Western novelist Louis Dearborn L'Amour (1908–1988) was born Louis Dearborn LaMoore on this day in Jamestown, North Dakota, the son of a veterinarian and grandson of a Civil War veteran.

The prolific L'Amour wrote five pages a day, including Sundays and holidays. Over a lifetime he published more than 100 books and 400 short stories; 45 later became films or television movies.

“I think of myself in the oral tradition as a troubadour, a village tale-teller, the man in the shadows of the campfire. That’s how I’d like to be remembered. A good storyteller,” L'Amour once said.

His first major success was Hondo (1953), which became a movie starring John Wayne. Wayne called it “the best Western novel I have ever read.” Two years later L'Amour signed a book contract and promised to write two novels a year.

A strong storyteller, he celebrated family ties, determination, and honor. In his portraits of life on the American frontier, L'Amour’s cowboy came to embody independence and heroism. Writing with passion, his novels were carefully researched and grounded in authentic detail.

“Victory is not won in miles, but in inches. Win a little now,” L'Amour advised. “Hold your ground. Later win a little more.”

Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan both admired L'Amour’s work. Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984. L'Amour also received the Congressional Gold Medal, becoming the first writer to be so honored.