Expansion Books

I had very high hopes for this book: The Santa Fe Trail through the eyes of those who were there. Many have used this venue and all of them have always improved the history, imparting a new understanding of events through the eyes of the participants.

Its not that there isn't some good history here, it's that Hyslop applies this technique in a haphazard fashion. We view the trek through the eyes of the same 5-6 participants who traveled the trail at decidedly different points in time. The result is that rather than moving along the trail chronologically, as the participants being quoted did, we visit each point on the trail 5-6 times completely out of chronological sequence.

The result is a hodge-podge of interpretations hopelessly out of sequence. In the end I felt sorry for the author; he obviously spent an immense amount of time in his effort and his work is historically accurate. But it is confusing; it misleads and changes or at least misstates the history that occurred as it unfolded. Taken out of sequence, the story is muted, watered down. And that is a damn shame because significant effort went into this work.

This authoritative volume from Stephen Hyslop sheds new light on an important aspect of the American story. Well-written and full of interesting facts, analysis, and captivating stories, this book is no dry history, but a thorough work that should have great appeal beyond the academic market. It is a book all American history buffs should enjoy. I know I did.

Once in a while a book attains benchmark status in the historiography of a particular subject. "Bound for Santa Fe," by Stephen G. Hyslop, might well do so. It has many of the necessary ingredients. Its palate is sweeping, and the author's handling of the story both complex and captivating. More than any other recent work of history on the Santa Fe trail and trade, it captures the essence of the story and relates it to an audience removed from it by some 175 years. Most of all, "Bound for Santa Fe" is an exceptionally well-written work of history, tantalizing in its depictions and seductive in the power of its narrative.

Beginning with the earliest exploring parties from the United States into the Southwest, Hyslop takes the reader through the origins and development of the Santa Fe trade, using narratives from the trail as the centerpiece of a journey from Missouri to New Mexico. Along the trail readers meet the native peoples who had made the region their homes for centuries, the Santa Fe culture and its sometimes uneasy coexistence with Anglos from Missouri, and the unique world these various cultures made through their interactions.

At the same time, the interactions proved surprising to both sides. As only one example, Missourians expressed dismay at the mores of the New Mexicans, and that cultural divide never seemed to end despite years of close contact. When trader John Scolly hauled his Latina wife, Juana Lopes, before a Mexican judge for adultery the outcome was remarkably different to what Scolly had expected. Lopes did not deny the charges, instead offering the belligerent explanation, as reported in the court record, that "it was her ass, she controlled it, and she would give it to whomever she wanted" (p. 266). The judge told her to quit "roving" and stay with her family but stopped short of punishing her, as would have undoubtedly been the case in the U.S. Such cultural differences sprinkle this work, demonstrating the oddity and attraction of these two civilizations.

Hyslop completes his work with a discussion of American conquest of New Mexico in 1846-1848. He follows the path of the Army of the West under Stephen Watts Kearny, the experience of Alexander Doniphan and Sterling Price and their Missouri volunteers, the creation of a territorial government under Charles Bent, and the bloody Taos revolt.

In 1979 John D. Unruh Jr. published "The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60" (University of Illinois Press), unraveling the complex story of the overlanders on America's longest trail. Hyslop offers a work very similar to Unruh's in style and substance for the Santa Fe trail, and it may become a standard on the subject for many years.

This book was a very good read! How ever, the author wrote her story from second hand information, she, herself had no real memory of the horrors the others went through! But, her description of Sacramento, and surrounding areas was very interesting. Her hardship that she recalls at Sutters Fort were disheartening! The author had a comfortable life with the Brunner's after her tragic experience. But, the title of the book, just doesn't fit the story, it should be titled "The Life and Times of Eliza Donner"!

The author of this book, which was first published in 1911, was a survivor of the Donner Party, that hapless group of eighty-seven pioneers who in 1846, while navigating a supposedly new route to California, found themselves trapped high in the Sierra Mountains. Immobilized by snow and frigid weather, little more than half, mostly women and children, of this hardy band of westward-ho pioneers would survive the deprivation and great human suffering. One of those survivors was Eliza P. Donner, then a child just under four years of age. She would live on, hearing of lurid tales of cannibalism, which were to mar her survival.

