Overview

From a New York Times-bestselling author, a sweeping history of the American West In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West. He takes us from John Jacob Astor's fur trading outpost in Oregon to the Texas Revolution, from the California gold rush to the Oklahoma land rush. He shows how the migrants' dreams drove them to feats of courage and perseverance that put their stay-at-home cousins to shame-and how those same dreams also drove them to outrageous acts of violence against indigenous peoples and one another. The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the East.Balanced, authoritative, and masterfully told, Dreams of El Dorado sets a new standard for histories of the American West.

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9781549154904

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Brands has a deft narrative touch and a talent for highlighting the human drama undergirding historical events. But Dreams of El Dorado is not challenging history. It is scholarship as entertainment, history as adventure story. -- Los Angeles Review of Books The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the East. In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West. -- Amazon.com This is a marvelous short history of the West, rewarding both expert and neophyte readers. -- Booklist (starred review) A subject this monumental demands prose to match it, and I am pleased that to report that, in this sprawling epic, H. W. Brands is at his sparkling best. -- S. C. Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author

"""Brands has a deft narrative touch and a talent for highlighting the human drama undergirding historical events. But Dreams of El Dorado is not challenging history. It is scholarship as entertainment, history as adventure story."" -- ""Los Angeles Review of Books"" ""The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the East. In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West."" -- ""Amazon.com"" ""This is a marvelous short history of the West, rewarding both expert and neophyte readers."" -- ""Booklist (starred review)"" ""A subject this monumental demands prose to match it, and I am pleased that to report that, in this sprawling epic, H. W. Brands is at his sparkling best."" -- ""S. C. Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author"""

A subject this monumental demands prose to match it, and I am pleased that to report that, in this sprawling epic, H. W. Brands is at his sparkling best. -- S. C. Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author This is a marvelous short history of the West, rewarding both expert and neophyte readers. -- Booklist (starred review) The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the East. In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West. -- Amazon.com Brands has a deft narrative touch and a talent for highlighting the human drama undergirding historical events. But Dreams of El Dorado is not challenging history. It is scholarship as entertainment, history as adventure story. -- Los Angeles Review of Books

A subject this monumental demands prose to match it, and I am pleased that to report that, in this sprawling epic, H. W. Brands is at his sparkling best. -- S. C. Gwynne, New York Times bestselling author

Author Information

H. W. Brands is the bestselling author and editor of more than twenty books. He has been a professor at Vanderbilt and Texas A&M universities, and he is currently the Dickson Allen Anderson Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin. Two of his books, Traitor to His Class and The First American, were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. His other works include Andrew Jackson, Age of Gold, and TR. He lectures frequently on historical and current events and has appeared on numerous national radio and television programs. He resides in Austin, Texas.

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