It is the only genuinely funny western I can think of. The title says it all, but you don't have to have read the Zane Grey classic ("Code of the West") or similar westerns to appreciate this ...take.

But don't be mislead. While the principal character, newly arrived from the East, naively believes in a non-existent Code of the West (and hence expects women and unarmed men to be immune from being threatened by the local gang), the book is still a classic western in that it is centred around the premise of a man standing up for what he believes in.

There are all the elements of a typical western including gunplay, romance, and fist fighting, and even without the humour I would happily compare this book to other great westerns, like The Daybreakers by Louis L'Amour. For me though, it is the additional humour which moves this into the realm of one of those rare books which I can read over and over.

For all that is best in light fiction, read the Man Who Believed in the Code of the West. As soon as possible.