A little less than half of this book is devoted to the doomed expedition itself. Of course, even though the author was one of its survivors, given her tender age, most of the information about the expedition is based upon the recollections of other survivors, including those of her older sisters. She paints a fairly intimate and poignant portrait of her family, but the account of their tragic journey seems to be subjectively sanitized, as if to offset the grisly details that had become an integral part of the Donner Party legend. The details of the Donner Party tragedy are best told by historian, George Stewart, in his book, "Ordeal by Hunger."

Still, this book provides an interesting look at the aftermath of the Donner Party debacle. It looks at early pioneer life in California, through the author's eyes, recounting what became of her and her surviving sisters after their incredible rescue. This makes for an eye-opening, first hand account of what life was actually like in those early pioneering days. The author, an apparently hearty soul, would go on to have quite a full and interesting life. Written in an easy, conversational tone, this book will capture the interest of those who enjoy memoirs, books on pioneer life, or books on the Donner Party.

I loved this book! While I understand that there was a bias coming from Eliza Donner in her effort to clear her family name - the book still is a reflection of the time in it's prose and in it's descriptions of life. Originally, I picked the book up to read about the Donner tragedy. But in the end I found myself facinated by the 2nd half of the book. In this half little Eliza describes life in early California as an orphan. Because of her unique position, she was able to experience a variety of cultures that existed in California in the mid 1800s. This was a time when Indians, Mexicans, and European Americans mingled in small towns. There are so many books that deal with the large issues of men's conflicts. Conversely, if you are curious about a woman's perspective of the small details and the day to day life of new settlers in California this book is absolutely a must read. Learn about some of the details of farm life, of the responsibility of children, and the harsh realities of a life where community, family, and traditions were bound with love, respect, and survival.

Ms. Donner Houghton has a real skill in writing and was able to write the book from the perspective of a child growing up in early California. As I read the book, I found myself loving little Eliza for her courage, honesty, and effort. For me, it was window into the cultural mindset of people of that era. I remember a remark about a visitor coming into Sacramento that excited the women so much that they 'forgot to roll down their sleeves before they came outside'. Yes, the dress code was very strict - but only little Eliza, a person of that time, would notice. I also liked the details of how the people of the early towns worked together to help make a community. For example, when the sick came back from the gold mines, the German household that Eliza lived in became a makeshift hospital for the men.

If you are from Northern California or just like pioneer history, little Eliza has a story to tell you.

I loved reading about Libbie Custer! She was a strong and intelligent woman with a fascinating life. In this book I learned so many things. Among them I learned that George Armstrong Custer had a more human side to him than what history books portrayed. It really opened my eyes!

Pat Kines' portrayal of Elizabeth Custer in "A Life Within a Life" is to Libbie Custer biographies what Cliff's Notes are to literature. Kines does an admirable job of summing up the high points in Libbie's life, and of laboriously summarizing the memoirs Custer left behind. Unfortunately, she doesn't do much else in terms of making original observations or assertions about this very fascinating person.

For somebody who is completely unfamiliar with Elizabeth Custer and doesn't want to take the time to read Boots and Saddles or any of her other writings, A Life Within A Life is a fine place to start. For others, Leckie's 1993 biography (which Kines actually points to as the impetus for her book) will be a far more interesting read.

"A life within a life" is a book about the wife of General George Armstrong Custer. But the book is about much more than the life of Elizabeth (Libbie) Bacon Custer. The book is also about her adventures with her husband and with the U.S. Army.

The author (Pat Kines) brings personal family experience of the old West to enhance her book. Her Grandmother had direct encounters with hostile natives, and Pat and her family have always lived in the West.

Libbie was born in Monroe, Michigan. She kept a diary from which we learn a great deal about her and the life she lived. Libbie was from a wealthy family, was well educated, and had an intellectual sense of humor.

The book brings Libbie to life with a variety of anecdotes, words from Libbie's own hand, and relevant (and interesting) historical facts of the period. Of particular historical interest is the chapter titled, "After the Civil War". That chapter shows how Libbie, from the North, viewed the people from the South as they tried to regain some normalcy after losing the war.

The book describes Libbie's down-to-earth, every-day living conditions. The descriptions are excellent and include her life in Army tents, how she traveled with her personal and military entourage, what it was like for her to stay at various forts, and how she and the other occupants of the forts (men and women) entertained themselves. Life was very hard at times, but Libbie was determined to remain a lady no matter how difficult the living conditions became.

