I got this slightly-battered paperback from the used-book section in the Heritage Village gift shop in Woodville, Texas. Despite the cowboy-themed cover and L'Amour's reputation as a wild-west author, the majority of stories here have nothing to do with the Wild West, but I enjoyed them anyway, perhaps all the more for the surprise! Among my favorites:

"The Dancing Kate", set off of Papua New Guinea, deals with pirate treasure and has some unexpected turns.

"Dead-end Drift", a haunting tale of men trapped in a mine.

"Author's Tea," in which an author perhaps not unlike L'Amour himself copes with the chatter of some of his fans while recalling incidents he'd rather not reveal in his work.

There are death-or-glory standoffs in the deserts of Africa, isolated seamen in remote ports, vignettes about unusual characters in Shanghai, a Native American variant of the Christmas Story, and more. And each story has its own introductory remarks by the author, explaining the inspiration (sometimes based on real people and events). Very good collection!

[There's a TV Tropes page on L'Amour and his work.]

I left this book on a bench in the car-rental facility at the airport at around 10 or so, on my way home from a visit. Hope the finder enjoys the book!

*** Released for the 2015 Allergic to A challenge. ***