The Best Land Under Heaven - The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny (Paperback)

"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.

General

Imprint:	Liveright Publishing Corporation
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	June 2018
Authors:	Michael Wallis
Dimensions:	211 x 142 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	496
ISBN-13:	978-1-63149-400-0
Categories:	Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Historical geography Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Geographical discovery & exploration Books > Humanities > History > World history > 1750 to 1900 Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > History > American history > General Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
LSN:	1-63149-400-7
Barcode:	9781631494000

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