Entertainment at the forts was very important and included dancing, singing, riding outside of the fort (even in inclement weather), and picnics. Sometimes the military band from the fort played at the picnics!

Libbie outlived her husband by fifty years, during which time she made a successful life by herself. She was able to travel a great deal and had many friends around the world.

I think that "A life within a life" is an important as well as interesting book. It shows Libbie to be a resourceful woman dedicated to her husband and at the same time she was independent and caring of those less fortunate. The book is a perfect candidate for Oprah's Book Club.

Murray State University (Kentucky) history professor Ted Franklin Belue discovered the only known copy of Peter Houston's manuscript about his personal recollections of the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, in the Lyman C. Draper papers at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1990. Written in the 1840s by a friend and neighbor of Boone's, the original manuscript was stolen from the author's grandson in 1887, but luckily for future historians, the grandson had, mere weeks before the theft, mailed a copy of the lengthy work to the prolific historian, Lyman Draper. Belue has done a masterful job in presenting this rare piece of Americana to the reading public. Replete with extensive annotations and notes, a pictorial section, and an impressive bibliography, the book goes a long way in shedding light on everyday times on America's first western frontier during the 1770s and 1780s. For those of WWA's membership who believe, as I do, that "western" writing is defined as that which encompasses the entire American frontier experience, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific shores, this book will provide several hours of interesting reading, indeed.--Jim Crutchfield, Managing Editor, Roundup Magazine April 1998, Western Writers of America

Long ago Peter Houston's A Sketch in the Life and Character of Daniel Boone should have been properly annotated and published. Ted Franklin Belue has done historians a genuinely useful service in transcribing into a readily available and readable form this insightful contemporary view of Daniel Boone and the times. This is an addition to the Daniel Boone-Frontier America story, casting a new first-hand and contemporary light on the subject. Dr. Thomas D. Clark, Historian Laureate of Kentucky, professor emeritus of the University of Kentucky, and author of many books on Kentucky and the American South.

Houston's Boone is a diminutive book but one brimming with contemporary insights plus editor's annotations into frontier life featuring new stuff on Boone, hide tanning, buffalo, Indians, and early hunter anecdotes. An elegent little book with a gorgeous jacket, a highly collectable bit of old-time Kentuckiana.

This book tells the story of the early history of the American Deep South, basically Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. It starts with Jefferson and goes down to the War of 1812 and its aftermath. Rothman is a competent historian and scholar. The book is well-researched, and it has its moments of insight and value. For example, it tells the story of the largest slave revolt in American history, in Louisiana during this period, which I had not heard of before.

Despite this, I was not very impressed with the book. I felt that it basically did not have much to say, which was new, and it was not very cogently argued. Rothman was clear that he wanted to write about these three states from roughly 1780 to 1820. What he wanted to say about them, however, was not at all clear. There are a number of books which could have been written on this material. For example, one could have explored the general subject of the transition in southern democracy from Jefferson to Jackson. Or you could have explored the transition in slavery from the Tidewater economy to the plantation economy. Or you could have written about the peculiarities of New Orleans and Louisiana culture and history. Or you could have explored the contradictions in Jacksonian democracy from the modern perspective, its simultaneous embrace of the common man and racism. Or you simply could have written a regional history of these three states, in these period.

This book did a little of each of these things, but it did not really take any one theme and develop it very much. Since there was no real theme, the book kind of meandered for me. I thought the book got better as it went along. The beginning was particularly weak. It was kind of sort of focused on Jefferson, but a great deal has been written on Jefferson, and Rothman neither summarized the past scholarship well nor added much to it. The first part of the book was disjointed; there was no flow. As it went along, however, the book found its groove and the end was much better than the beginning.

Adam Rothman portends that the Lousiana Purchase and Pinckney's treaty paved the way for the expansion of slavery in the Antebellum United States, since these two events led to the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama being admitted to the Union as slave states.

Unfortunately, the book is slanted largely towards the expansion of slavery into Louisiana, though Rothman's work in this area is superb. The concepts he presents of why and how slavery became such a critical component of Lousiana life prior to the Civil War are all well documented, largely through manuscripts and business records left by participants in the events. His use of secondary sources is judicious and always appropriate.

Rothman does not use the term 'manifest destiny', though his argument is indicative of the concept; he explains Jefferson's concept of expansion and slavery, which sets the tone for the whole book. His expansion on how slavery became a significant factor in life in these states is well thought out and very thorough.

