The American West: A New Interpretive History (The Lamar Series in Western History) | 
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Product Description
Two eminent historians, Robert V. Hine and John Mack Faragher, present the American West as both frontier and region, real and imagined, old and new, and they show how men and women of all ethnic groups were affected when different cultures met and clashed. Their concise and engaging survey of frontier history traces the story from the first Columbian contacts between Indians and Europeans to the multicultural encounters of the modern Southwest. The book attunes us to the voices of the frontiers many diverse peoples: Indians, struggling to defend their homelands and searching for a way to live with colonialism; the men and women who became immigrants and colonists from all over the world; African Americans, both slave and free; and border-land migrants from Mexico, Canada, and Asian lands. Profusely illustrated with contemporary drawings, posters, and photographs and written In lively and accessible prose, the book not only presents a panoramic view of historical events and characters but also provides fascinating details about such topics as western landscapes, environmental movements, literature, visual arts, and film. Following in the tradition of Hine's earlier acclaimed work, The American West: An Interpretive History, this volume will be an essential resource for scholars, students, and general readers.
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Customer Reviews:
• Excellent Overview! 25 July, 2008
This is a great book if you want an overall synopsis of the history of the American West. While the author has a snarky comment here and there, overall I was beyond impressed with this book. It is a little more text book than straight read, but each section is manageable -- I learned a lot!
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2PA9DMT7X1C7R
• A Very Good Book, Whose Point Of View Will Irritate Many 08 June, 2001
On its own terms, this book is a huge success.It synthesizes the past 30 years of serious historical research which revolutionized the presentation of the history of the American West by rescuing the experiences of groups who had been relatively ignored by standard interpretations. Indians, women, blacks, Latinos, Asians, workers are dealt with at length and with sympathy.The research of anti-capitalist/neo-Marxist, anti-imperialist and pro-environmental historians is summarized and we can see the importance of the challenges they raise to old style historians.The range of topics is impressive, and the writing is lively and intelligent. (I'd say this is suitable for the college junior/senior level.) The bibliography is amazingly up to date.The reason why I don't give it a 5 is its lack of balance. At times the authors editorialize crudely--with dismissive judgements ("nonsense") and exclamation points galore to show us when we should boo or hiss.Less empowered (victim) groups are too often treated as noble, and the majority as vile. This is the Achilles heel of a generation of historians who went into this field with strong orientations and sympathies. But even more than the distaste for the majority groups, the biggest drawback is the relative lack of attention paid to them. I'm not saying, in an old fashioned way, that they should extol the "achievement" or mindlessly glorify the "Anglos" or capitalists. There is too much solid evidence here that the achievements were not 100% beneficial and that the white males could act and think in apalling ways. But they were the majority actors and this book can too often lose sight of that. At times it feels like the center is missing.Still, it's an impressive, thought-provoking book. (The section on attempts by cowboys to unionize should be treasured by anybody who was ever spoon fed the Turner thesis.) But it probably should be the second book to give a neophyte, not the first.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1TR3EB91EPXUV
• Excellent Concise History Ruined By Politics 09 September, 2007
The narrative style is lovely. The chronological swath is impressive. The graphics are informative and easy to read. The authors are distinguished scholars. This book has everything going for it... except that it's ruined by politics. Basically, everyone in this part of the world at that time EXCEPT the white men who happened to be building the country has a reason to be proud and pissed off. Mexicans. Indians. Women. Animals. Slaves. Russians. Spanish. Rocks. Trees. Rivers. All of you guys were cool, just minding your own business when, BAM!, a horde of ignorant, exploitative and self-interested white men called "Americans" came along and destroyed your peaceful civilizations.
Too bad. This is really a good book, but it would be a really great book without the white man's guilty conscience.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1WGUNNY90U041
• Excellent Overview 06 July, 2008
This is an excellent brief overview of the history of the American West. I find I wanted to get into this history having traveled a bit in the West in recent years and was not ready to tackle the author's full history (which I'll do later) and I was not quite ready to read De Voto's 3 volumes. Frontiers served its purpose: I have now read one of De Voto's books and am into a second one. The illustrations in Frontiers and the suggested readings list are both very helpful.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AH0BIGPHHSF75
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