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Landmark Giant #16
The Landmark History of the American People, Volume 1: From Plymouth to the West
A fascinating introduction to American culture as it has shaped and been shaped by events from the Pilgrims to the mid-1800s. Written by the former Librarian of Congress. NEW full-color edition, completely revised for readability. Now includes timelines, maps and more than twice the illustrations. Oversized.
169 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2012
22 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Daniel J. Boorstin
200 books380 followersDaniel Joseph Boorstin was a historian, professor, attorney, and writer. He was appointed twelfth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1975 until 1987.
He graduated from Tulsa's Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 15. He graduated with highest honors from Harvard, studied at Balliol College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and earned his PhD at Yale University. He was a lawyer and a university professor at the University of Chicago for 25 years. He also served as director of the National Museum of History and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution.
His The Americans The Democratic Experience received the 1974 Pulitzer Prize in history.
Within the discipline of social theory, Boorstin’s 1961 book The Image A Guide to Pseudo-events in America is an early description of aspects of American life that were later termed hyperreality and postmodernity. In The Image, Boorstin describes shifts in American culture—mainly due to advertising—where the reproduction or simulation of an event becomes more important or "real" than the event itself. He goes on to coin the term pseudo-event which describes events or activities that serve little to no purpose other than to be reproduced through advertisements or other forms of publicity. The idea of pseudo-events closely mirrors work later done by Jean Baudrillard and Guy Debord. The work is still often used as a text in American sociology courses.
When President Gerald Ford nominated Boorstin to be Librarian of Congress, the nomination was supported by the Authors League of America but opposed by the American Library Association because Boorstin "was not a library administrator." The Senate confirmed the nomination without debate.
Boorstin died in 2004 in Washington, D.C.
He graduated from Tulsa's Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 15. He graduated with highest honors from Harvard, studied at Balliol College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and earned his PhD at Yale University. He was a lawyer and a university professor at the University of Chicago for 25 years. He also served as director of the National Museum of History and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution.
His The Americans The Democratic Experience received the 1974 Pulitzer Prize in history.
Within the discipline of social theory, Boorstin’s 1961 book The Image A Guide to Pseudo-events in America is an early description of aspects of American life that were later termed hyperreality and postmodernity. In The Image, Boorstin describes shifts in American culture—mainly due to advertising—where the reproduction or simulation of an event becomes more important or "real" than the event itself. He goes on to coin the term pseudo-event which describes events or activities that serve little to no purpose other than to be reproduced through advertisements or other forms of publicity. The idea of pseudo-events closely mirrors work later done by Jean Baudrillard and Guy Debord. The work is still often used as a text in American sociology courses.
When President Gerald Ford nominated Boorstin to be Librarian of Congress, the nomination was supported by the Authors League of America but opposed by the American Library Association because Boorstin "was not a library administrator." The Senate confirmed the nomination without debate.
Boorstin died in 2004 in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 2, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for early American history. It had just the right amount of interesting detail without getting bogged down in minutae like This Country of Ours. For those looking for an alternative to that book or the expensive A History for Peter, this is a good option.
July 30, 2023
When I first saw this was our main history book for this year, I was disappointed. I don't love American history, and I really don't like textbooks. This looked like the textbooks I grew up with.
However, while it may share surface-level similarities with my elementary school history textbooks, this one was surprisingly engaging. It usually centered its chapters around large social trends rather than historical data points: for example, how towns seemingly sprang up overnight during westward expansion. The authors use compelling specific examples to illustrate and make the trends memorable, and the social focus nicely contextualizes the historical "events." From this I got a better understanding of why we in America are the way we are. Our haste and go-getter attitude may have been corrupted into things I don't always appreciate, but now that I see their roots (or at least, what these authors identify as their ultimate roots), it makes me more gracious toward my own culture.
This was my middle child's favorite textbook. It wasn't the other kids' favorite, but it was the history book we all remembered the most from.
However, while it may share surface-level similarities with my elementary school history textbooks, this one was surprisingly engaging. It usually centered its chapters around large social trends rather than historical data points: for example, how towns seemingly sprang up overnight during westward expansion. The authors use compelling specific examples to illustrate and make the trends memorable, and the social focus nicely contextualizes the historical "events." From this I got a better understanding of why we in America are the way we are. Our haste and go-getter attitude may have been corrupted into things I don't always appreciate, but now that I see their roots (or at least, what these authors identify as their ultimate roots), it makes me more gracious toward my own culture.
This was my middle child's favorite textbook. It wasn't the other kids' favorite, but it was the history book we all remembered the most from.
February 28, 2021
3 stars [History]
(W: 2.83, U: 3, T: 3, L: 4)
Exact rating: 3.21
#45 of 92 in genre
A textbook of American History for elementary age, covering from 1600 - 1840. The rating above is for the general reader; if applied more narrowly to elementary students, I would add +0.5 to Use and +0.25 to Truth (because full-orbed description is not critical for those less-nuanced years), for a 3.5 star designation and an exact 3.40 rating.
The layout is quite excellent, with many colorized woodcuts, paintings, maps, sketches, ornamentation, and pronunciation of unusual names. Several processes, from early propaganda to gunsmithing to getting a wagon across the Oregon trail, are described in notable detail. I was amazed at how coherent and fact-based the whole thing was, compared to typical, vapid or politically-motivated productions of modern miseducation. Then I noticed it was first published in 1968, by a former Librarian of Congress.
(W: 2.83, U: 3, T: 3, L: 4)
Exact rating: 3.21
#45 of 92 in genre
A textbook of American History for elementary age, covering from 1600 - 1840. The rating above is for the general reader; if applied more narrowly to elementary students, I would add +0.5 to Use and +0.25 to Truth (because full-orbed description is not critical for those less-nuanced years), for a 3.5 star designation and an exact 3.40 rating.
The layout is quite excellent, with many colorized woodcuts, paintings, maps, sketches, ornamentation, and pronunciation of unusual names. Several processes, from early propaganda to gunsmithing to getting a wagon across the Oregon trail, are described in notable detail. I was amazed at how coherent and fact-based the whole thing was, compared to typical, vapid or politically-motivated productions of modern miseducation. Then I noticed it was first published in 1968, by a former Librarian of Congress.
March 2, 2023
This book is pretty self explanatory. It covers U.S. History from Plymouth to the West. It is not especially interesting, but simply tells what happened. I appreciate that it does not lean to the left or the right, but just states the facts.
December 20, 2018
Not my favorite history spine. Fairly dry and a lot of typos!!
August 10, 2021
A pretty in-depth version of American history, given its length.
January 11, 2024
I read this for school and I'm not a big history guy but this book makes history more interesting to learn about.
October 2, 2024
Excellent. Highly recommend for doing history with kids, but also I learned so much!
June 6, 2025
We used this book for history. It was helpful in teaching my children American history and it was one of the few books they enjoyed.
March 21, 2017
The illustrations and conversational tone of this book made it feel less like a stuffy history book and more like the story of our country. Not a perfect history book (is there such a thing?) But I found it to be balanced and easy to read and understand for elementary age students. I learned quite a bit myself reading through it with my kids!
December 17, 2015
I had a hard time using the older edition with my younger kiddos, but the new edition with its beautiful illustrations has been a wonderful resource to use with my 6th grader. One really gets a sense of how life was, why things developed as they did, and the sense of speed with which progress was made.
May 12, 2025
Read this for the third time for school (4th grade). Good info.
April 14, 2017
Excellent American History book for children. It focuses on the trends that affected everyday Americans, rather than political history.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews