Customer Reviews

A Colorado History

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great book if you are looking for a fairly thorough introduction to Colorado's history. My only complaint is that it is primarily a history of white civilization in Colorado, and it largely ignores the history of the Native Americans prior to the arrival of the white settlers. Also, this is a fairly long book and it is probably best suited for history buffs. If you are looking for a good introduction to Colorado history, but one with less text and more photographs, I strongly recommend Colorado: Yesterday & Today.

Ubbelohde's text is a thorough review of Colorado history, from Paleo-Indians to the Gold Rush to the War Years to the new Millennium, and everything in between. Obviously, many books focus on more specific information relative to specific themes or people, but this text is the best overview of Colorado. It works well in either a high school or college setting (I have used various editions in both), with the instructor using this text as a platform for more intensive research. As in any single book, it is not the "all and everything," but still masterfully covers the general history of a truly beautiful, fascinating state.

If you are interested in Colorado history, this is the place to start. It is an overview of all topics in Colorado history, and provides recommended readings in the back if you are interested in further research.
A couple of previous reviewers had complaints which are without merit (at least for this edition, I haven't read the previous four editions.) One complains about the writing. While the authors won't win any Pulitzers for their prose, it is a competently written, clear book without any academic jargon.
As for the criticism of the pre-Columbian coverage, they summarize what is known from the archaeological record. They don't engage in speculative flights of fancy, as some recent authors do, about all the details of those societies. The Pueblo civilizations in particular are difficult, as they abandoned their homes in Colorado well before the Europeans came into the area.

The book is well written and comprehensive. Make no mistake, this is an academic tome written as a history textbook. It should be of interest to anyone living in Colorado or having an interest in the development of the central Rocky Mountain area. The book shows the significant impact that mining, the development of transportation routes, water supplies, tourism, politics (national and local) and the two world wars had on Colorado's development. It also reminds us that today's US domestic problems, roller-coaster economics and polemic politics are not at all unique to the modern era.

There were some excellent old pictures and photos in the book, however, the inclusion of more maps and period photos would have made the book more interesting and perhaps expand its audience appeal.

"Political and economic developments from the prehistoric Indians to the establishment of modern missile bases, designed for reading, rather than reference." Colorado history buffs should not miss this scarce copy title. [ASIN:0142437522 The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (Penguin Classics)][ASIN:1565793471 Colorado, 1870-2000]

"A Colorado History" [9th ed.] by Ubbelohde/Benson/Smith is burdened by a reader-unfriendly text as inaccessible as an anchor sunk in sand at the bottom of an ocean. The book's subject may be interesting; its scope may be admirably comprehensive; its facts and figures may be derived from the most thorough research; but the authors' presentation of the material is pedantic, plodding, unduly fastidious, and dull, dull, dull. The authors' writing style is worse than merely wooden--it's petrified wooden. Try hacking through 490 pages of that stiff &@#*! Not even the sharpest axe is worth wasting on the effort.

My heartiest recommendation: put every copy (including yours, if applicable) in a box, tie it with a ribbon, and throw it in the ever-lovin' deep blue sea.

THIS BOOK DEVOTES NEARLY TWO CHAPTERS ON GOVERNOR WAITE; a.k.a. BLOODY BRIDLES. FINALLY HISTORIANS RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS GREAT AMERICAN LEADER !!!

THE HISTORY IN THIS BOOK ON BLOODY BRIDLES WAITE WOULD BE A SURPRISE TO MOST COLORADO BUFFS. THE HISTORY AND LEGEND OF THE GOVERNOR WILL SOON BE FOUND IN A NOVEL BY HIS GREAT-GRANDSON, FRANK S. WAITE.