Hi,

Please forgive a couple of “newbie,” probably basic questions:

1) I’m confused by conflicting information I’ve seen on the years 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, and 1987, in all of which Elmore Leonard published two novels. Can someone clarify for me the publication orders of the books published those years (Mr. Majestyk/52 Pickup; Unknown Man No. 89/The Hunted; City Primeval/Gold Coast; Stick/LaBrava; Bandits/Touch)?

2) Also, I’ve heard that Touch was mostly written in the late 1970s. Does anyone know if there are other instances in which Elmore Leonard published novels in a different order from that in which he wrote them?

Thanks a lot.

Check the novels section of this website.

Thanks, Gregg.

I guess I should have phrased my question differently. I saw the novels section here and figured it was probably accurate, but was confused because the front pages of the Leonard books I’ve seen list Gold Coast before City Primeval, and some book front pages I’ve seen list 52 Pickup before Mr. Majestyk. I’ve also seen various articles that suggest The Hunted preceded Unknown Man No. 89, LaBrava preceded Stick, and Touch preceded Bandits. So I guess I was just looking for confirmation that the order of publication was exactly as it is on this website.

Also, does anyone know for sure if all of Elmore Leonard’s novels (besides Touch) were published in the order in which they were written, or is that not known?

TOUCH had an interesting history.  After Elmore wrote the novel his publisher was not sure what to make of it, so it remained off to the side.
I recall seeing the novel at the archives in the University of Detroit in the 1970s.  When Elmore’s popularity grew, then interest in anything
he wrote took precidence and TOUCH was finally published.  Hard to believe, I know.

the need to add here an alert to nuances
check out the tread “messier…....”
reading in order makes clear
fit and proper presentation
rational publication
yet questions
remain
hmm
hm

Well, I looked over the “messier” thread, and admit I’m still a dash confused.

That thread suggests (if I’m reading the very long thread correctly) that The Hunted precedes Unknown Man No. 89, and that Gold Coast precedes City Primeval, both of which contradict the “novels” section on this website, which Gregg confirmed as the correct order.

I assume that the website novels section is correct, but I’m curious as to why the “messier” thread changed the order in those cases.

As a separate question, does anyone know if Elmore Leonard ever said anything about the reason he returned to the western genre in the late 1970s with Gunsights? Just curious.