Books on the Frontier

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From the end of the French and Indian War through the nineteenth century, pioneers of the American book trade moved west, driven by bibliophilia, enterprise, and adventure. Richard Clement shares a history of book publishing and trade on the American frontier, focusing on Lexington, Louisville, and St. Louis, where Joseph Charless established various bookstores and print shops. In Texas, two brothers aiming to join the Army of the Republic became pioneers of Houston's newspaper scene. In California, Anton Roman shifted from mining gold to selling books, opening a shop in San Francisco and supplying foothill towns and mining camps. This narrative also highlights the men and women of the Great Plains who sought the escape of novels alongside reliable guidebooks, as well as missionaries who used books to teach English and learn Native American languages. Additionally, books transported frontier stories back East, with "The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone" capturing the public's imagination and shaping the archetype of the frontier hero. Beautifully illustrated with seventy-five images, this work includes maps, portraits, almanacs, songbooks, guidebooks, dime novels, and more from the Library of Congress collections.