John R. Erickson Books In Order

Publication Order of Hank the Cowdog Books

Publication Order of Hank's Ranch Life Books

Publication Order of Riley McDaniels Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Voice in the American West Books

John R. Erickson is an American author best known for writing the Hank the Cowdog series. The long-running series features a smelly and smart-aleck cowdog who is the Head of Ranch Security. The children’s books have sold over seven million copies and give the readers a unique look at what daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle is like.

Erickson was born in Midland, Texas on October 20, 1943. He was the youngest of three children. Early in his life, his family moved to Perryton, Texas where he still lives to this day. Erickson and his wife live in Perryton on a cattle ranch. The couple has three children and four grandchildren. He came up with the Hank the Cowdog series when he first got Hank into the pages of The Cattleman. The magazine was for adults, but he knew that he had a hit on his hand when he started getting “Dear Hanks” letters. He made the decision to self-publish The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog. John originally published just two-thousand copies of the book which sold out in just six weeks. He has since been called a “grassroots publishing phenomena” by Publishers Weekly.

From there, he began getting invited to schools by teachers. Kids at libraries in Texas loved the Hank the Cowdog series and they were some of the most popular checkouts as the library. Erickson won the he 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children’s Series from the Audio Publisher’s Association. The books often appeal to reluctant readers thanks to the gifted storytelling of Erickson. The advice that John offers to writers is to “Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before.”

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog is where it all started in the Hank the Cowdog series. The story introduces us to Hank who is the Head of Ranch Security. Hank finds himself with a lot on his plate after the murder of a chicken on his ranch that he sets out to investigate. He finds that he could be the top suspect and ends up resigning from his position. Filled with despair, Hank heads for the hills where he decides to become an outlaw. He is taken in by a band of coyotes who are happy to teach him how they do things. The coyotes seem to be on his side in all of this, but then they reveal their plan. They are set to do a raid on Hank’s ranch. Will he be able to stop them? Or will this be a case of “if you can’t beat them, join them”?

The Hank the Cowdog series continues in The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog. This book begins with Hank defending the ranch against a Silver Monster Bird that is attacking the ranch. Then he finds himself stricken by a disease known as Eye-Crosserosis. Hank will need to act fast to find a cure for this disease or else risk losing his position as Head of Ranch Security. He is dedicated to finding a cure, a search which takes him to the cave of a witchy little owl named Madame Moonshine.

The third book in the Hank the Cowdog series is It’s A Dog’s Life. This book starts off like most Hank the Cowdog books with Hank in trouble. This time he decides to get away from it all by heading to town and visiting his sister, Maggie. It is meant as an innocent trip to town, but then Hank contracts a mysterious case of “soap hydrophobia” and finds himself in the dog pound.

Murder in the Middle Pasture is another book in the Hank the Cowdog series. Hank is faced with a mystery in this one that begins with the death of a calf. In order to find out what happened, Hank goes on a mission to spy on the coyote village where he believes the murdered is located. Things are never easy for Hank though and a pack of wild dogs will complicate things. In order to solve the case, Hank will have to use all of his powers of deduction.

The fifth entry in the series is called Faded Love. Hank is usually pretty busy with work, but he decides to take a vacation after working too hard. Now, his thoughts are turning to romance as he goes to see Miss Beulah the Collie, his true love. The trip to see her won’t be easy though as he’ll faces many complications on the way. Despite being on vacation, he’ll need to once again use his powers of intuition and deduction.

Another good entry in the Hank the Cowdog series is The Dungeon of Doom. One of Hank’s jobs on the ranch is to keep the area clear of intruders and that includes gophers. He’s doing this job one day when things get complicated and he inadvertently ends up causing a stampede in the middle of the roundup. This has some serious implications for Hank as he will be sent to Obedience School to learn some manners. Hank thinks this sounds like absolute torture and wonders if he’ll be able to survive.

The Case of the Buried Deer is a Hank the Cowdog adventure that sees the return of the Happy Lab. He’s good-natured, but Hank and Drover often find him to be exasperating. However, the two will learn that a loyal lab is one of the best friends that you can have.

The Frozen Rodeo takes place in early January as they receive word that an ice storm is coming. Making matters worse, their electric fence has short-circuited and some of their steers have strayed into town and ended up on the golf course. Slim saddles up his horse and with Hank by his side, the two set off to retrieve the steers.