Westerns are the third most-requested large print genre for seniors — after mystery and romance. The reason is simple: the readers who grew up with Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey are now in their 70s and 80s, and they haven't stopped reading. They just need the print bigger than it used to be.
If you're trying to find western novels in large print for an elderly parent or grandparent, this guide covers the authors with the strongest large print availability, where to find them in Canada, and how to tell a real large print edition from a regular one.
Key Authors with Strong Large Print Availability
Louis L'Amour
L'Amour wrote more than 100 novels, and most of them are available in large print — many through Bantam Books and Random House Large Print. The Sackett series (17 books) is the natural starting point for new readers, but any of his standalone novels work just as well. His books are short, fast-paced, and deeply satisfying.
Canadian public libraries carry L'Amour extensively. Even smaller branches often have a shelf of his titles in large print. If your local branch doesn't have a specific one, interlibrary loan can usually find it within a week or two.
Large print: widely available at Canadian libraries | Amazon.ca: ~$20–$28 CAD each
Zane Grey
Grey's novels — Riders of the Purple Sage, The Lone Star Ranger, West of the Pecos — defined the western genre for a generation. Many of his most popular titles are available in large print editions from Wheeler Publishing.
Because Grey wrote in the early 20th century, his books are in the public domain. That means there are also free digital editions available through Project Gutenberg, though the formatting varies. The Wheeler Publishing large print editions are the cleanest physical versions.
Large print: Wheeler Publishing editions at Amazon.ca | Used copies: ThriftBooks ships to Canada
Elmer Kelton
Kelton won seven Spur Awards from Western Writers of America — more than any other author. His Texas westerns, especially The Time It Never Rained and The Good Old Boys, are considered among the finest ever written. The prose is quieter than L'Amour's, more character-driven, and the settings feel genuinely lived-in.
Large print editions are available for his major titles, mainly through Forge Books. Library availability varies by province — Alberta and Saskatchewan branches tend to have better western section depth than libraries in other regions.
Large print: Amazon.ca search "Elmer Kelton large print" | Check library catalogue first
Craig Johnson — Walt Longmire Series
Johnson's Longmire series follows a Wyoming sheriff through mysteries that blend western landscape with crime fiction. 20+ books in the series, and the TV adaptation (Longmire on Netflix) brought in a whole new generation of readers. If someone you know watched the show, the books are an easy recommendation.
Large print editions are widely available from Viking and Penguin. The series is well-represented at Canadian libraries — it's popular enough that most mid-size branches carry several titles in large print.
Large print: ~$26–$32 CAD on Amazon.ca | Strong library availability across Canada
C.J. Box — Joe Pickett Series
Box writes contemporary Wyoming mysteries following a game warden named Joe Pickett. The books sit at the intersection of western and thriller — wide open landscapes, rural crime, and a protagonist who feels like he belongs to the land he's protecting. 25+ books in the series.
Large print editions from Thorndike Press are available for most titles. Box has grown substantially in popularity over the past decade, so library copies are common.
Large print: ~$28–$34 CAD on Amazon.ca | Thorndike Press editions | Available at most Canadian libraries
Classic Westerns Worth Knowing
Two novels come up constantly when serious western readers talk about the best the genre has produced:
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry — A 900-page epic about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. Won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986. Available in large print from Simon & Schuster. If someone read this in standard print years ago and wants to revisit it, the large print edition makes it approachable again.
True Grit by Charles Portis — Shorter and funnier than Lonesome Dove, about a 14-year-old girl who hires a marshal to hunt down her father's killer. Portis's voice is unlike anything else in the genre. Large print editions are available from Overlook Press.
Starter shelf: For someone new to westerns, a good starting point is three books — Hondo by Louis L'Amour (short, fast, representative), Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (the classic), and The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (the first Longmire book, for readers who prefer contemporary settings). All three are available in large print.
Where to Find Large Print Westerns in Canada
Your Local Library
The best first stop — free and often better-stocked for westerns than you'd expect, especially west of Ontario. Search your library catalogue for the author name and filter by "large print" format. If a title isn't in stock, ask about interlibrary loan. Most Canadian public library systems can pull titles from other branches within a few days to two weeks.
CELA — Centre for Equitable Library Access
If your family member has a print disability (including macular degeneration, low vision, or other conditions that make standard print difficult), CELA provides free access to thousands of accessible titles — including audio versions of western novels. Registration is free through most Canadian public libraries. See our guide to free large print books in Canada for the full process.
Amazon.ca
Search the author name followed by "large print" — for example, "Louis L'Amour large print" or "Craig Johnson large print". On the results page, use the Format filter on the left to narrow to Large Print. Thorndike Press and Wheeler Publishing are the two main large print imprints for westerns — when you see those publisher names, you know the edition is genuine large print (16pt font or larger).
Indigo / Chapters
In-store selection of large print westerns is thin — most Indigo locations carry a small large print section but it skews toward recent bestsellers. The online store (chapters.indigo.ca) has better coverage. Searching "large print westerns" on the site returns a reasonable selection.
Used Books
Western large print editions turn up regularly at thrift stores, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and rural Ontario. Because L'Amour and Grey fans often buy in bulk, there's a steady supply of used large print westerns moving through the secondhand market.
- ThriftBooks — ships to Canada, wide selection of used large print westerns, typically $5–12 CAD per book plus shipping
- eBay Canada — search "large print western lot" for multi-book bundles
- Local thrift stores — Value Village and Salvation Army Family Stores often have a large print section; western authors are well-represented
How to Confirm It's Actually Large Print
Not every edition labelled "large print" is the same. Here's what to look for:
- "Large Print" or "LP" in the title — look at the full title on the product listing, not just the cover image
- Font size 16pt or larger — some publishers list this in the product description; 16pt is the minimum that most optometrists consider large print
- Publisher name — Thorndike Press and Wheeler Publishing are the two dominant large print publishers for westerns. If you see either of those names, you have a genuine large print edition.
- Page count — a legitimate large print western will typically run 300–500 pages even for a short novel (the larger font adds pages)
For a broader look at large print availability by genre, see our genre availability guide. For all sourcing options in Canada, see where to buy large print books in Canada.
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