Hombre was published as a Ballantine paperback original in 1961 and is Leonard’s masterpiece of Western fiction — the book that established him as one of the genre’s best practitioners before he transitioned to crime fiction. John Russell, a white man raised by Apaches who has chosen to live among them, is traveling by stagecoach with a group of passengers who despise him for his Indian associations. When the stage is held up by bandits, Russell is the only person with the skill and will to fight back — but the passengers he must save are the same people who have been treating him as subhuman.
The novel is a morality play about racism and obligation: is Russell obligated to risk his life for people who refuse to recognise his humanity? Leonard answers, characteristically, by showing rather than telling: Russell acts, and the reader judges.
The Stagecoach
The stagecoach journey — the confined space, the forced intimacy, the passengers’ prejudices laid bare — is a classic literary device (Maupassant’s “Boule de Suif,” John Ford’s Stagecoach). Leonard uses it to strip away social pretence: the respectable passengers who despise Russell reveal their own moral deficiencies under pressure, while Russell, the despised outsider, demonstrates the courage and competence they lack. The novel’s structure is ruthlessly economical — Leonard was already the master of lean prose.
The Film
Martin Ritt’s 1967 film, starring Paul Newman as John Russell, is among the finest revisionist Westerns of the 1960s. Newman, who at the time was the biggest star in Hollywood, chose the role specifically for its moral complexity. The film was shot in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains, and Ritt’s direction emphasised the landscape’s harshness as a correlative to the moral landscape.
Leonard’s Western Period
Hombre was the culmination of Leonard’s Western career. He had published steadily in the genre since The Bounty Hunters (1953), writing Westerns partly because he admired the form and partly because the market for short Western fiction in magazines was reliable. Hombre was his sixth Western novel, and its critical success — along with the Newman film — established his reputation as a serious writer. Ironically, the Western market was collapsing just as Leonard reached his peak in the genre, forcing the transition to crime fiction that would make his fortune.
Collecting Hombre
First edition (1961, Ballantine Books, New York): Paperback original. No US hardcover first edition.
Approximate market values:
- Paperback original, fine: $200–$500
- Good condition: $50–$150
- First hardcover (Robert Hale, UK, 1961): $300–$800
- Signed copies: extremely rare — Leonard was unknown in 1961. $1,000+ when they appear.
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Strong appreciation. As Leonard’s reputation has grown posthumously, the early Westerns — particularly Hombre — have attracted collector attention.
Projected values (2026–2036): Continued strong demand. Fine paperback originals should reach $500–$1,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the best Leonard Western? Most critics and readers agree it is. Valdez Is Coming (1970) is sometimes cited as a rival, but Hombre’s moral clarity and structural economy make it the consensus choice.
How does it relate to Leonard’s crime fiction? The DNA is identical: spare prose, morally complex protagonist, sharp dialogue, refusal to judge. John Russell is the prototype for every Leonard hero who follows — a competent man operating by his own code in a world that doesn’t share his values.