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.

Francis Parkman, America's greatest narrative historian, immortal for "The Oregon Trail" (1849), devoted much of his career to writing about the struggle of France and England for domination in America. "The Conspiracy of Pontiac" is an account of the Indian wars that occurred on the Appalachian frontier, extending from western Virginia to what is now Wisconsin and Michigan, in 1763-65.
Parkman portrays the inflammatory situation that led up to and followed the French and Indian War. With France's loss of its North American colonies in 1763, the English took possession of French posts, English traders swarmed into Indian areas, and Anglo-American settlers pushed westward into what is now western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. The consequence was widespread conflict--usually known as Pontiac's War, after the Ottawa leader.

Volume 1 begins with a discussion of Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River, with emphasis on the Iroquois and Algonquin families. Parkman expands to include the French and British in the New World and their inevitable collision. Chief Pontiac enters the picture after the surrender of Canada by the French at Montreal in 1760. Because the French had befriended the Indians, the latter soon felt discontent with the victorious English. Revolt was in the air, and Parkman describes Pontiac's "conspiracy" in directing a siege against Detroit. Volume 2 shows the British forts and settlements in America under attack in 1763 by Pontiac's coalition of tribes. Pontiac made peace with the English in 1765, and four years later came to a violent end.

Francis Parkman, America's greatest narrative historian, immortal for The Oregon Trail (1849), devoted much of his career to writing about the struggle of France and England for domination in America. The Conspiracy of Pontiac is an account of the Indian wars that occurred on the Appalachian frontier, extending from western Virginia to what is now Wisconsin and Michigan, in 1763-65. Parkman portrays the inflammatory situation that led up to and followed the French and Indian War. With France's loss of its North American colonies in 1763, the English took possession of French posts, English traders swarmed into Indian areas, and Anglo-American settlers pushed westward into what is now western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. The consequence was widespread conflict-usually known as Pontiac's War, after the Ottawa leader. Volume 1 begins with a discussion of Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River, with emphasis on the Iroquois and Algonquin families. Parkman expands to include the French and British in the New World and their inevitable collision. Chief Pontiac enters the picture after the surrender of Canada by the French at Montreal in 1760. Because the French had befriended the Indians, the latter soon felt discontent with the victorious English. Revolt was in the air, and Parkman describes Pontiac's "conspiracy" in directing a siege against Detroit. Volume 2 shows the British forts and settlements in America under attack in 1763 by Pontiac's coalition of tribes. Pontiac made peace with the English in 1765, and four years later came to a violent end. The Conspiracy of Pontiac, under the Bison Books imprint, carries an introduction by Michael N. McConnell, an associateprofessor of history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is the author of A Country Between: The Upper Ohio Valley and Its Peoples, 1724-1774 (Nebraska 1992).

Francis Parkman's history Montcalm and Wolfe, originally published in two volumes is, possibly, the finest history book to come out of America and is the definitive account of the Seven Years War in the New World. It sets the conflict in an historical context and includes both biographies of its principal characters and much about its political consequences. This book, Musket and Tomahawk, has been adapted from Parkman's more expansive work by the Leonaur Editors, especially for those students of military history-both serious and casual-who are primarily concerned with the war itself. This was a war fought under blazing suns and driving snows. It was fought in the deep forests, on lakes and rivers and on the slopes of mountains. It was a war of ambuscade, sieges, massacres and the storming of palisades and burning blockhouses. It brought collisions in full battle between the regular troops of Britain and France, but it also embraced militias drawn from the settlers of both sides including famous backwoodsmen and scouts who became the Rangers. Not least of those embroiled were the deadly indigenous people of the land-the Indian tribes of the Eastern Woodlands-who fought according to their individual loyalties to each side and who brought a colour and savagery which was unique to this frontier conflict. Musket and Tomahawk is a riveting story of a war that has always fascinated students of military history because of its very diversity.