The American Frontier (685 books)

Histories of the American frontier experience: settlers, Indians, cowboys, explorers, outlaws, soldiers, lawmen, prospectors, pioneer women, etc. For non-fiction only, or at least legends that have become the truth, or truth that has become a legend.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown 4.26 avg rating — 101,961 ratings score: 3,653, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne 4.25 avg rating — 66,877 ratings score: 2,842, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 442,947 ratings score: 1,768, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.23 avg rating — 67,636 ratings score: 1,457, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides 4.30 avg rating — 20,028 ratings score: 1,348, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 46,084 ratings score: 1,267, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Journals of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis 4.12 avg rating — 5,402 ratings score: 1,032, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain 3.87 avg rating — 15,504 ratings score: 955, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Crazy Horse and Custer by Stephen E. Ambrose 4.23 avg rating — 9,291 ratings score: 933, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey 4.18 avg rating — 54,305 ratings score: 893, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier by Joanna L. Stratton 4.03 avg rating — 1,374 ratings score: 882, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral--And How It Changed The American West by Jeff Guinn 3.97 avg rating — 2,839 ratings score: 870, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel 4.02 avg rating — 1,523 ratings score: 862, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 12,159 ratings score: 855, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch 4.06 avg rating — 4,014 ratings score: 842, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America by Tony Horwitz 3.97 avg rating — 9,407 ratings score: 756, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Son of the Morning Star: General Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Evan S. Connell 4.13 avg rating — 3,269 ratings score: 751, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Roughing It by Mark Twain 3.87 avg rating — 10,246 ratings score: 700, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Elsie: Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916 by Barbara Anne Waite (Goodreads Author) 3.62 avg rating — 663 ratings score: 677, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury 4.14 avg rating — 6,476 ratings score: 667, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Crazy Horse by Mari Sandoz 4.24 avg rating — 1,543 ratings score: 648, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Pioneer Women: The Lives of Women on the Frontier by Linda Peavy 4.13 avg rating — 539 ratings score: 621, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Shot All to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape by Mark Lee Gardner (Goodreads Author) 4.03 avg rating — 1,040 ratings score: 574, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman 3.56 avg rating — 3,700 ratings score: 551, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Hearts West: True Stories Of Mail-Order Brides On The Frontier by Chris Enss (Goodreads Author) 3.53 avg rating — 941 ratings score: 541, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	A Dynasty of Western Outlaws by Paul I. Wellman 3.92 avg rating — 53 ratings score: 538, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines by Gail Collins 4.16 avg rating — 4,877 ratings score: 535, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	A Bride Goes West by Nannie T. Alderson 4.02 avg rating — 326 ratings score: 532, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War by T.J. Stiles 4.10 avg rating — 1,413 ratings score: 487, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	No Life for a Lady by Agnes Morley Cleaveland 4.04 avg rating — 397 ratings score: 470, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 13,080 ratings score: 461, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond 4.04 avg rating — 455,569 ratings score: 460, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 12,720 ratings score: 459, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The War on Powder River by Helena Huntington Smith 3.61 avg rating — 33 ratings score: 453, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1840-1849 (Covered Wagon Women, #1) by Kenneth L. Holmes (Editor) 4.05 avg rating — 431 ratings score: 448, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell 3.92 avg rating — 2,026 ratings score: 438, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca by Andrés Reséndez 4.11 avg rating — 3,833 ratings score: 438, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	We Pointed Them North: Recollections of a Cowpuncher by E.C. "Teddy Blue" Abbott 4.27 avg rating — 502 ratings score: 425, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Year of Decision 1846 by Bernard DeVoto 4.14 avg rating — 427 ratings score: 422, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Across The Wide Missouri by Bernard DeVoto 4.09 avg rating — 493 ratings score: 413, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Anthropology of Turquoise: Meditations on Landscape, Art, and Spirit by Ellen Meloy 4.02 avg rating — 1,932 ratings score: 387, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico: The Diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, 1846-1847 (Yale Western Americana Paperbound, Yw-3.) by Susan Shelby Magoffin 3.61 avg rating — 235 ratings score: 371, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Searching for Calamity: The Life and Times of Calamity Jane by Linda Jucovy (Goodreads Author) 3.57 avg rating — 166 ratings score: 355, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	And Die in the West: The Story of the O.K. Corral Gunfight by Paula Mitchell Marks 4.04 avg rating — 93 ratings score: 347, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society by Brian M. Fagan 3.54 avg rating — 91 ratings score: 339, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense by Walter Prescott Webb 3.89 avg rating — 200 ratings score: 338, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Spain in the Southwest: A Narrative History of Colonial New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California by John L. Kessell 3.44 avg rating — 45 ratings score: 338, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore by David Dary 3.80 avg rating — 106 ratings score: 335, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Quantrill's War: The Life & Times Of William Clarke Quantrill, 1837-1865 by Duane P. Schultz 3.87 avg rating — 89 ratings score: 332, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Bent's Fort by David Lavender 4.32 avg rating — 97 ratings score: 331, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Boots and Saddles: Or, Life in Dakota with General Custer by Elizabeth Bacon Custer 3.86 avg rating — 393 ratings score: 320, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Course Of Empire: The Dramatic History of Exploration That Defined America―From Balboa to Lewis and Clark by Bernard DeVoto 4.17 avg rating — 186 ratings score: 308, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Ever