The Best Land Under Heaven

The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny

Michael Wallis

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English

Liveright Publishing Corporation
29 June 2018

History of the Americas; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Historical geography; Geographical discovery & exploration

""WESTWARD HO! FOR OREGON AND CALIFORNIA!""

In the eerily warm spring of 1846, George Donner placed this advertisement in a local newspaper as he and a restless caravan prepared for what they hoped would be the most rewarding journey of a lifetime. But in eagerly pursuing what would a century later become known as the ""American dream,"" this optimistic-yet-motley crew of emigrants was met with a chilling nightmare; in the following months, their jingoistic excitement would be replaced by desperate cries for help that would fall silent in the deadly snow-covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

We know these early pioneers as the Donner Party, a name that has elicited horror since the late 1840s. With The Best Land Under Heaven, Wallis has penned what critics agree is ""destined to become the standard account"" (Washington Post) of the notorious saga. Cutting through 160 years of myth-making, the ""expert storyteller"" (True West) compellingly recounts how the unlikely band of early pioneers met their fate. Interweaving information from hundreds of newly uncovered documents, Wallis illuminates how a combination of greed and recklessness led to one of America's most calamitous and sensationalized catastrophes. The result is a ""fascinating, horrifying, and inspiring"" (Oklahoman) examination of the darkest side of Manifest Destiny.

By: Michael Wallis
Imprint: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 211mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 366g
ISBN: 9781631494000
ISBN 10: 1631494007
Pages: 496
Publication Date: 29 June 2018
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Michael Wallis, author of The Best Land Under Heaven and the best-selling Route 66 and Billy the Kid, has published nineteen books and won numerous awards and honors. He is a popular public speaker and voice actor and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.