The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny by Michael Wallis, Liveright
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Wallis ISBN: 9780871407702
Publisher: Liveright Publication: June 6, 2017
Imprint: Liveright Language: English
Author: Michael Wallis
ISBN: 9780871407702
Publisher: Liveright
Publication: June 6, 2017
Imprint: Liveright
Language: English

“A book so gripping it can scarcely be put down. . . . Superb.”— New York Times Book Review

"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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“A book so gripping it can scarcely be put down. . . . Superb.”— New York Times Book Review

"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.

More books from Liveright

Cover of the book Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book Forged Through Fire: War, Peace, and the Democratic Bargain by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book The Unfinished World: And Other Stories by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book The Double Life of Paul De Man by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book The Hero's Body: A Memoir by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book On Hobbes: Escaping the War of All Against All (Liveright Classics) by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book Home After Dark: A Novel by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book On Augustine: The Two Cities (Liveright Classics) by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book Epilogue: A Memoir by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book On Aristotle: Saving Politics from Philosophy (Liveright Classics) by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book Try the Morgue: A Novel by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan: A Boy Avenger, a Nazi Diplomat, and a Murder in Paris by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book El Paso: A Novel by Michael Wallis
Cover of the book American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Michael Wallis
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy