Historian and four-time Spur Award winner Walker chronicles the early days of the American Pacific Northwest in two engrossing accounts, now available in one volume. Tall Premium Edition. Original.

Historian Dale L. Walker chronicles the early days of the American Pacific Northwest in two engrossing accounts, now available in one volume: Pacific Destiny and Bear Flag Rising. Pacific Destiny: The Three-Century Journey to the Oregon Country Pacific Destiny chronicles the discovery, exploration, and settlement of America's Pacific Northwest. It is a story of cut-throat competition for control in an expanding America, first between Spain and England, then England and the United States. A story of explorers and tycoons, most notably John Jacob Astor, whose effort to establish a fur trading empire on the Columbia River ended with the massacre of his crew by the Vancouver Island Native Americans. Bear Flag Rising: The Conquest of California, 1846 Bear Flag Rising traces the history of California from the Native Americans who first inhabited the land through the warfare that would finally leave the province in the hands of European settlers. The lives of the Californians in tranquil days before the advent of American trappers and the steady decline of the province under Mexico's neglectful rule are brought to life in this epic chronicle. Battles and skirmishes, such as the bitter fight at San Pascual are meticulously recreated in all their vicious glory. Through exacting research and masterful prose, Bear Flag Rising reveals the full story of how Mexico lost California and how this Pacific paradise went on to became "the greatest jewel in the crown of the American Empire." At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Dale L. Walker, historian and author of Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West, takes on the conquest of California in this vivid portrait of America's manifest destiny. Bear Flag Rising traces the history of California from the Indians who inhabited the land before the first Europeans saw it through the warfare that would finally leave the province in American hands. The lives of the Californios in tranquil days before the advent of American trappers and the steady decline of the province under Mexico's neglectful rule are brought to life in this epic chronicle. Battles and skirmishes, such as the bitter fight on the San Gabriel River during the march to recapture Los Angeles, are meticulously re-created in all their vicious glory. Above all, Bear Flag Rising is rich with the personalities of the conquest--from John Charles Fremont, the ambitious, enigmatic explorer, to Commodore Robert Field Stockton, a wealthy, imperious, and ruthless naval officer, and Stephen Watts Kearny, who made a 2,000-mile overland march from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, annexing New Mexico on the way, and arrived in California to face Mexican lancers in battle. Bear Flag Rising reveals, through exacting research and masterful prose, the full story of how Mexico lost California and how this Pacific paradise went on to become "the greatest jewel in the crown of the American Empire." At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Oregon Country! For a century that fabled place, lying somewhere beyond the Rocky Mountains at the farthest reaches of the continent galvanized the American people. Its riches, in furs, timber, fish, and fecund soil for farming, awakened the avarice of nations. Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States all vied for this trackless Eden of the pacific littoral, and not until the 1840s did the Americans claim it once and for all. In these pages are the explorations of the fierce Scots who scaled the mountains and mapped the rivers of the Oregon country before the time of Lewis and Clark; the imperial fiefdom created for profit and Britannia by the fur-trading ventures of the Hudson's Bay Company; John Jacob Astor's ill-fated experiment on the Columbia River; the mountain men who risked their lives in Indian country in pursuit of beaver furs; and the arrival of the missionaries and pioneers of the Oregon Trail. This is the Spur Award-winning story for best historical non-fiction, told by a distinguished chronicler of nineteenth century America. A story of the clashing of empires, coveting the matchless wealth of the Pacific Northwest-the story of The Oregon Country.

"Walker constructs a compelling narrative that is a string of unusual profiles rather than an analytic account of a major event in American history." - Publishers Weekly The Oregon Country! For a century that fabled place, lying somewhere beyond the Rocky Mountains at the farthest reaches of the continent galvanized the American people. Its riches, in furs, timber, fish, and fecund soil for farming, awakened the avarice of nations. Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States all vied for this trackless Eden of the pacific littoral, and not until the 1840s did the Americans claim it once and for all. In these pages are the explorations of the fierce Scots who scaled the mountains and mapped the rivers of the Oregon country before the time of Lewis and Clark; the imperial fiefdom created for profit and Britannia by the fur-trading ventures of the Hudson's Bay Company; John Jacob Astor's ill-fated experiment on the Columbia River; the mountain men who risked their lives in Indian country in pursuit of beaver furs; and the arrival of the missionaries and pioneers of the Oregon Trail. Pacific Destiny is the Spur Award-winning story for best historical non-fiction, told by a distinguished chronicler of nineteenth century America. A story of the clashing of empires, coveting the matchless wealth of the Pacific Northwest-the story of The Oregon Country. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A thorough update of the standard bibliography of American foreign relations literature from colonial times to the present day. America has formed alliances, exchanged diplomats, traded goods and services, and fought wars with nations on every continent but Antarctica. And people have written books, articles, reports, and papers by the thousands on these subjects. In American Foreign Relations since 1600, the 2002 president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Robert Beisner, has worked with members of SHAFR to compile the most exhaustive survey of writing on American foreign relations ever published. Covering 400 years of American history, his team of editors--all top experts in the field--have referenced and annotated nearly 20,000 published and nonpublished works. It's all here, from the Mayflower Compact to the My Lai massacre, from the War of 1812 to the war on terrorism, from the pre-Revolutionary era to the post-Cold War world. - Nearly 20,000 fully annotated bibliographical entries on topics such as the Mexican Revolution, pan-Americanism, wartime diplomacy, the German threat, and more - A preface clearly outlining the updated features of the book - Three analytical indexes to guide users to entry information, contributors, and significant individuals - Biographical studies on individuals such as John Barrett, William Jennings Bryan, and Theodore Roosevelt

In 732 major articles, Raymond Howgego's Encyclopedia of Exploration 1800 to 1850 attempts to detail every significant traveller, voyager or expedition that set out during the period. Its indexes provide the names of over 3000 travellers and 1000 ships, while the bibliographies cite more than 10,000 works of reference. Extensive biographical information is included for the travellers themselves, placing every expedition thoroughly in its historical context. The text is fully cross-referenced between articles, whilst every article is supplemented by a comprehensive bibliography of both primary and secondary sources.