Given the subtitle of the book ("American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South"), I had anticipated more treatment of the other two states - Mississippi and Alabama, although I realize that this would have significantly expanded the size of the work. Despite this fact, this book is well worth reading and an excellent treatment of the subject. I would recommend it to anyone seeking an understanding of why slavery expanded with such full force into Louisiana, but not for Alabama or Mississippi.

Adam Rothman's Slave Country is a very readable book about the development of slavery in the deep South after the American Revolution. Using precise language and an elegant narrative form, Rothman brings legislation, cultural forces, economics, and the political battles involving slavery to life. It is necessary reading for anyone who wishes to understand the United States during the nineteenth century. Rothman has a gift for language and the wit of a master historian.

Buy this book.

This book is more an essay on Alexander the man than a study of Alexander the general, though all the campaigns and major battles are mentioned. The author discusses both positive and negative aspects of Alexander. There is some discussion of his father Phillip, but essentially no discussion on the Successors. There is only one map, covering Alexander's entire march, but enough sites are listed on the it to make it useful. The book is easy to read, with the language flowing nicely. Recommended if you're looking for a brief introduction and quick read, as I was.

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This is a great book. The author shifts the thinking about the start of this country. Griffin takes democracy and federalism out of the misty clouds and sinks it into the mud of the frontier and in the dirty hands of the people. It was such a good read, and so thought provoking, I bought copies for each of my brothers and for my father -- all of whom are history buffs.

Once again we are treated to what passes for scholarship today -- a politically correct analysis of (this time) the problems & wars with the Indians west of the Proclamation Line before, during and after the Revolutionary War. The most accurate portion is the British viewpoint and policies, treating the colonies only as providers of a market for English goods and a source of materials and commodities for the home country. In short, a colony and people to be exploited. In this light, the Indians were simply a segment of the British empire, and a curb on colonist ambitions.

However, the Indians are seen by the author as noble savages living in a state of nature, whereas the white settlers west of the Proclamation Line (a temporary expedient) are seen as low life, savage, ruffians, and not worthy of being called white. Amazingly, the author contends the Indians did not as a rule kill innocent women and children. No? Then I guess all those wives and children of settlers who were butchered or tortured to death after capture didn't exist. He only mentions in passing the murder of a woman and her newborn baby that precipitated the Gnadenhuetten Massacre and doesn't mention that the prepetrators were tracked to Gnadenhuetten. John Carpenter had seen them, but they fled Gnadenhuetten before the whites arrived but after leaving evidence of their being in the village.

The author makes liberal use of the explosive term (today) of racism to tar the settlers. The Americans were either poor squatters staking a claim to the land by right of having improved it (like the Israelis would claim in the 20th century), or wealthy and greedy speculators (the author mentions George Washington and Patrick Henry as two examples) using their political connections to obtain the land for almost nothing. He touches on the most interesting facet of the subject by showing that the revolution started in the West through the settlers defying the British in 1774, and offers up the question of whether the revolution was driven from the people upwards, or from the colonial elite downwards. This is an interesting question, and the author should be able to answer it without making both parties seem excessively venal.

Indeed, the author's lack of scholarship and understanding of the times are clearly evident in his attitude toward the Western Pennsylvania settlers and warfare. Evidently the author had never experienced combat (probably not even military service), and does not comprehend that ferocity in battle leads to victory and potential survival. He scolds the whites for their savagery in fighting, as if observing decorem and polite niceties while one is fighting for one's life is the correct approach (this sounds like current questions over the rules of engagement in Iraq.) He also mentions the predominance of Irish names in the West, but not once mentions the term "Scotch-Irish", the people who are primarily the focus of his group. Presbyterian and rebellious, these people made up almost 70% of the Continental Army and Pennsylvania Militia, and counted George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Daniel Morgan, Anthony Wayne, and many other notables of the era among their numbers. The author is either unaware of the impact of the Scotch-Irish, or wishes to re-write history to meet his own agenda, whatever that might be. It was the Scotch-Irish that provided the bulk of the settlers west of the Proclamation Line, fighting the Indians in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, the Carolinas and Georgia. The author should know this and have made this easily identified group the focus of his writing. The British at the time generally defined the American Revolution as a Presybterian revolt, fueled by emigrants from Ulster and the lowlands of Scotland. Why can't the author?

