe is about to get that privilege. But before he goes, Joe has a few things he wants to say-and a few stories that he wants to set straight. This is Joe’s final confession, given without embellishment—or apology.

With Joe Pepper, legendary Western writer Elmer Kelton tells a moving tale of one man’s frontier life, and the history of his home state of Texas.

Elmer Kelton

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was the award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men's Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years, and served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

Tom Doherty Associates