Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The First Mountain Man | 1991 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 2 | Blood on the Divide | 1992 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 3 | Absaroka Ambush | 1993 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 4 | Forty Guns West | 1993 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 5 | Cheyenne Challenge | 1995 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 6 | Preacher and the Mountain Caesar | 1995 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 7 | Blackfoot Messiah | 1996 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 8 | Preacher | 2002 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 9 | Preacher’s Peace | 2003 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 10 | Preacher’s Justice | 2004 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 11 | Preacher’s Journey | 2005 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 12 | Preacher’s Fortune | 2006 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 13 | Preacher’s Quest | 2007 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 14 | Preacher’s Showdown | 2008 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 15 | Preacher’s Fire | 2009 | J.A. Johnstone | N/A |
| 16 | Preacher’s Pursuit | 2009 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 17 | Preacher’s Assault | 2011 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 18 | Preacher’s Fury | 2012 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 19 | Preacher’s Massacre | 2012 | J.A. Johnstone | N/A |
| 20 | Preacher’s Blood Hunt | 2014 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 21 | Preacher’s Slaughter | 2014 | J.A. Johnstone | N/A |
| 22 | Preacher’s Bloodbath | 2015 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 23 | Preacher’s Hellstorm | 2016 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 24 | Preacher’s Kill | 2017 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 25 | Preacher’s Rage | 2018 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 26 | Preacher’s Frenzy | 2019 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 27 | Preacher’s Carnage | 2020 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 28 | Preacher’s Inferno | 2021 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 29 | Preacher’s Purge | 2022 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 30 | Preacher’s Bloody Rampage | 2023 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
The First Mountain Man series follows the character known as Preacher, a fur trapper and mountain man roaming the Rockies in the early 1800s. His real name is Arthur, but the nickname stuck after an incident where he talked his way out of an execution. Preacher is tough, resourceful, and more comfortable in the wilderness than in any town. The early books follow him through encounters with hostile tribes, rival trappers, and the harsh mountain country itself.
With thirty books published between 1991 and 2023, this is one of the longest-running Western series still in print. William W. Johnstone wrote the first seven books, and after the series returned from a hiatus in 2002, it shifted to a “Preacher’s” title format that continued under J.A. Johnstone’s co-authorship. Preacher also appears in the Preacher & MacCallister crossover series. For readers who want to start somewhere in the large Johnstone catalog, the First Mountain Man books are a natural choice alongside the Mountain Man series starring Smoke Jensen.