The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny Contributor(s): Wallis, Michael (Author) |
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ISBN: 1631494007 ISBN-13: 9781631494000 Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD! Click here for our low price guarantee Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions Published: May 2018 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - West (ak, Ca, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, Wy) - History | United States - 19th Century - History | Expeditions & Discoveries |
Dewey: 978.02 |
LCCN: 2017012937 |
Physical Information: 0.9" H x 5.5" W x 8.1" L (0.85 lbs) 496 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 1800-1850 - Geographic Orientation - California |
Features: Illustrated, Price on Product |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: WESTWARD HO! FOR OREGON AND CALIFORNIA! In the eerily warm spring of 1846, George Donner placed this advertisement in a local newspaper as he and a restless caravan prepared for what they hoped would be the most rewarding journey of a lifetime. But in eagerly pursuing what would a century later become known as the American dream, this optimistic-yet-motley crew of emigrants was met with a chilling nightmare; in the following months, their jingoistic excitement would be replaced by desperate cries for help that would fall silent in the deadly snow-covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada. We know these early pioneers as the Donner Party, a name that has elicited horror since the late 1840s. With The Best Land Under Heaven, Wallis has penned what critics agree is "destined to become the standard account" (Washington Post) of the notorious saga. Cutting through 160 years of myth-making, the "expert storyteller" (True West) compellingly recounts how the unlikely band of early pioneers met their fate. Interweaving information from hundreds of newly uncovered documents, Wallis illuminates how a combination of greed and recklessness led to one of America's most calamitous and sensationalized catastrophes. The result is a "fascinating, horrifying, and inspiring" (Oklahoman) examination of the darkest side of Manifest Destiny. |
Contributor Bio(s): Wallis, Michael: - Michael Wallis, the best-selling author of Route 66 and Billy the Kid, has published eighteen books and won numerous honors and awards. He is a popular public speaker and a highly acclaimed voice actor. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. |
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