the Wayward Sky by Oliver Phipps (Goodreads Author) 4.57 avg rating — 174 ratings score: 300, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life by Robert M. Utley 4.03 avg rating — 371 ratings score: 298, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The American West by Dee Brown 3.90 avg rating — 895 ratings score: 290, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 10,133 ratings score: 285, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca 3.68 avg rating — 3,077 ratings score: 284, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Such Men as Billy the Kid: The Lincoln County War Reconsidered by Joel Jacobsen 4.08 avg rating — 25 ratings score: 282, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West by Christopher Knowlton (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 1,368 ratings score: 282, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Cheyenne Autumn by Mari Sandoz 4.01 avg rating — 374 ratings score: 275, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	"Wild Bill" Hickman and the Mormon Frontier by Hope A. Hilton 3.75 avg rating — 24 ratings score: 274, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West by Tom Clavin 3.82 avg rating — 4,349 ratings score: 274, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman by Margot Mifflin (Goodreads Author) 3.50 avg rating — 6,401 ratings score: 273, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	A Crack in the Edge of the World: America & the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester 3.79 avg rating — 7,241 ratings score: 270, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell Along the Santa Fe Trail by Marion Sloan Russell 4.28 avg rating — 99 ratings score: 269, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Women Travelers: A Century of Trailblazing Adventures 1850-1950 by Alexandra Lapierre 3.87 avg rating — 213 ratings score: 264, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	On the Border with Crook by John G. Bourke 4.18 avg rating — 531 ratings score: 262, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Great Plains by Walter Prescott Webb 3.78 avg rating — 195 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux by John G. Neihardt 4.12 avg rating — 18,722 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Little House in the Big Woods (Little House, #1) by Laura Ingalls Wilder 4.21 avg rating — 285,289 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart 3.94 avg rating — 8,693 ratings score: 258, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Remote Beyond Compare: Letters of don Diego de Vargas to His Family from New Spain and Mexico, 1675-1706 by John L. Kessell (Editor) 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 257, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Growing Up with the Country: Childhood on the Far Western Frontier (Histories of the American Frontier Series) by Elliott West 4.10 avg rating — 48 ratings score: 257, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	People of Chaco: A Canyon and Its Culture by Kendrick Frazier 3.97 avg rating — 100 ratings score: 256, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books by Marta McDowell (Goodreads Author) 4.03 avg rating — 1,253 ratings score: 256, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	Massacre on the Merrimack: Hannah Duston's Captivity and Revenge in Colonial America by Jay Atkinson 3.77 avg rating — 435 ratings score: 256, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	My Life as an Indian: The Story of a Red Woman and a White Man in the Lodges of the Blackfeet (1907) by James Willard Schultz 4.44 avg rating — 1,251 ratings score: 256, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Four Corners: History, Land, and People of the Desert Southwest – Masterful Nature Writing Exploring Geological Wonders and Ancient Anasazi Pueblos by Kenneth A. Brown (Goodreads Author) 3.61 avg rating — 64 ratings score: 254, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Last Conquistador: Juan De Onate and the Settling of the Far Southwest by Marc Simmons 4.06 avg rating — 70 ratings score: 253, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Oregon and Overland Trail Diary of Mary Louisa Black in 1865 by Mary Louisa Black really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings score: 252, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers by Robert M. Utley 3.89 avg rating — 45 ratings score: 238, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson (Midland Book) by Robert Bunker 3.94 avg rating — 1,742 ratings score: 237, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	A Texas Cowboy; or, Fifteen Years on the Hurricane Deck of a Spanish Pony by Charles A. Siringo 3.88 avg rating — 369 ratings score: 223, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	The Dillinger Days by John Toland 3.94 avg rating — 465 ratings score: 205, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Dispatches from the Fort Apache Scout: White Mountain and Cibecue Apache History Through 1881 by Lori Davisson 3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Chains Across the River - A Novel of the American Revolution by Bevis Longstreth 4.32 avg rating — 19 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Red Black Dawn by Lea Bronsen (Goodreads Author) 4.75 avg rating — 8 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	The Comanche Empire by Pekka Hämäläinen 4.17 avg rating — 1,858 ratings score: 195, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	High Noon in Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier by Robert M. Utley 4.12 avg rating — 113 ratings score: 195, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Book of the Navajo by Raymond Friday Locke 3.92 avg rating — 106 ratings score: 193, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Fox and the Whirlwind: General George Crook and Geronimo, A Paired Biography by Peter Aleshire 4.04 avg rating — 24 ratings score: 193, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West by Anne Seagraves 3.58 avg rating — 1,105 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Three Years Among the Comanches by Nelson Lee 4.05 avg rating — 1,191 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Left by the Indians by Ethan E. Harris (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.76 avg rating — 913 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers by Robert M. Utley 3.85 avg rating — 184 ratings score: 191, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	The Doctor Wore Petticoats: Women Physicians of the Old West by Chris Enss (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 440 ratings score: 191, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	Jesse James Was His Name; or, Fact and Fiction concerning the Careers of the Notorious James Brothers of Missouri by William A. Settle Jr. 3.59 avg rating — 29 ratings score: 190, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden 3.44 avg rating — 6,934 ratings score: 188, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Raven by Marquis James 4.10 avg rating — 335 ratings score: 187, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Arctic Homestead: The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds by Norma Cobb 4.06 avg rating — 1,488 ratings score: 186, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next →

