Synopsis
Course of Empire, The by DeVoto, Bernard. 8vo.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
Until his death in 1955, critic Bernard DeVoto explored a conception of the American character rooted in the experience of westward expansion. Unlike those who championed the civilizing graces of the agrarian frontier, DeVoto drew inspiration from the mercenary, imperial designs of the fur trade. The Course of Empire, the most elaborate of his chronicles of mountain men and their impact on U.S. history, meticulously accounts for every major Euro-American expedition and enterprise west of the Alleghenies from the 1520s through the 1830s.
In exploiting the West's resources, trappers, priests and explorers had to find new ways of navigating, mapping, and staking territorial claims. Eventually they made alliances amongst some of the native inhabitants and war upon hostiles and interlopers in order to protect their nation's trade routes. This unique political economy, according to DeVoto, ultimately shaped the budding republic's belief that it was destined to rule the continent. By emphasizing how indigenous social and environmental factors effected the protocols of conquest, The Course of Empire foreshadowed cultural studies such as Henry Nash Smith's Virgin Land and Richard Slotkin's trilogy of books on "the myth of the American frontier." Its linkage of geography to the concept of empire also puts it in dialogue with the histories of William Cronon and Donald Worster. In a field marked by rapid conceptual change, DeVoto's analysis has retained its relevance to the present day. --John M. Anderson
About the Author
Bernard DeVoto (1897-1955), winner of the Pulitzer Prize, was a renowned scholar-historian of the American West and one of the country's greatest men of letters.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Search results for The Course of Empire:
Stock Image
The Course of Empire:
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 19141232-6
Stock Image
The Course of Empire:
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 19145505-20
Stock Image
The Course of Empire:
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0395076056I5N00
Stock Image
The Course of Empire:
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 19141232-6
Buy Used
US$ 12.87
US$ 6.73 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Course of Empire (The West #3)
Seller: Keeper of the Page, Enumclaw, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Houghton Mifflin 1952 Very Good/ NO DUST JACKET. Light blue cloth with grey text blocks and brown lettering. Light wear and ever-so-faint soil to cloth. Illustrate map end papers. Various detailed maps throughout text. XXII+647 page with index. HEAVY ITEM 1.84 Pounds. Size: 8 5/8 x 5 7/8 x 1 3/8 inches. No Exp. Seller Inventory # 366576
Stock Image
The Course of Empire
Published by
Houghton Mifflin, US, 1952
ISBN 10: 0395076056
ISBN 13: 9780395076057
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Keeper of the Page, Enumclaw, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good DJ. First Edition NAP. Houghton Mifflin 1952 First Edition NAP Fine/Very Good DJ Author: De Voto, Bernard; Raisz, Erwin (maps). Light blue cloth with grey text bloacks and brown lettering. USA map end papers. Pages lightly tanned with many smaller maps in text. xxii+647 pages with index. Bright glossy clipped dust jacket with small mended tears protected in clear dust jacket cover. HEAVY ITEM 1.89 Pounds. Size: 8 5/8 x 6 x 1 1/2 inches. No Exp. Seller Inventory # 366634