In short, the author writes on an interesting subject, but takes a modern revisionist view that negates the value of his study. His treatment of George Rogers Clark is particularly troubling, and he even fails to describe the extraordinary feat of Clark's march across Illinois to attack Vincennes. Apparently if he decides an individual is evil, it is impossible for him to include evidence to the contrary. The book is also a boring read as the author constantly repeats himself as if he needs to reach a certain number of pages. His work is only recommended for readers who are already intimately familiar with his subject and can put the author's biases in perspective.

Atlanta is a fantastic case study, its pro business stance, it's racial past and present, it makes a great southern story, worthy of Faulkner, Williams, and Whelty. Alanta's black political elite decided to work with the white business elite, it was either that or become Memphis or New Orleans. The other reviewer makes Atlanta's story sound like a black thing, but it could have never happened without the white buckhead business elite, get real, money makes the world go round. One of the biggest contriversies today is the demographics of Atlanta, which is becoming more and more caucasion persuasion, and the black mayor of atlanta says, if they pay tax's and are making the city richer, so be it..now there is a politician and a perfect example of why Atlanta is so successful. As for this book, it's well researched, but definitely has an agenda, but i highly recommend it, but it's not the last word on Atlanta.

Atlanta continues to fascinate policy analysts -- not just because of its all too common sprawl, but because Atlanta politics combines two features not commonly seen together: African-American domination of the electoral process and business domination of development policy. If you are going to read one book about Atlanta, read Keating's. Keating explains how business worked with the African-American elite to shape Atlanta, and generally is quite critical of the results. My only quibble: as the editorial reviews indicate, Keating is not happy about how Atlanta turned out. I wish he had explained whether he thinks a less pro-business city government would have achieved better results. Certainly, demographically similar cities with more populist, anti-business leaders (such as Marion Barry's Washington) do not have superior public service or less middle-class flight than Atlanta.

In most histories of the War with Mexico, the part played by the Santa Fe Trail is given only a passing glance. So is the part played by the State of Missouri. In this well detailed book, William Y. Chalfant sets the record straight.

Stretching 800 miles through Indian country from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Santa Fe Trail played many parts during the western campaign of the War with Mexico: invasion thoroughfare, resupply route and strategic asset. The conquest of Mexico was a difficult military operation, made more difficult yet by the lack of communication, the vast distances involved, the logistical requirements of not one but two invasion campaigns and the necessary protection required to secure the Army's economic pipeline.

Mr. Chalfant does a very credible job of detailing the evolving role of the Santa Fe Trail and the US Army's response to defending this important lifeline during the Mexican War.

Mr. Chalfont has provided a truly an outstanding and original contribution to knowledge on the Mexican War of 1846-1848. Often under reported by many authors who concentrate on the more famous actions south of the Rio Grande, the campaign to secure the Santa Fe Trail was crucially important to President Polk's wider efforts at expanding the boundaries of the United States. Presaging by decades the later Indian Wars, the Santa Fe Trail between 1846 and 1848 saw some of the first concerted efforts by the US Government to utilize its military forces in the preservation of an economic pipeline. The author has also avoided the tendency of many "specialists" to present his research as a litany of dull facts. He has opted instead to relate history as a sequence of connected narratives that succeeds in conveying the flavor of the times as well as the historical substance. Replete with excellent photos and maps, I highly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in this important conflict.

I have read and used this treatise for a variety of purposes in my work on the Biblical history and roots of Alcoholics Anonymous. It was used by AA Cofounder Dr. Bob. And AAs today need a firm foundation in the Bible and Christian history to face the idolatry that lurks at every corner. The treatise is also a companion to the more conservative series by Schaff. And I use them both in the same way. For Bible students in recovery program, this is a good fundamental pair of tools. Making Known the Biblical History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous: A Sixteen-Year Research, Writing, Publishing, and Fact Dissemination Project, Third Edition;The First Nationwide Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference, 2d ed.; When Early AAs Were Cured and Why, Third Edition; Why Early A.A. Succeeded: The Good Book in Alcoholics Anonymous Yesterday and Today (History of Early Aas Speritual Roots Successes) (History of Early Aas Speritual Roots Successes)The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook

I think that this is a very important book to understand the rising of christianity. Stil if is an old book, one can find special information about many difficult topics.