The Best North American History Books 2025

1. Ordeal by Hunger, (Paperback)

Award-winning author George R. Stewart's history of the Donner Party is “compulsive reading -- a wonderful account, both scholarly and gripping, of horrifying episode in the history of the west\" (Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.)The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George R. Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers. Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party is an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.

Ordeal by Hunger, (Paperback) Author: Mariner Books ISBN: 9780395611593 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2024-06-03 Page Count: 416

2. Paradise Found : Nature in America at the Time of Discovery (Hardcover)

The first Europeans to set foot on North America stood in awe of the natural abundance before them. The skies were filled with birds, seas and rivers teemed with fish, and the forests and grasslands were a hunter's dream, with populations of game too abundant and diverse to even fathom. It's no wonder these first settlers thought they had discovered a paradise of sorts. Fortunately for us, they left a legacy of copious records documenting what they saw, and these observations make it possible to craft a far more detailed evocation of North America before its settlement than any other place on the planet. Here Steve Nicholls brings this spectacular environment back to vivid life, demonstrating with both historical narrative and scientific inquiry just what an amazing place North America was and how it looked when the explorers first found it. The story of the continent's colonization forms a backdrop to its natural history, which Nicholls explores in chapters on the North Atlantic, the East Coast, the Subtropical Caribbean, the West Coast, Baja California, and the Great Plains. Seamlessly blending firsthand accounts from centuries past with the findings of scientists today, Nicholls also introduces us to a myriad cast of characters who have chronicled the changing landscape, from pre-Revolutionary era settlers to researchers whom he has met in the field. A director and writer of Emmy Award-winning wildlife documentaries for the Smithsonian Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, and PBS, Nicholls deploys a cinematic flair for capturing nature at its most mesmerizing throughout. But Paradise Found is much more than a celebration of what once was: it is also a reminder of how much we have lost along the way and an urgent call to action so future generations are more responsible stewards of the world around them. The result is popular science of the highest order: a book as remarkable as the landscape it recreates and as inspired as the men and women who discovered it.

The first Europeans to set foot on North America stood in awe of the natural abundance before them. The skies were filled with birds, seas and rivers teemed with fish, and the forests and grasslands were a hunter’s dream, with populations of game too abundant and diverse to even fathom. It’s no wonder these first settlers thought they had discovered a paradise of sorts. Fortunately for us, they left a legacy of copious records documenting what they saw, and these observations make it possible to craft a far more detailed evocation of North America before its settlement than any other place on the planet. Here Steve Nicholls brings this spectacular environment back to vivid life, demonstrating with both historical narrative and scientific inquiry just what an amazing place North America was and how it looked when the explorers first found it. The story of the continent’s colonization forms a backdrop to its natural history, which Nicholls explores in chapters on the North Atlantic, the East Coast, the Subtropical Caribbean, the West Coast, Baja California, and the Great Plains. Seamlessly blending firsthand accounts from centuries past with the findings of scientists today, Nicholls also introduces us to a myriad cast of characters who have chronicled the changing landscape, from pre–Revolutionary era settlers to researchers whom he has met in the field. A director and writer of Emmy Award–winning wildlife documentaries for the Smithsonian Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, and PBS, Nicholls deploys a cinematic flair for capturing nature at its most mesmerizing throughout. But Paradise Found is much more than a celebration of what once was: it is also a reminder of how much we have lost along the way and an urgent call to action so future generations are more responsible stewards of the world around them. The result is popular science of the highest order: a book as remarkable as the landscape it recreates and as inspired as the men and women who discovered it.

3. 33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask, (Paperback)

News flash: The Indians didn't save the Pilgrims from starvation by teaching them to grow corn. The \"Wild West\" was more peaceful and a lot safer than most modern cities. And the biggest scandal of the Clinton years didn't involve an intern in a blue dress. Surprised? Don't be. In America, where history is riddled with misrepresentations, misunderstandings, and flat-out lies about the people and events that have shaped the nation, there's the history you know and then there's the truth. In 33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask, New York Times bestselling author Thomas E. Woods Jr. reveals the tough questions about our nation's history that have long been buried because they're too politically incorrect to discuss, including: Are liberals really so antiwar? Was the Civil War all about slavery? Did the Framers really look to the American Indians as the model for the U.S. political system? Did Bill Clinton actually stop a genocide in Kosovo, as we're told? The answer to all those questions is no. Woods's eye-opening exploration reveals just how much of the historical record has been whitewashed, overlooked, and skewed beyond recognition. 33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask will have you wondering just how much of your nation's past you haven't been told.

