Western America

Between 1820 and 1840 more than 35 million American Bison were taken from the West. For the Native Americans, this was a disaster. Starvation became a possibility. In the fall of 1858, a battle between the Shoshone and Crow Tribes was fought for control of the rich hunting grounds of the Yellowstone ecosystem and the Wind River valley rich in animal resources that the Lakota and Cheyenne also coveted. After a staggering loss of lives, both tribes realized that continuing the war would mean that neither tribe would have enough young and fit warriors left to hunt. If the losses continued both...

From the best-selling novelist of the American West, comes a novel of romance, danger, and life along the trail.

How did a land and people of such immense diversity come together under a banner of freedom and equality to form one of the most remarkable nations in the world? Everyone from young adults to grandparents will be fascinated by the answers uncovered in James West Davidson's vividly told A Little History of the United States.

Greatest Mystery of the Southwest USAPerhaps the most fascinating chapter in Southwest history is the tale of the mysterious, “vanished” Anasazi Indians. Their tremendous achievements can be found in many places, including the spectacular cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. But the crest of the Anasazi wave was in Chaco Canyon, a shallow, windswept wash in northwest New Mexico. Here, 1,000 years ago, strange and unexplained events unfolded, events which continue to intrigue scientists and visitors today. In this book, you'll delve into the mystery: Why choose inhospitable Chaco...

In The Dutch Moment, Wim Klooster shows how the Dutch built and eventually lost an Atlantic empire that stretched from the homeland in the United Provinces to the Hudson River and from Brazil and the Caribbean to the African Gold Coast. The fleets and armies that fought for the Dutch in the decades-long war against Spain included numerous foreigners, largely drawn from countries in northwestern Europe. Likewise, many settlers of Dutch colonies were born in other parts of Europe or the New World.

Journey into the heart of Puerto Rico's extraordinary history in "Boricua! The History and Future of Puerto Rico," by Donald Elton. From the rich, often overlooked story of the indigenous Taíno civilization, through the brutal conquest by Spain and complex dynamics with the United States, this riveting book paints a nuanced portrait of a people whose identity has been shaped by resilience and resistance.

Between 1800 and 1920, an extraordinary cast of bold innovators and entrepreneurs - individuals such as Cyrus McCormick, Brigham Young, Henry Wells and James Fargo, Fred Harvey, Levi Strauss, Adolph Coors, J. P. Morgan, and Buffalo Bill Cody - helped lay the groundwork for what we now call the American West. They were people of imagination and courage, adept at maneuvering the rapids of change, alert to opportunity, persistent in their missions.

While people still romanticize the Wild West, many Americans are still all too familiar with the fate of the Donner Party, a group of 87-90 people that met with disaster in the Sierra Nevada mountain range during the winter of 1846-1847. The party knew the journey would take months, but early snowfalls in the mountains left dozens of people trapped in snow drifts that measured several feet, stranding them in a manner that made it virtually impossible for them to go any further for several weeks.

Philippe Girard shows how Toussaint Louverture transformed himself from lowly freedman into revolutionary hero as the mastermind of the bloody slave revolt of 1791. By 1801, Louverture was governor of the colony where he had once been a slave. But his lifelong quest to be accepted as a member of the colonial elite ended in despair: he spent the last year of his life in a French prison cell. His example nevertheless inspired anticolonial and Black nationalist movements well into the 20th century.

On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck the nation least prepared to handle one. Jonathan M. Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti, was inside his house when it buckled along with hundreds of thousands of others. In this visceral first-hand account, Katz takes readers inside the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and through the monumental--yet misbegotten--rescue effort that followed.

With a vibrant, intelligent and enterprising population, Haiti is a unique country with a rich history. Indeed, it was called the Pearl of the Antilles and it is the first independent republic of coloured people in modern times. However, Haiti has experienced significant decline since its early days. It is presently the poorest country in the Americas and has an economy that depends mainly on foreign aid. Is Haiti condemned to perpetual poverty? Ernst Etienne demonstrates that mathematical principles can be used to develop a formula for the sustainable development of Haiti. The diligent ...

When Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 Mexico’s foreign minister in Washington, D.C. angrily left the country and returned to Mexico. Mexico had warned the United States that if Texas became a U.S. state it would be cause for war. By April of the next year a shooting skirmish had broken out along the contested border between Mexico and the state of Texas. -- General Zachary Taylor, who was in charge of the U.S. forces along the border alerted President James K. Polk with the message “Hostilities may now be considered as commenced.” President Polk wasted no time, alerting ...

Season 2 is the follow-up to Dear Bob and Sue, a charming and sometimes irreverent chronicle of a middle-aged couple as they visit each of the country's 59 national parks, testing their mettle and stretching their endurance. In their second audiobook of the series, follow Matt and Karen as they work their way around the Western US discovering some of our most beautiful public lands, hidden gems, and revisiting a few of their favorite national parks.

John Wesley Powell’s first descent of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869 counts among the most dramatic chapters in American exploration history. When the Canyon spit out the surviving members of the expedition - starving, battered, and nearly naked - they had accomplished what others thought impossible and finished the exploration of continental America that Lewis and Clark had begun almost 70 years before.

Maisie thinks of herself as a tough, resourceful woman, and that’s about to be put to the test. After leaving her abusive husband and making off with all the cash she can carry, her only goal is to stay out of sight and survive. Then she learns her husband is six feet under. She should be able to relax, only she fears she will be blamed for his murder. So she hops a train and finds herself as a Bridal Train Bride. Henry Cartwright loves tending the land, growing crops and raising animals for market, though it’s a lonely life. When his family urges him to take a wife, he can’t think of...

The era of piracy in the Caribbean began in the 1500s and died out in the 1830s after the navies of the nations of Western Europe and North America with colonies in the Caribbean began combating pirates. In the early 18th century, a number of the great pirate captains, including Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and "Black Sam" Bellamy, joined forces. This infamous "Pirating Gang" was more than simply a thieving band of brothers.

Dive into the amazing story of Jamaica, a country shaped by the trials of slavery and the incredible strength of its people. This audiobook tells how enslaved Africans, despite enduring terrible hardships, built the foundation of Jamaica’s vibrant culture and heritage.

From the 1880s to the 1950s, the Harvey Girls went west to work in Fred Harvey's restaurants along the Santa Fe railway. At a time when there were "no ladies west of Dodge City and no women west of Albuquerque," they came as waitresses, but many stayed and settled, founding the struggling cattle and mining towns that dotted the region. Interviews and historical research help recreate the Harvey Girl experience. The accounts are personal, but laced with the history the women lived.

The aftershocks of the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor were felt keenly all over America - the war in Europe had hit home. But nowhere was American life more immediately disrupted than on the West Coast, where people lived in certain fear of more Japanese attacks. From that day until the end of the war, a dizzying mix of battle preparedness and rampant paranoia swept the states. Japanese immigrants were herded into internment camps. There was panic on the Pacific coast: The Japanese were coming.

Tom Cotter undertakes his most epic adventure in America’s Greatest Road Trip. Launching from Key West, Florida, Cotter and photographer Michael Alan Ross pilot their Ford Bronco/Airstream camper combination nearly 9,000 miles to America’s literal end of the road in Deadhorse, Alaska.