Historical American West

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the author of Ghost Soldiers comes an eye-opening history of the American conquest of the West—"a story full of authority and color, truth and prophecy" (The New York Times Book Review). In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route...

Saddle up for a wild ride with The Old West: A History of the American Frontier by Oscar Johnson. Oscar Johnson brings the past to life in a way that feels more like a fireside tale told by someone who smells faintly of a horse. This audiobook gives you everything you need to understand The Old West, without needing to be chased by bandits to appreciate it. This isn't the sort of history book that puts you to sleep after page three. There are no droning lectures or endless dates to memorise.

One man finds himself torn between two cultures in this sweeping tale of frontier life in post–Civil War era Texas. In the years following the American War Between the States, the once vacated military presence in west Texas is on the rise to protect the waves of settlers moving into the region. Living peaceably with the Mescalero Apache, half-breed former military scout Holton Lang promotes the tentative harmony between the US cavalry and the Native American population.

The year 1865. Goldie O’Neill was nine years of age when she trekked across the unclaimed American West with her family to form their own Irish Catholic colony. Their new community had dreams of self-governance and prosperity far removed from the anti-Irish sentiment and prejudice of the ruling classes. They soon learned about the extremes of the American West and the ongoing Indian war. A year after their arrival, Goldie blames herself for her sister’s disappearance.

From the author of The Apache Wars, the true story of the American West, revealing how American ambition clashed with the realities of violence and exploitation The epic of the American West became a tale of progress, redemption, and glorious conquest that came to shape the identity of a new...

Luke Ransom was just 18 years old when he answered an ad in a St. Louis newspaper that would change his life forever. The American Fur Company needed 100 enterprising men to travel up the Missouri River - the longest in North America - all the way to its source. They would hunt and trap furs for one, two, or three years. Along the way, they would face unimaginable hardships: grueling weather, wild animals, hunger, exhaustion, and hostile attacks by the Blackfeet and Arikara. Luke Ransom was one of the brave men chosen for the job - and one of the few to survive....

He is one of basketball's towering figures: "Mr. Clutch," who mesmerized his opponents and fans. The coach who began the Lakers' resurgence in the 1970s. The general manager who helped bring "Showtime" to Los Angeles, creating a championship-winning force that continues to this day. Now, for the...

A Chinese Lord of the Rings and one of the all-time great fantasy novels--which Neil Gaiman has said "is in the DNA of 1.5 billion people"--now in a thrilling new translation A shape-shifting trickster on a kung-fu quest for eternal life, Monkey King is one of the most memorable superheroes in...

The classic Western, now newly repackaged as part of Bantam's Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures program—with never-before-seen material from Louis and his son, Beau L'Amour. His dream was to build magnificent steamboats to ply the rivers of the American frontier. But when Jean Talon began his...

American Indians remain familiar as icons, yet poorly understood as historical agents. In this ambitious book that ranges across Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, and eastern California (a region known as the Great Basin), Ned Blackhawk places Native peoples squarely at the center of a dynamic and complex story as he chronicles two centuries of Indian and imperial history that profoundly shaped the American West.

Whether it be a stealthy attack on his reputation, an ambush, or a confrontation with hired gunmen, Ed is no man to back away from a fight! But those are the easy issues! How will he deal with the niece who wants to replace his deceased wife? Sending her East to school was a temporary solution; now she's back, and determined to take over his life! Poor Ed! Fortunately, there's a friendly widow in Mesilla Town who might just be willing to help Ed with his problems.

Jacob Jennings was born during a time that was as turbulent as any in American history. Mexico claimed Texas, but the American settlers who'd recently flooded in were more independent, and when the dictator Santa Anna set aside the Constitution of 1824, he launched a series of changes he had not foreseen. From revolution to Republic, from fighting Mexican soldiers to Comanche warriors, Jacob Jennings was there.

Jake was born during a time that was as turbulent as any in American history. Mexico claimed Texas, but the American settlers who'd recently flooded in were more independent, and when the dictator Santa Anna set aside the Constitution of 1824, he launched a series of changes he had not foreseen. With his partner Jean-Louis Lafitte, Jake worked when he could, fought when necessary, and in the process, began a career that would make him one of the most well-known men on the Texas frontier.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the author of Ghost Soldiers comes an eye-opening history of the American conquest of the West—"a story full of authority and color, truth and prophecy" (The New York Times Book Review). In the summer of 1846, the Army of the West marched through Santa Fe, en route...

Edward Jennings grew up during the turbulent years after the Texas Revolution. While still a teenager, he found himself responsible for two enormous tracts of land and the well-being of two families. And then came secession. Ed, like many in central Texas, voted against the ordinance only to be overruled by east Texas cotton-growers. The resistance led to a declaration of martial law, followed by an order that every able-bodied male must join the Confederate Army. Will he obey the law? Or will he risk everything rather than betray his principles? What will Ed do?

The New Mexico Territory of the 1870s - 1880s was as wild and dangerous as any part of the American west. Murders were commonplace. Corruption was the norm, and the Santa Fe Ring controlled the courts. Every man went armed and bad whiskey was commonplace, as was over-indulgence. Rustling was, for many, a way of life. But it was a way of life that threatened the honest ranchers and herdsmen of the time. Liam Clancy, Irish immigrant and recently-discharged veteran of the Union Army, had lost his young wife and unborn child to cholera. Grieving, he sold his homestead and headed west.

Our American West, Volume 2 begins with America’s first colonizers, the prairie dogs, and how out on the ranges they were so hated by ranchers that they were almost made extinct. Conestoga Wagons were once called “prairie schooners” crossing America long before the famed Pony Express. The indomitable courage of Sarah Winnemucca, the “Prairie Princess” rivals that of a tall Swede named Showshoe Thompson who skied the snowy river passes of the Sierra Nevadas.

Our American West, Volume 4 completes the collection of historical stories written by Gary McCarthy. These include tales of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which proved once and for all that the storied and hoped for river across America didn't exist. That long before the Gold Rush of 1849, a diminutive but courageous priest, Fr. Junipero Serra, sacrificed everything to bring Christianity to the coastal Native Americans, while faithfully establishing a string of beautiful California missions.

Our American West, Volume 3 is filled with western frontier stories you’ll find entertaining. "The Roadrunner – Our Sagebrush Clowns" reflects on the speedy and often comical bird of our southwestern deserts. Wild and wicked Calamity Jane lived up to her reputation as the West’s most infamous outlaw woman. “The Donner Party – Frozen Horror” describes the horror that led to cannibalism. The 49er Gold Rush ruined the lives of two ambitious and well-intentioned men, John Augustus Sutter and John Marshal...

John Augustus Sutter came to the wide and wild California country to build an empire. At his side was Morgan Beck, out to stake his own claim at the confluence of two powerful rivers, the Sacramento and the American.