It is intended that the series as a whole shall present a thoroughgoing picture of the processes of American exploration and settlement, giving attention also to movements which continue even into the present.
Behind the story of the gradual and inevitable recession of the American frontier lie the accounts of explorers, traders, and travelers, some of them by native Americans, others by foreigners, which individually and in the aggregate, present one of the most romantic and fascinating chapters in the development of the American domain.
Many of these accounts have remained up to the present in manuscript form; others have been published in a limited way and, as such, have been little known to the general public and largely unavailable to scholars
By skillfully weaving the surveyors’ diary entries, field notes, and correspondence with newspaper accounts, historians Robert S. McPherson and Susan Rhoades Neel bring the Hayden Survey to life. Mapping the Four Corners provides an entertaining, engaging narrative of the team’s experiences, contextualized with a thoughtful introduction and conclusion.
Brasseur de Bourbourg's Travels through Central America and Mexico, 1854–1859
by Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg
Edited and translated by Katia Sainson
Coupled with Sainson’s thoughtful introduction and annotations, these captivating, accessible accounts reveal Brasseur de Bourbourg’s true accomplishments and offer an unrivaled view of the birth of Mesoamerican studies in the nineteenth century.
The Black Hills Journals of Colonel Richard Irving Dodge is by far the most detailed account yet available of the conflicting claims, interests, and populations that converged on the Black Hills during the key transitional period before the Great Sioux War of 1876.
The American Exploration of Franz Josef Land, 1898–1905
by P. J. Capelotti
Through close study of the expeditions’ journals, Capelotti reveals that the Franz Josef Land endeavors foundered chiefly because of poor leadership and internal friction, not for lack of funding, as historians have previously suspected. Presenting tales of noble intentions, novel inventions, and epic miscalculations, The Greatest Show in the Arctic brings fresh life to a unique and underappreciated story of American exploration.
Edited and translated by William Least Heat-Moon and James K. Wallace
In 1827 six Osage people—four men and two women—traveled to Europe escorted by three Americans. Their visit was big news in France, where three short publications about the travelers appeared almost immediately. Virtually lost since the 1830s, all three accounts are gathered, translated, and annotated here for the first time in English. Among the earliest writings devoted to Osage history and culture, these works provide unique insights into Osage life and especially into European perceptions of American Indians.
Edited by Donald J. Berthrong and Odessa Davenport
Joseph Reddeford Walker and the Arizona Adventure offers a superb chapter in the history of the West. Included are tales of the early Apache wars in New Mexico and Arizona; “The Betrayal of Mangas Coloradas,” with Conner’s eyewitness account of the Apache chief’s death; the emigrant trains to California; early settlement; mining operations, in “The Perils of Prospecting,” and countless episodes of action and violence that make fictional accounts pale in comparison.
The Journal of Surgeon John Gale with Related Documents
by John Gale
Edited by Roger L. Nichols
Expedition surgeon John Gale’s account of the Missouri Expedition captures the color and excitement of exploration, while revealing the grinding effort and stark hardship of army life in the early nineteenth century. Editor Roger L. Nichols, who established the authorship of the journal, includes expedition letters and military orders to enhance Gale’s authentic narrative.
“To follow the journeys made by Mackay and Evans up the Missouri and across the plains in 1795–97 is to begin to appreciate the kind of world Lewis and Clark found when they voyaged up the...
As the Quincentennial Celebration of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America approaches, interest in the voyage, and in the questions surrounding it, continues to grow. This definitive...
The Journey of Friar Ilarione da Bergamo, 1761–1768
by Friar Ilarione, da Bergamo
Edited and translated by William J. Orr
Edited by Robert Ryal Miller
In 1761 Ilarione da Bergamo, a Capuchin friar, journeyed to Mexico to gather alms for foreign missions. After harrowing voyages across the Mediterranean and Atlantic, he reached Mexico City in 1763. After his return to Italy, Ilarione wrote an account of his journey, published here for the first time in English. The editors have liberally annotated the text, written an introduction about Ilarione’s life and the historical context of his journey, and included more than a dozen of Fra Ilarione’s original drawings, including maps and sketches of Mexican flora. Daily Life in Colonial Mexico is a welcome addition to the firsthand literature of New Spain.
