About this episode

In this episode, hosts Dan and Randall, along with guest Dr. Sara Dant, discuss their favorite books and authors about the American West.

The 1538 distribution of Cabeza de Vaca’s Relacion about his shipwreck and trek across the Southwest marks the beginning of books that tell the stories of the American West to the larger world. Hundreds of thousands of books later, in this episode of The American West Dan, Randall, and guest Dr. Sara Dant reveal their favorite western authors and book choices. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.  YouTube , Spotify , Apple , iHeart , Pandora , Amazon . MeatEater on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Youtube , and Youtube Clips Check out more MeatEater's American History audio originals " The Long Hunters " and " Mountain Men " Subscribe to The MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop  MeatEater Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Dan, Randall

Guest: Dr. Sara Dant

Topics covered

• American West
• books
• literature
• history
• authors
• storytelling

Keywords

• Cabeza de Vaca
• American West
• western authors
• book recommendations
• literature

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MeatEater, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

Books & works: Cabeza de Vaca’s Relacion, The Long Hunters, Mountain Men

More episodes of Gunfighters

• Introducing: Gunfighters, with Bryan Burrough · September 8, 2026 · 2 min
• Ep. 42: Favorite Films About the West · August 18, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Ep. 40: Becoming Natives of Place in the American West · August 4, 2026 · 55 min
• Ep. 39: The River That Flowed From Nowhere, Part II · July 28, 2026 · 1h 5m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Gunfighters podcast page.