John R. Erickson is an American author, best known for his popular children's book series, Hank the Cowdog. With over 9 million copies sold, the series has become a beloved staple in school libraries across the country. Set in the West Texas Panhandle, the books offer a unique look at daily life on a ranch, as seen through the eyes of Hank, the smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security.
Erickson's background as a former cowboy and ranch manager has greatly influenced his writing, lending an authenticity to the stories that resonates with readers. Hank the Cowdog first made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, before Erickson decided to self-publish the first Hank the Cowdog book in 1983. The series quickly gained popularity, especially among teachers and librarians, who appreciated the lively characters and the opportunities the books provided for reading and writing lessons.
In addition to the Hank the Cowdog series, Erickson has also written several books for young adults, including the "Riley McDaniels Series," as well as several books about cowboying based on his own experiences. He has been recognized for his contributions to literature with the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association and was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in 2019. Erickson continues to live on his working cattle ranch in Perryton, Texas, with his wife, where he remains a dedicated writer and storyteller.
Hank the Cowdog Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
1980
2
The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
1983
3
It's a Dog's Life
1984
4
Murder in the Middle Pasture
1985
5
Faded Love
1985
6
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
1986
7
The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob
1986
8
The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse
1987
9
The Case of the Halloween Ghost
1987
10
Every Dog Has His Day
1988
11
Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest
1988
12
The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox
1989
13
The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve
1989
14
Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business
1990
15
The Case of the Missing Cat
1990
16
Lost in the Blinded Blizzard
1991
17
The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog
1991
18
The Case of the Hooking Bull
1992
19
The Case of the Midnight Rustler
1992
20
The Phantom in the Mirror
1993
21
The Case of the Vampire Cat
1993
22
Moonlight Madness
1994
23
The Case of the Black-hooded Hangmans
1995
24
The Case of the Kidnapped Collie
1996
25
The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster
1996
26
The Mopwater Files
1997
27
The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper
1997
28
The Case of the Haystack Kitties
1998
29
The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook
1998
30
The Case of the Garbage Monster from Outer Space
1999
31
The Case of the Measled Cowboy
1999
32
Slim's Good-bye
2000
33
The Case of the Saddlehouse Robbery
2000
34
The Case of the Raging Rottweiler
2000
35
The Fling
2001
36
The Case of the Missing Bird Dog
2002
37
Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog
2003
38
The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree
2003
39
The Case of the Burrowing Robot
2003
40
The Case of the Twisted Kitty
2004
41
The Dungeon of Doom
2004
42
The Homeless Pooch
2004
43
The Case of the Falling Sky
2005
44
The Watermelon Patch Mystery
2005
45
The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies
2006
46
The Case of the Monkey Burglar
2006
47
The Kitty Cheater
2006
48
The Case of the Blazing Sky
2008
49
The Quest for the Great White Quail
2008
50
The Cookie Moon
2009
51
Drover's Secret Life
2009
52
The Case of the Dinosaur Birds
2009
53
The Case of the Secret Weapon
2010
54
The Case of the Coyote Invasion
2010
55
The Dancing Cowboy
2010
56
The Valentine's Day Robbery
2010
57
The Case of the Perfect Dog
2012
58
The Runaway Windmill
2012
59
The Case of the Mysterious Voice
2012
60
The Big Question
2012
61
The Disappearance of Drover
2012
62
The Case of the Most Ancient Bone
2012
63
The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup
2012
64
The Case of the Tricky Trap
2012
65
The Case of the Prowling Bear
2013
66
The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game
2013
67
The Secret Laundry Monster Files
2013
68
The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado
2013
69
The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting
2013
70
The Ghost of Rabbits Past
2013
71
The Return of the Charlie Monsters
2014
72
The Case of the Three Rings
2014
73
The Three Rings
2014
74
The Almost Last Roundup
2015
75
The Christmas Turkey Disaster
2015
76
Wagons West
2016
77
The Secret Pledge
2016
78
The Case of the Wandering Goats
2017
79
The Case of the Troublesome Lady
2017
80
The Case of the Monster Fire
2018
81
The Case of the Three-Toed Sloth
2018
82
The Case of the Buried Deer
2019
83
The Frozen Rodeo
2020
84
The Case of the Red Rubber Ball
2020
85
The Case of the Missing Teeth
2021
86
The Case of the Lost Camp
2021
87
The Incredible Ice Event
2022
88
Double Trouble
2023
Hank's Ranch Life Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Cowboys and Horses
2017
2
Ranching and Livestock
2017
3
Ranch Wildlife
2018
4
Ranch Weather
2020
Riley McDaniels Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Moonshiner's Gold
2001
2
Discovery at Flint Springs
2004
3
Fear's Return
2011
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Cowboys Are Partly Human
1983
2
The Hunter
1984
3
Ace Reid Cowpoke
1984
4
Cowboy Country
1986
5
Cowboys Are A Separate Species
1986
6
Cowboys Are Old Enough to Know Better
1988
7
Cowboy Fiddler in Bob Wills' Band
1991
Collections
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Devil in Texas and Other Cowboy Tales
1983
2
Alkali County Tales
1984
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Through Time and the Valley
1978
2
Panhandle Cowboy
1980
3
The Modern Cowboy
1981
4
Essays on Writing and Publishing
1985
5
The Long Look
1987
6
LZ Cowboy
1997
7
Some Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys
2000
8
Catch Rope
2000
9
Friends
2002
10
Prairie Gothic
2005
11
Story Craft
2009
12
Finding Hank
2019
13
Bad Smoke, Good Smoke
2021
14
Porch Talk
2021
Voice in the American West Books (with Susan Cummins Miller)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
A Sweet, Separate Intimacy: Women Writers of the American Frontier, 1800-1922
2000
2
A Sweet, Separate Intimacy: Women Writers of the American Frontier, 1800–1922