Death Valley in '49 (California Legacy Book) (Paperback)

~ William Lewis Manly (Author), Leroy Johnson (Editor), Jean Johnson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This inspiring, true account of a struggle to achieve greater opportunity will appeal to historians and general readers alike..." -- Tulsa World

About the Author

William Lewis Manly was born in Vermont in 1820. He and his family moved to Ohio in 1827, and then continued to drift around the country in search of a better life, living in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maine. In the fall of 1848, Manly decided to follow the gold rush to California. This is the trip documented in Death Valley in ’49. Manly moved between California and the East for several years, eventually settling in California, where he mined, married, and settled in San Jose. Manly died in 1903.

Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Heyday Books (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890771473
• ISBN-13: 978-1890771478
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,432,675 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Epic journey by an unsung American hero., August 20, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Death Valley in '49 (Paperback)

First hand account of pioneers crossing the American west in 1849. Epic and heroic in scope, Manly describes hardships and an America nearly lost to history. Where it survives is in the deserts and wastelands of Utah, Nevada and California. One will never be able to travel these regions without thinking of Manly, Rogers and the Bennet-Arcane party.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appealing to the heroic in every person, a book to remember, March 4, 1999

By	Madelene L. Manley (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Valley in '49 (Paperback)

As a descendant of William L. Manly, and as an avid reader of history, the book appealed to me. It is a tale of raw survival and heroism, as well as a testament to the pioneering spirit of people from our American past. It is also a book of human triumph over one of Mother nature's most trying environments on Earth. The easy-going narration of the events in William L. Manly's life draw you into the scenery, the essence of the beautiful, yet enigmatic desert which lures yet imposes such harsh demands on the body and soul. It seemed that the nearly intolerable conditions that William and his fellow pioneers endured were a kind of "Offering" to the desert, which is one of Mother nature's testing grounds of the human spirit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death Valley, that Cursed Hole, January 18, 2002

By	LeRoy Johnson "[e-mail]" (Bishop, California United States) - See all my reviews

Jean and I edited the Heyday Books edition of Manly's monumental work. This edition has foreward by Dr. Limerick and Jean and I added a preface, 400 notes, an epilogue, and an index. We, of course, are biased and think this is the best edition of his book. Needless to say, the original edition is the best. We hope you enjoy Manly's words and our additions.