The book Hondo was written based on the film Hondo, starring John Wayne and directed by John Farrow. Adapted by Louis L'Amour, the film was actual based on another one of his books. Hondo is a Western novel set in 1870. The book was published in 1953 by Gold Medal Books.
Louis L'Amour was an American Western novelist and short story writer. Born on March 22, 1908, L'Amour also wrote some historical fiction, but that was not in the case of Hondo. There were some problems shooting the film on which the book was based, and it didn't become as popular as it could have been. The director, John Farrow, was under contract to direct something else after Hondo, but the movie ran over schedule. Although the book written by L'Amour was based on the movie, the movie's screenplay was based on his short story, "The Gift of Cochise". Hondo was his 6th of 89 novels.