The Rancher books in order

The Rancher series by Max Brand is a Western duology featuring The Rancher's Revenge (1959) and The Return of the Rancher (1972), both published after the author's death.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 The Rancher’s Revenge 1959 Max Brand Buy
2 The Return of the Rancher 1972 Max Brand Buy

The Rancher is a posthumous Western duology from Max Brand. Both books were published years after Brand’s death in 1944, assembled from manuscripts he left behind. The Rancher’s Revenge appeared in 1959 and The Return of the Rancher in 1972, part of the steady stream of Brand material that publishers continued to release for decades after his death.

These are typical Brand Westerns, set on the open range and dealing with the conflicts that arise over land, cattle, and reputation. They lack the distinctive hook of some of Brand’s better-known series, but they offer the same reliable action writing and Western atmosphere that made him one of the genre’s most widely read authors. For Brand completists, they fill in two more entries in a massive bibliography.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the The Rancher series?

There are two books in the The Rancher series, published between 1959 and 1972.

What is the first book in the The Rancher series?

The first book in the The Rancher series is The Rancher’s Revenge, published in 1959.

Are the Rancher books connected?

The Rancher’s Revenge and The Return of the Rancher are both set in the world of Western ranch life and share thematic connections around land disputes and frontier justice. Both were published posthumously from Brand’s manuscripts, The Rancher’s Revenge in 1959 and The Return of the Rancher in 1972.

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