France and England in North America, Part I: Pioneers of France in the New World' is a captivating historical work written by Francis Parkman. In this volume, Parkman delves into the early colonial history of North America, focusing specifically on the French pioneers and their ventures in the New World. The book provides a detailed account of the French explorers and their interactions with Native American tribes, as well as their efforts to establish colonies and trade networks. Parkman examines the motivations, challenges, and achievements of these intrepid French pioneers as they navigated unfamiliar territories and forged alliances with indigenous peoples. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Parkman brings to life the struggles and triumphs of the French in North America. He explores the cultural clashes, diplomatic negotiations, and territorial disputes that shaped the complex relationship between the French, British, and Native American communities.
In 1846, a young man of privilege left his comfortable Boston home to embark on a strenuous overland journey to the untamed West. This timeless account of Parkman's travels and travails provides an expressive portrait of the rough frontiersmen, immigrants, and Native Americans he encounters, set against the splendor of the unspoiled wilderness. While Parkman's patrician air and unabashed racism sometimes jolt the modern reader, this remains a colorful classic by one of the 19th century's most prominent narrative historians. 'The publication of The Oregon Trail in 1849 launched Parkman on his career as a storyteller without peer in American letters . . . It is the picturesqueness, the racy vigor, the poetic eloquence, the youthful excitement, that give The Oregon Trail its enduring appeal, recreating for us, as perhaps does no other book in our literature, the wonder and beauty of life in a new world that is now old and but a memory.
René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle (1643-1687), one of the most legendary explorers of the New World, is best known for claiming the entire Louisiana Territory for France in 1682. Two years later, he was given the order to colonize and govern the great expanse of territory between Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico. He set out from France with four ships but never reached his destination. Landing somewhere in East Texas, he and his men were ravaged by disease, weakened by hard labor, even gored by buffalo as they tried to locate the mouth of the Mississippi River, which was obscured by the sandy sameness of the Gulf coastline. In 1687, on a third attempt to locate the river by an overland route, La Salle was murdered by his own men in the desolate country between the Trinity and Brazos rivers. His body was never found. First published in 1869, La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West is the vivid, richly detailed story of that final grim expedition, told by America's foremost historian.
Francis Parkman's The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie Rocky Mountain Life is a fascinating account of the famous Oregon Trail, as told by a pioneering frontiersman who actually made his way west. As a result, the work is a must read for anyone interested in 19th century America.
The result of over forty years of passionate research, Montcalm and Wolfe is the epic story of Europe's struggle for dominance of the New World. Centuries of rivalry and greed between the great imperial powers culminated in five brutal years of war; resulted in the death of both generals, Louis de Montcalm and James Wolfe; and ultimately sowed the seeds of the American Revolution, fought a scant seventeen years later. A brilliant work of scholarship as well as a riveting read, Montcalm and Wolfe was thought by many, including the author, to be Parkman's greatest work. It is an essential part of any military history collection. The books in the Modern Library War series have been chosen by series editor Caleb Carr according to the significance of their subject matter, their contribution to the field of military history, and their literary merit.
The firsthand account of a personal journey through Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Kansas in the 1840s, this classic work of American adventure is not only an excellent resource for eyewitness observations of Native American culture in the mid 19th century but also an essential document of the cultural attitudes and prejudices of Eastern European-descended Americans of the era.Criticized by contemporary reviewers, including Herman Melville, as demeaning to Indians, Parkman's tale nevertheless remains a fascinating and entertaining read. Originally serialized in Knickerbocker's Magazine and first published in book form in 1849, this replica edition returns to print a previously hard-to-find work of American history.American horticulturist and historian FRANCIS PARKMAN (1823-1893) helped found the Archaeological Institute of America. He is the author of The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century and the eight-volume France and England in North America, both considered among the great masterpieces of historical literature.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.