The Oxford History of the American West

A new book in the distinguished Oxford Illustrated History series, The Oxford History of the American West provides a lively narrative history of the West–its heritage, its continuing expansion, its transformation from frontier to settlement to urban cityscapes, and its continuing hold on the imagination of writers, artists, and dreamers all over the world. Reflecting the ground-breaking work of more than two dozen leading contemporary scholars, the book features a set of truly outstanding contributors, including Richard Maxwell Brown on violence during the era of western expansion; Kathleen Conzen on families and communities during the same period; William J. Cronon on the West’s contrasting landscapes of abundance and scarcity; and David J. Weber on the Spanish-American Rim. In a concluding section on the place of the West in art and popular culture, Thomas J. Lyon offers a thoughtful essay on The Literary West, and Anne M. Butler provides a provocative article entitled Selling the Popular Myth. Fascinating and original, packed with nearly 200 illustrations (many in full color), The Oxford History of the American West is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the history of this region and its people, and the West’s essential role in shaping and defining the American identity.