The New Encyclopedia of the American West (The Lamar Series in Western History)

The American West is an evocative term that conjures up images of cowboys and Indians, covered wagons, sheriffs and outlaws, and endless prairies -- as well as contemporary images ranging from national parks to the oil, aerospace, and film industries. In addition, the West encompasses not only the past and present of the area west of the Mississippi but also the frontier as it moved across each of the fifty American states, offering the promise of freedom and a better life to pioneers and settlers in every era. This authoritative, comprehensive, and lavishly illustrated single-volume encyclopedia is a rich source of information about these many American Wests -- real and imaginary, old and new, stretching from coast to coast and throughout the country's history and culture.

Did you know that when Annie Oakley was not performing her sharp-shooting skills, she preferred a quiet Quaker lifestyle and an embroidery needle to a rifle? That gunman John Wesley Hardin killed more people than either Jesse James or Billy the Kid? Or that Frederick Law Olmsted was once commissioned to manage the Yosemite Valley and was instrumental in the national-park movement? The New Encyclopedia of the American West is full of such interesting information. This weighty volume, compiled by Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University Howard R. Lamar, contains over 2,400 entries by more than 300 contributors on all aspects of the American West, from prehistory to the present. Types of entries include brief biographical sketches of important men and women, extensive descriptions of the physiogeography of the continent, pieces on art and literature of the West, and histories of the area's transportation systems. Over 600 illustrations and maps complement the text and help make this book a joy to read. Lamar provides a brief timeline of Western history to help put things in perspective, and the individual entries are extensively cross-referenced. A detailed index provides a comprehensive list of every person mentioned in the book, and most articles provide bibliographic citations to point the interested reader to further sources. The tone of the book is authoritative yet accessible--and refreshingly jargon-free. So whether you're interested in Sacajawea, Sasquatch, or Santa Fe, The New Encyclopedia of the American West will please scholar and casual reader alike. --C.B. Delaney