Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier [Paperback]

Chris Enss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

Hearts West includes more than a dozen stories of courageous mail order brides and their exploits. Accompanying the text are actual advertisements placed by both women seeking husbands and men seeking brides.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

WANTED: A girl who will love, honest, true and not sour;a nice little cooing dove, and willing to work in flour.
Desperate to strike it rich during the Gold Rush, thousands of men traveled West to the emerging frontier, where they outnumbered women twelve to one. Only after they arrived did some of them realize how much they missed female companionship.
Hearts West brings to life true stories of mail-order brides of the Gold Rush era. Some found soul mates; others found themselves in desperate situations. Complete with the actual hearts-and-hands personal advertisements that began some of the long-distance courtships, this fascinating book provides an up-close look at the leap of faith these men and women were willing to take.

About the Author

Chris Enss is a standup comic and comedy writer with an extensive background in radio and television. Her hobbies include historical research and writing about women of the Old West.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: TwoDot; 1st edition (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076272756X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762727568
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning screen writer who has written for television, short subject films, live performances, and for the movies, is the author of Hearts West: True Stories of Mail Order Brides on the Frontier, How the West Was Worn: Bustles and Buckskins on the Wild Frontier, and Buffalo Gals: Women of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The Cowboy and the Senorita and Happy Trails were co-authored with film producer Howard Kazanjian.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect "history" book, July 30, 2006

By 

Ingrid Holzman "Maryland Mom" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier (Paperback)

I picked up this book at a museum bookstore in Arizona last December. I'm not usually one to read non-fiction, but I found this to be fascinating from the start. It hit home, too, when I read The Benton Brides which starts off in Ellicott City, Maryland. I live in Ellicott City and could envision it all very clearly which made the book all that much more real and special. It's very well written and a great book to learn about life during the pioneer days of the 1800's. I highly recommend it to everyone!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and entertaining book, April 10, 2007

By 

K. Turner (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier (Paperback)

I purchased this book out of interest in the subject of mail order brides. The stories in the book are interesting and entertaining, and are often better than fiction. I highly recommend the book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful History, Well Written! Very Good Read!, July 30, 2007

By 

J. Galpin (Cape Fear, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hearts West: True Stories of Mail-Order Brides on the Frontier (Paperback)

As a western history buff, I have found few authors that really get to the heart of the matter like this one has. This is a rare historically accurate work that is easy and fun to read. I will be buying more of her books and I highly recommend this one to you.