The American historian Francis Parkman (1823 93) published extensively on colonial North America, focusing particularly on the territorial rivalry between France and England. This famous travel diary was written early in his career and originally published in instalments in Knickerbocker's Magazine (1847 9) before appearing in book form in 1849. It enjoyed great popularity, and the 1878 sixth edition, reissued here, was fully revised by the author. The book describes Parkman's two-month journey in summer 1846 along the eastern part of the heavily-used emigrant route, from St Louis to the Rockies and back via Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas. It focuses particularly on a three-week hunting expedition during which Parkman lived with the Oglala Sioux. Parkman's elegant style and colourful descriptions read like an adventure novel, but the book is also a witness to the prejudices of its time about nationality and race, particularly with regard to Native Americans.

The Oregon Trail traces a journey into the heart of the American Plains by Francis Parkman, who undertook his 1846 expedition in order to document the vanishing frontier; his keen observations and vivid style quickly established his reputation. Parkman depicts the hardships of travel across mountains and prairies, sketching vibrant portraits of his encounters with other sojourners as well as Western wildlife. Upon its original publication, this classic was reviewed by Herman Melville, who found it "excellent," with "the true wild-game flavor," "straight-forward throughout, and obviously truthful." This new Dover edition of one of the very greatest classics of American frontier literature is the lowest-priced edition now available. Unabridged republication of the eighth edition published by Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, in 1883.