33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask, (Paperback) Author: Random House Publishing Group ISBN: 9780307346698 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2008-07-22 Page Count: 320

4. The Witch Hunts: A History of the Witch Persecutions in Europe and North America, (Paperback)

Tens of thousands of people were persecuted and put to death as witches between 1400 and 1700 - the great age of witch hunts. Locating its origins 400 years earlier in the growing perception of threats to Western Christendom, Robert Thurston outlines the development of a 'persecuting society' in which campaigns against scapegoats such as heretics, Jews, lepers and homosexuals set the scene for the later witch hunts. He examines the creation of the witch stereotype and looks at how the early trials and hunts evolved, with the shift from accusatory to inquisitorial court procedures and reliance upon confessions leading to the increasing use of torture.

The Witch Hunts: A History of the Witch Persecutions in Europe and North America, (Paperback) Author: Routledge ISBN: 9781405840835 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2006-12-18 Page Count: 368

5. World of Thomas Jeremiah: Charles Town on the Eve of the American Revolution, (Hardcover)

This book profiles the port of Charles Town, South Carolina, during the two-year period leading up to the Declaration of Independence. It focuses on the dramatic hanging and burning of Thomas Jeremiah, a free black harbor pilot and firefighter accused by the patriot party of plotting a slave insurrection during the tumultous spring and summer of 1775. To examine the world of this wealthy, slave-holding African American through his trial and execution, William R. Ryan uses a wide array of letters, naval records, personal and official correspondence, memoirs, and newspapers. He shows that the black majority of the South Carolina Low Country managed to assist the British in their invasion efforts, despite patriot attempts to frighten Afro-Carolinians into passivity and submission. Although Whigs attempted, through brutality and violence, to keep their slaves from participating in the conflict, Afro-Carolinians became actively involved in the struggle between colonists and the Crown as spies, messengers, navigators and marauders. The book demonstrates that an understanding of what was going on in this vital seaport during the mid-1770s has broader implications for the study of the Atlantic world, African American history, naval history, urban race relations, labor history, and the turbulent politics of America's move toward independence.

World of Thomas Jeremiah: Charles Town on the Eve of the American Revolution, (Hardcover) Author: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780195387285 Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 2010-05-06 Page Count: 280

6. Resilient Cultures : America's Native Peoples Confront European Colonization, 1500-1800 9780130932501

ISBN: 9780130932501 ISBN10: 0130932507 Contributors: Kicza, John E.,

This book provides a comparative perspective of the impact of early European colonization on the native peoples of the Americas. It covers the character of the indigenous cultures before contact, and then addresses the impact of--and creative ways in which they adapted to--the establishment of colonies by the Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English. Paying attention to environmental change, the book considers such issues as the nature of military conflicts, the cultural and material contributions of each side to the other, the importance of economic exchanges, and the demographic transformation. For individuals interested in the history of colonial America, colonial Latin America, and the American Indian.

7. The Founders of America

Jennings describes the experience of the first pioneers of the North American continent, who migrated from Siberia across what is now Beringia--nomadic people who traveled over the continents and islands of the Americas, establishing networks of trails and trade and adapting the land to human purposes. He tells of the rise of imperial city states in Mexico and Peru, and of the extension of cultures from Mexico into North America; he describes the multitude of cultures and societies created by the Native Americans, from simple kin-structured bands to immense and complex cities. Jennings shows that Europeans did not "discover" America; they invaded it and conquered its population. We grew up on history written from the point of view of the victor. Here now is the rest of the story, by the acknowledged dean of American Indian history. It is strong, eye-opening, and timely.

The Founders of America, (Paperback) Author: W. W. Norton & Company ISBN: 9780393312324 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1994-08-01 Page Count: 458

8. In Search of Empire: The French in the Americas, 1670 1730, (Paperback)

This account of French settlers, who came to the Americas from 1670 through 1730, examines how they and thousands of African slaves (together with Amerindians) constructed settlements and produced and traded commodities for export. Bringing together much new evidence, James Pritchard explores how the newly constructed societies and new economies (without precedent in France) interacted with international violence in the Atlantic world and presents a new perspective on the diverse French colonizing experience in the Americas.

In Search of Empire: The French in the Americas, 1670 1730, (Paperback) Author: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 9780521711111 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2007-07-23 Page Count: 514

9. Pre-Owned Facundo: 323 (Letras Hispanicas) Paperback

Our books are pre-loved which means they have been read before. We carefully check all our books and believe them to be in good condition. If you're not completely satisfied please get in touch & we'll be happy to help. ISBN-10: 843760933X ISBN-13: 9788437609331

ISBN-10: 843760933X ISBN-13: 9788437609331 Our books are pre-loved which means they have been read before. We carefully check all our books and believe them to be in good condition. If you're not completely satisfied please get in touch & we'll be happy to help.