685 books · 155 voters · list created July 15th, 2012 by David (votes) .

Tags: american-history, cowboys, explorers, frontier, history, indians, lawmen, non-fiction, old-west, outlaws, pioneer-women, prospectors, settlers, soldiers, united-states-history, western, wild-west

128 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (155)

David 3914 books
85 friends

Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
365 friends

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3386 books
851 friends

Rebecca 6581 books
300 friends

Jackson 1351 books
398 friends

Larry 7570 books
159 friends

Janice 4778 books
11 friends

Thom 6022 books
294 friends

More voters…

Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-36 of 36 (36 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by David (new)

Jul 17, 2012 05:10PM

Thanks everybody for voting! I wanted to share my love of American history and I'm glad to see others are interested too.

reply | flag

message 2: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 18, 2012 12:19AM

It's a great list ... so are the others you recently created!

reply | flag

message 3: by David (new)

Jul 18, 2012 08:23AM

Thanks! I just discovered listopia, and it sort of dovetails into my obsessions: books and lists.

reply | flag

message 4: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 20, 2012 01:58AM

It does that for a lot of us ... welcome to the club! :)

reply | flag

message 5: by Wanda (new)

Jul 20, 2012 04:53AM

TA, would this book fit into the list criteria:

Angle of Repose

reply | flag

message 6: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 20, 2012 11:35AM

Wanda wrote: "TA, would this book fit into the list criteria:

Angle of Repose"

I didn't create the list but I have a feeling it's for nonfiction only. Alas ... because otherwise I'd be the first to add Angle of Repose ... I LOVE Stegner's writing, both fiction and non, and that book in particular!!

reply | flag

message 7: by Wanda (new)

Jul 20, 2012 11:46AM

That is why I hesitated to add it.

reply | flag

message 8: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 20, 2012 11:49AM

David -- your list; your call! :)

reply | flag

message 9: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jul 20, 2012 11:54AM

I suspect as well that it's for non-fiction only; the tags would indicate that.

reply | flag

message 10: by David (new)

Jul 20, 2012 06:31PM

Yes, I envisioned this as a non-fiction list. But I like non-traditional Westerns. There's a Best Westerns (books, not motels) list. But maybe an outlier like this might get lost. Maybe its time for a new list, something for fresh angles on the West. Writers of the Purple Rage anyone?

reply | flag

message 11: by Wanda (new)

Jul 20, 2012 07:38PM

Sorry. Did not notice the tags.

reply | flag

message 12: by David (new)

Jul 21, 2012 02:06PM

No worries. I think making a comment gets a worthy book more attention. I'll have a look at Angle of Repose (at some point, my TBR pile has just grown after a trip to Books-a-Million & Half Price Books on successive days).

reply | flag

message 13: by Elisabeth (new)

