ASTORIA A Western Classic True Life Tale of the Dangerous and Daring Enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains eBook Washington Irving
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"Astoria” tells the story of survival and the difficulties faced by the people who undertook the tremendous Oregon Trail in 1810-1812 encountering harsh environment and hostile native Indians and still carrying on with their journeys. This is the founding story of Astoria and the people who made it possible…
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"Two leading objects of commercial gain have given birth to wide and daring enterprise in the early history of the Americas; the precious metals of the South, and the rich peltries of the North..."
Washington Irving (1783–1859) was an American short story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century.
ASTORIA A Western Classic True Life Tale of the Dangerous and Daring Enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains eBook Washington Irving
HistoryPublisher: Echo Library
326 Pages
Footnotes/Endnotes: A few
Suitable for eReaders: Yes
4 Stars
Written circa 1835, this book is, quite literally, living history. Unfortunately, the publisher did not list an original publication date, though they published it in 2007. There are no endnotes, and very few footnotes. My biggest complaints were lack of index (which I think could have been added with modern technology) and no maps, hence 4 stars instead of 5.
I bought this book primarily as a reference on the life of Marie and Pierre Dorion, and because of the lack of index, I had to read it all. Hmmm, maybe I'm a little glad there was no index. The book was well written, though one must give patience for some of the wordage (Indian women are 'squaws' if mentioned at all, and all Indians are 'savages,' but such was the vernacular of the day).
The descriptions of the trip the Hunt party made from St. Louis to Astoria is spectacular in areas. Their trip covered 3500 miles. As the crow flies today, it is 1800 miles. Mr. Hunt lead a party of trappers across the continent in 1811 for his boss, John Astor. Hunt made several decisions along the trek, costing lives and time.
If you are interested in the history of the opening of the Oregon Territories, the mountain men, the fur trappers and hunters, this book reads more like a well-written novel than a history book. It is an exciting book, about exciting people. One would almost think Irving made the trip.
The descriptions of the Natives and how they lived are wonderful. The description of how the French Canadians and Mountain Men dressed is delightful.
It would be helpful if this book is ever reprinted to have an editor go through it and tell us what the places mentioned are either called today, or where they are located on today's maps. The Great Falls of the Columbia no longer exist, well, that's not quite true, they do exist, they are just covered by Celilo Lake, made when The Dalles Dam flooded the Columbia River. (When I was a girl, they were known as Celilo Falls, and I remember not only the falls, but the Indians fishing from them.)
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ASTORIA A Western Classic True Life Tale of the Dangerous and Daring Enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains eBook Washington Irving Reviews
If you like using a magnifying glass to read type font that appears to be size 4, and want your text to look like one long run-on sentence, with tiny paragraph breaks and minimal white space, you will love this edition of the Washington Irving classic. As for me, it isn't worth returning, so I'll recycle it in the waste, and buy a different one.
Good stuff!
Good read
Written by a writer not to far removed from the time of this story,
the detail and information available to Mr. Irving this is a fantastic book. It explained much about the early American west, especially the how and why the routes used by pioneers.
Irving writes soon after the events happened, about 200 years ago. He used reports and letters and journels by the men who were on the adventure. A teal feel for exploring with only the crudest form of communication hand delivery.
Here's is the Astoria story as written by Washington Irving, the great American author of that time. John Jacob Astor hired Irving to live with him and go through all the journals, letters, and manuscripts that had been collected from the Astoria adventure. The writing voice of Irving is wonderful and gives the reader a true feel for the two journeys, one by land and the other by sea (Tonquin.) At one time this was the required history book in the New York school system. Nice for us in modern time, that it has been reissued. After reading Washington Irving's Astoria, read, modern-day Peter Stark's, Astoria John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire -- A Story of -- Wealth, Ambition, and Survival.
I have read, studied and sometimes breathed this era for 35 years past, and always wondered what this "Astoria" was, mentioned rarely and always with a certain tragic awe. There is reason. Washington Irving wrote this in the 1830's, utilizing original source materials and undoubtedly interviewing some of those who survived this adventure, by sea and overland. The errors of each of these parties, including their splinter groups, are not diminished, instead frequently demonstrating the absence of the military discipline that set other more successful expeditions and trapping brigades a part, only to be bested by a certain Captain Fetterman in 1866 and then by a pompous cavalryman 10 years later.
These is real history, but much is lacking, such as maps of the routes the parties and splinter groups took, and discussion of materials and equipage, the how's and why's that we so enjoy, and its ending was a bit abrupt (e.g., did these Astoria-Hawaiians make it back to the Sandwich Islands, or settle in the north, as I've heard occurred with others).
But, overall, this is an exciting piece of Americana, of terrible tragedy and outrageous success and hardihood, as amazing as the life & treks of Jedediah Smith and his brigades. Washington Irving's language is quaint, but his wit and perceptions often hilarious. This story may be the antithesis of Lewis & Clark's, but is nonetheless a vital component of the exploration of our west and how the native peoples dealt with the first of the whites. Heartedly recommended!
History
Publisher Echo Library
326 Pages
Footnotes/Endnotes A few
Suitable for eReaders Yes
4 Stars
Written circa 1835, this book is, quite literally, living history. Unfortunately, the publisher did not list an original publication date, though they published it in 2007. There are no endnotes, and very few footnotes. My biggest complaints were lack of index (which I think could have been added with modern technology) and no maps, hence 4 stars instead of 5.
I bought this book primarily as a reference on the life of Marie and Pierre Dorion, and because of the lack of index, I had to read it all. Hmmm, maybe I'm a little glad there was no index. The book was well written, though one must give patience for some of the wordage (Indian women are 'squaws' if mentioned at all, and all Indians are 'savages,' but such was the vernacular of the day).
The descriptions of the trip the Hunt party made from St. Louis to Astoria is spectacular in areas. Their trip covered 3500 miles. As the crow flies today, it is 1800 miles. Mr. Hunt lead a party of trappers across the continent in 1811 for his boss, John Astor. Hunt made several decisions along the trek, costing lives and time.
If you are interested in the history of the opening of the Oregon Territories, the mountain men, the fur trappers and hunters, this book reads more like a well-written novel than a history book. It is an exciting book, about exciting people. One would almost think Irving made the trip.
The descriptions of the Natives and how they lived are wonderful. The description of how the French Canadians and Mountain Men dressed is delightful.
It would be helpful if this book is ever reprinted to have an editor go through it and tell us what the places mentioned are either called today, or where they are located on today's maps. The Great Falls of the Columbia no longer exist, well, that's not quite true, they do exist, they are just covered by Celilo Lake, made when The Dalles Dam flooded the Columbia River. (When I was a girl, they were known as Celilo Falls, and I remember not only the falls, but the Indians fishing from them.)
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