The Americans: The Colonial Experience [Paperback]

Daniel J. Boorstin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 1964

Winner of the Bancroft Prize. "A superb panorama of life in America from the first settlements on through the white hot days of the Revolution." - Bruce Lancaster, Saturday Review

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The first book in a trilogy--and in many respects the best of the bunch--The Colonial Experience is an essential interpretation of how the habits of people who lived more than two centuries ago shaped the lives of modern Americans. Boorstin shows how an undiscovered continent shattered long-standing traditions and utopian fantasies with the hard demands of everyday life far from the sophisticated centers of European civilization: "Old categories were shaken up, and new situations revealed unsuspected uses for old knowledge," writes Boorstin. He starts with a series of penetrating essays on the Puritans of Massachusetts, the Quakers of Pennsylvania, the philanthropists of Georgia, and the planters of Virginia, then tackles a set of diffuse topics that range from astronomy to language to medicine in fascinating vignettes.

The Colonial Experience is must reading for anybody interested in the development of the American character. --John J. Miller

From the Inside Flap

Winner of the Bancroft Prize. "A superb panorama of life in America from the first settlements on through the white hot days of the Revolution." - Bruce Lancaster, Saturday Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage ed edition (March 12, 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394705130
• ISBN-13: 978-0394705132
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is why Boorstin is one of my favorites, August 9, 2001

By 

Bill "Bill" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Americans: The Colonial Experience (Paperback)

I love to read American history and Daniel Boorstin is one of the best. After reading this book, I had a much better understanding of the American colonial experience. I also understood to a greater degree the affects that Christianity has had on our culture. In this book, Boorstin compares three colonies. It is interesting to read the cultural differences. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the origins of our nation.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History at it Best, August 15, 2003

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Americans: The Colonial Experience (Paperback)

This is a young work of Boorstin and even years later it still lives up to its greatness. The first book of a trilogy, it sets the tone for the two to follow. We are not given a dry reading of dates and places and wars and settlements. Instead it is a readable story of movements, nations but most the individuals - both known and unknown - whose influence continues with us to this day.

This mix of biographies and historical happenings makes for an enjoyable, entertaining and enlightening work.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, August 2, 2006

By 

thescalpel (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Americans: The Colonial Experience (Paperback)

This is an excellent work. That said, you should know what you're looking for when you pick it up. If you are trying to find a history textbook to give you a factual synopsis of the major events in American history, this is not it. This book reads like a collection of essays on different policital, cultural, and intellectual trends in Colonial America.

Like any other collection of opinions, there is plenty of room for disagreeing with some of Boorstin's analysis and conclusions. Still, he supports his positions well, and the book is packed with insights that will expand your understanding of colonial America.

This work is well written, and readable, but you will probably get a little more out if it if you already have a solid background in American history. In any case, it would be highly worth your while to pick up.