Jul 21, 2012 02:09PM

Great list! I created a similar one recently, but devoted specifically to first-person accounts from the West (memoirs, letters, diaries etc.): http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/21...

reply | flag

message 14: by David (new)

Jul 21, 2012 03:03PM

Excellent list, Elisabeth! I added a few first person accounts. To be honest, Vaquero of the Brush Country has interpolations by Dobie. And Buffalo Bill's bio was ghost written. But Vaquero is factual, and Buffalo Bill is sort of factual. Well, you know how it is, when the legend is printed as fact, vote for it.

reply | flag

message 15: by Julie (new)

Jan 07, 2015 10:47AM

The Last Letter is fiction and doesn't belong on the list.

reply | flag

message 16: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 07, 2015 12:18PM

Where is it on the list?

reply | flag

message 17: by Michele (new)

Mar 04, 2017 01:23PM

Is this list supposed to be non-fiction? Just wondering.

reply | flag

message 18: by David (new)

Mar 04, 2017 01:57PM

Yes it is. I'm pretty lazy about cleaning it up. I ought to make a pass and clear out the fiction, but it's just been a low priority. If people have added fiction, please take a few minutes to delete them. I will probably sweep through and clear out the fiction before long.

I will update the description to be a bit clearer. I do like Western fiction too (I write it after all). But this list was for me to boost the history books that were so important to my personal library and let others do the same.

reply | flag

message 19: by Michele (last edited Mar 04, 2017 03:51PM) (new)

Mar 04, 2017 03:50PM

I am not a goodreads liberain, but I can find a few fiction on here and list them, if that would help. I just joined your list and got two new books on here...Was looking for ideas for future reading.

reply | flag

message 20: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 04, 2017 04:44PM

If y'all spot fiction on there, just list it with its position on the list (easier to remove).

reply | flag

message 21: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 04, 2017 04:47PM) (new)

Mar 04, 2017 04:45PM

Removed, for being fiction:

Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

I question Krakatoa's presence. While non-fiction, the vast majority of it has nothing to do with American history.

reply | flag

message 22: by Michele (last edited Mar 04, 2017 06:19PM) (new)

Mar 04, 2017 04:56PM

#19 - Fools Crow by James Welch - fiction
#54 - Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall, #1) by Patricia MacLachlan - also fiction
#92 - The Last Letter (Letter #1) by Kathleen Shoop - fiction
#92 - Knight of the Purple Ribbon by Jennifer Leigh Wells - more fiction
# 92 - Fire Wind (The Wind Drifters, #1) by Guy S. Stanton III - fiction
#92 - An Unexpected Widow (The Colorado Brides #1) by Carré White - fiction
#92 - Chief of Thieves by Steven W. Kohlhagen - fiction
#92 - The Practical Jokers by Richard A. Davis - looks like fiction

reply | flag

message 23: by Michele (last edited Mar 04, 2017 06:22PM) (new)

Mar 04, 2017 05:02PM

#114 - Locomotive by Brian Floca - fiction for children
#114 - An Unexpected Bride (The Co... An Unexpected Bride (The Colorado Brides #2) by Carré White - fiction
#114- Prairie by Anna Lee Waldo - fiction
#114 - How the West Was Won - by Louis L'Amour - great writer, but fiction
#129 - An Unexpected Annulment (The Colorado Brides #3) - more fiction
#129 - The Littlest Hero by Dan Vanderburg - fiction
#140 - Sweetgrass by Jan Hudson - fiction
#140 - An Unexpected Mother (The Colorado Brides #4) by Carré White - still fiction!

reply | flag

message 24: by David (new)

Mar 04, 2017 07:29PM

I guess I'm not a librarian, so I can't remove anything.

reply | flag

message 25: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 05, 2017 10:54AM

Removed:

Fool's Crow
Sarah, Plain and Tall
The Last Letter
Knight of the Purple Ribbon
Fire Wind
An Unexpected Widow
Chief of Thieves
The Practical Jokers
Legacy of Dreams [fiction]
Give Us this Valley [fiction]
The Blessing Stone [fiction]
Locomotive
An Unexpected Bride
How the West Was Won
Trail of Hope [fiction]
Prairie
My Great-Aunt Arizona [children's picture book/historical fiction]
An Unexpected Annulment
The Littlest Hero
Sweetgrass
An Unexpected Mother
An Unexpected Love [fiction]
Sing Down the Moon [YA fiction]
Bride of the Wild [fiction]
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey [picture book/children's historical fiction]
The Man From Cripple Creek [fiction]
Cassie [fiction]
Wild Wild Widow [fiction]
Black Nile: Mungo Park And The Search For The Niger [Mungo Park's explorations were in Africa, as is the Niger.]

