The American West (Paperback)

by Dee Brown (Author) "THIS THEME, PENNED IN AN 1838 LETTER from Arkansas to Tennessee, appears with its variations as the moving spirit of western migration..." (more)
Key Phrases: trail driving days, beef bonanza, drag riders, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Drawing on his earlier books coauthored with Martin Schmitt (The Settlers West; Trail Driving Days), Brown focuses here on the inland American West during the last half of the 19th century as the railroads opened up the area to settlers, the Plains Indians made their final stand and cattle ranches spread from Texas to Montana. Brown examines the origins of the Western myth in literature, from the dime novels of Mayne Reid and Ned Buntline to Owen Wister's The Virginian, and traces the rise of rodeos and Wild West shows. Here is a galaxy of famous characters: Geronimo, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull; Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill, Charles Goodnight, Billy the Kid, Teddy Roosevelt, Generals Crook and Custer. The author takes us on cattle drives to Dodge City and other western towns, then completes this sprightly history with the arrival of law and order and the birth of populism. Informative and entertaining. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Historian and prolific author Brown presents a lively history of the settling of the West from the vantage point of the Native Americans who suffered in the wake.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: A Touchstone Book (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684804417
• ISBN-13: 978-0684804415
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #372,415 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and Informative, August 5, 2000

By	J. Mullin (Plantation, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection of chapters on the American West is an entertaining and informative glimpse into the history of our nation's most misunderstood and glamorized region, but the book seems to try and do too much, and thus ultimately accomplishes little. Dee Brown writes about Indian wars, life in a great cattle drive, and then shifts to such topics as the reading habits and wardrobes of gents and housewives in the old west. There is a noticeable lack of continuity in many of the chapters, but overall almost all of them were enjoyable and educational on their own. There are also some very unique photographs, such as a shot of Big Foot frozen dead in the snow. Brown has done his research, and while not all of his topics will fascinate you, it is easy enough to skip through the chapters you care little about, and to savor the excellent discussions of Wounded Knee, Dodge City, Geronimo, etc.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Text Jumps Around But Still Good!, December 18, 2000

By	John Nixon (Az) - See all my reviews

Brown's American West book can be difficult to follow at times. But it was worth wading through to read the in-depth details of folks who lived back then. I believe this was such a fascinating era in our history that reading new details is worth the price of the book (which was very nominal). If you like the Old West, you will find more than enough to satisfy you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview of Wild West history, May 20, 1998

By A Customer

"The American West" provides readers with an excellent overview of the colorful history of its namesake. Brown exposes the myths behind western legends like Geronimo, Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickock and many others. Perhaps most interesting are the chapters on the trailblazing of the cowboys and the perils they faced on their long cattle drives. Photographs are interspersed throughout the book and add to the story. I highly recommend this book to readers who are not terribly familiar with our western history and would like a nice primer.