The Battle for North America

by Francis Parkman, John William Tebbel (Editor)

Originally published in 1889 in 13 volumes, this brilliant, unequalled work by the most famous American historian of the age has now been skillfully edited into a single edition. The wonderfully readable result retains its sharp focus and wonderfully graceful style, while eliminating repetitions and archaic phrases. Playing out in the dramatic account is the struggle for a continent, and the brilliant men who dominated the Champlain, La Salle, Washington, Howe, and others. By ousting the French from the land, the British unwittingly set the stage for their own later defeat.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, American History, Military Fiction

775 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Francis Parkman was an American historian.

He is best known as author of The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life and his seven-volume France and England in North America. These works are still valued as historical sources and as literature. He was also a leading horticulturist, briefly a Professor of Horticulture at Harvard University and author of several books on the topic.

Parkman was a trustee of the Boston Athenæum from 1858 until his death in 1893.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation is the abridged version of Parkman's very comprehensive series of books on the French and British colonial projects in N. America. The early chapters detail the challenges of the colonial enterprise of exploration, conversion, and establishing a financial base in the fur trade. Parkman then discusses the four primary colonial conflicts between the great powers in America, which collectively is known as the French and Indian Wars consisting of King William's, Queen Anne's, King George's, and the French and Indian War. Spoiler alert, the French lose, losing their presence east of the Mississippi and effectively retarding their colonial empire.

The book is quite beautifully written. One can feel the beauty and mystery of the untamed wilderness. Some of the most memorable passages are the deprivations of exploring new places and the terror and brutality of wilderness war. The narrative inspires an appreciation of the challenges of colonial life and how grateful we should be to those who came before us. The book also dispels some of the narrative of Western aggression against natives, when in fact the natives behaved brutally towards both Indians and Europeans. The colonists and military powers often adopted the native style of warfare, their customs, and even their language. This is a much more nuanced perspective of history than the revisionist historians would have you believe.

One thing I can say about this book is that I have a new appreciation and admiration of the French explorers, colonists, administrators, and military personnel, which often get ridiculed in the Anglo world. Another is the interesting interplay between the British colonies, their collective defense, and other issues that lead to the American Revolution. Also, Parkman introduces many important historical figures like Washington, Braddock, Wolfe, and Montcalm.

If you're interested in the history of Early America or the great wars among the colonial powers, you should read this book. It is thoroughly and very well written, you will not be bored or regret choosing this book.

[David Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Tebbel condensed this work from the 13-volume France and England in North America that Francis Parkman completed in 1892. It is essentially the story of New France. That is, the story of the French in North America, from the earliest exploration to France's defeat in the culmination of the French and Indian Wars.

In music, I eschew "Greatest Hits" records in favor of the fuller source material: I want to hear it all, as my tastes don't always follow the crowd. So, with this material, I might be tempted to have a go at the Parkman work. But I really don't want to devote so much time to this period: 13 volumes is a bit much. That said, I may want to take a deeper dive into parts of the story. I was fascinated by the travels of LaSalle, for example, and maybe I'll read La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West.

In the century-plus since Parkman wrote the original work, language has changed quite a bit. Today, we use a much smaller vocabulary, and sentence structures have gotten simpler. So I was concerned that I'd find the text not only difficult to get through but a bit on the dry side as well. Here, I think, Tebbel did a great job. The prose is clearly not modern, but I found it easy enough to get through, and often poetic.

This volume has an index but no footnotes or bibliography. I'm not terribly surprised by this, but I am used to having those things and I understand that norms in this area have changed quite a bit in the century and a quarter since Parkman's original work was published.

The only maps are on the endpapers. I think it would be better with more maps. Many of the place names have changed since the action took place, but I was able to follow along by referring to modern maps.

The events depicted here set the stage for the founding of the United States and I highly recommend this book to any students of American history.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

the battle for north america
A condensed 750 page edition edited by William Tebbel of Francis Parkman's magnum opus 13 volume history of the struggle between France and England for control of North America that was published in 1889. Much of this version is devoted to France in Canada and trans Appalachian west ending with the end of the French and Indian War.

This is a readable account filled with details and focusing upon many personalities so can take a while to work your way through.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an abridgment of Parkman's mammoth thirteen-volume history of the struggle between Great Britain and France on the North American continent, making it much more readable to the modern student. Over a century old now, this work still demonstrates Parkman's rightful placement as one of the greatest of American historians.

[Eric Himes · Rating 5 out of 5]

essential reading for understanding the the foment leading to the American Revolution.