In addition, I did not remove, but do question, non-fiction about Thomas Alva Edison, Andrew Carnegie, and Robert E. Lee, among others.

reply | flag

message 26: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 05, 2017 10:58AM

Removed:

Independence! [fiction]

reply | flag

message 27: by Michele (new)

Mar 05, 2017 12:55PM

Nice Job, Susanna! Hope my list helped you out!

reply | flag

message 28: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 05, 2017 12:57PM

It was very helpful; thank you.

reply | flag

message 29: by Michele (last edited Mar 05, 2017 02:49PM) (new)

Mar 05, 2017 02:39PM

Questions on a few books:

#55 - Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded - by Simon Winchester - Does it really belong on this list? Krakatoa, while being a large eruption had no where near the impact of Tambora in 1815. Tambora's clouds caused world wide cooling, loss of crops and the "Year without a Summer" in 1816.

#102- The Last Cheater's Waltz: Beauty and Violence in the Desert Southwest by Ellen Meloy - Not really a " frontier " book since its set in the mid-20th century.

#155 - The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey - not about the historical frontier, but a book on rouge waves and other types of waves.

#173 - Electrified Sheep: Glass-Eating Scientists, Nuking the Moon, and More Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese - Seems to be more of a science book?

Do any of these belong on this list?

reply | flag

message 30: by David (new)

Mar 05, 2017 03:19PM

I'd have to say no on Krakatoa, The Wave, and Electrified Sheep for sure. I'll look at Last Cheater's Waltz, but it sounds like a stretch.

reply | flag

message 31: by David (new)

Mar 05, 2017 03:20PM

Thanks very much for your help with this.

reply | flag

message 32: by David (new)

Mar 05, 2017 03:31PM

I'd say to let Last Cheater's Waltz stay. It's not exactly the Old West of the movies, but it's subject is the changes wrought by the Manhattan Project in the Southwest. I am willing to include something like that for the sake of expanding horizons, which is what I hope to achieve with this list. The a-bomb builders were pioneers on a different, but no less Western frontier.

One of my favorite works of Southwestern history is Tularosa: Last of the Frontier West by CL Sonnichsen. He deliberately links the pioneers of the covered wagon age to the pioneers of the space age which seemed to involve some interesting thinking about the frontier. So in that vein, let's keep Last Cheaters.

reply | flag

message 33: by David (new)

Mar 05, 2017 03:34PM

Robert E Lee served in the Mexican War as well as frontier posts in Texas. It's a bit of a stretch, but perhaps enough. Not so sure about Edison's and Carnegie's contributions specifically to the frontier experience. I'd have to think about those more.

reply | flag

message 34: by Michele (new)

Mar 05, 2017 05:42PM

This list is in much better shape now that Susanna did a sweep and got fiction purged off. Much easier to look for new books to read.

reply | flag

message 35: by Bob (new)

Mar 11, 2017 09:30AM

David wrote: "Robert E Lee served in the Mexican War as well as frontier posts in Texas. It's a bit of a stretch, but perhaps enough. Not so sure about Edison's and Carnegie's contributions specifically to the f..."

David,

I'm responsible for the additons of the Robert E. Lee biographies, as well as those of Carnegie, Fulton, and Perry. My view is that the American frontier moved from east to west as time progressed. My comments in the "Why You Added This Book" feature attempt to explain my reasoning for the additions, but I'm not wedded to any of them, so please remove as you see fit. "Electrified Sheep", for example, was added for its lengthy discussions about Benjamin Franklin's pre-revolutionary experiments with electricity, Crawford Long's experiment in anesthesizing a patient with ether in 1842, and Horace Wells' and William Morton's experiments with nitrous oxide in the 4 years that followed. My reason for adding "The Black Nile" had nothing to do with the Niger River's location in Africa, nor with Mungo Park's African journeys, but rather the book's discussions of the slave trade between west Africa and the Americas in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as the discussion of Scotsman Hugh Clapperton's near-marriage to an Amerindian princess. Similarly, my addition of Meloy's "Last Cheater's Waltz had nothing to do with the Manhattan Project, but rather her discussions of the shape-shifting Navajo skinwalkers and her observations on petroglyphs and pit houses. All just FYI, I don't want to clutter this list with anything deemed irrelevant or inappropriate.

reply | flag

message 36: by Chris (new)

Sep 29, 2020 08:26AM