Google Books previews are unavailable because you have chosen to turn off third party cookies for enhanced content. Visit our cookies page to review your cookie settings.
The Epic History of the American West (Hardback)
From the First Peoples to the Present
By
Dr William Nester
Pages: 320
Illustrations: 16 mono illustrations
ISBN: 9781036133757
Published: 31st August 2025

Pages: 320
Illustrations: 16 mono illustrations
ISBN: 9781036133757
Published: 31st August 2025
You'll be £20.00 closer to your next £10.00 credit when you purchase The Epic History of the American West. What's this?
+£4.99 UK Delivery or free UK delivery if order is over £40
(click here for international delivery rates)
Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates
(click here for international delivery rates)
Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates
The American West evokes powerful imagery—warriors on horseback, cowboys in saloons, and pioneers in wagons heading westward. It symbolizes freedom, reinvention, and the American Dream. However, this idealized image obscures the complex, often violent history of the West, which is as unjust as it is inspiring.
Historians debate the boundaries of the American West, but it's clear that it’s a dynamic concept—both a place and an idea, evolving over time. For three centuries, the frontier and western history overlapped until the frontier disappeared in 1890. Early narratives celebrated explorers, settlers, and entrepreneurs who developed the West, portraying them as heroic figures.
However, modern historians criticize this "triumphant" view, highlighting the exploitation, racism, and ecological damage caused by Western expansion. They focus on marginalized groups—racial minorities, women, and workers—while critiquing the often-overlooked injustices faced by Indigenous peoples and others. This revisionist perspective emphasizes the darker aspects of Western history, challenging previous glorifications of development and heroism.
The Epic History of the American West bridges traditional and revisionist views, exploring the region’s complex legacy, from violent struggles to ongoing cultural and ideological conflicts. It reflects the West’s enduring significance, blending history and mythology to reveal its multifaceted nature.
There are no reviews for this book. Register or Login now and you can be the first to post a review!
About Dr William Nester
Dr WILLIAM NESTER, a Professor at the Department of Government and Politics, St. John’s University, New York, is the author of thirty-seven books on history and politics. His book George Rogers Clark: I Glory in War won the Army Historical Foundation’s best biography award for 2013, and Titan: The Art of British Power in the Age of Revolution and Napoleon, won the New York Military Affairs Symposium's 2016 Arthur Goodzett Book Award.
More titles by Dr William Nester
Other titles in Frontline Books...