Dreams of El Dorado

A History of the American West

By: H. W. Brands

Narrated by: Matt Kugler

Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

From a New York Times best-selling author, a sweeping history of the American West

In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West. He takes us from John Jacob Astor's fur trading outpost in Oregon to the Texas Revolution, from the California gold rush to the Oklahoma land rush. He shows how the migrants' dreams drove them to feats of courage and perseverance that put their stay-at-home cousins to shame - and how those same dreams also drove them to outrageous acts of violence against indigenous peoples and one another. The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the East.

Balanced, authoritative, and masterfully told, Dreams of El Dorado sets a new standard for histories of the American West.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 H. W. Brands (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A subject this monumental demands prose to match it, and I am pleased that to report that, in this sprawling epic, H. W. Brands is at his sparkling best. He is of the American West and grew up in its myths, which may explain why he writes about it with such passion and clarity." (S. C. Gwynne, New York Times best-selling author of Empire of the Summer Moon and Rebel Yell)

"The 'winning' of the American West is that biggest and most daunting of subjects, so big that most historians have found it necessary to bite off small corners of this grand and sordid tale of empire-building. But here H. W. Brands endeavors to tell it all, from Texas to California, from beaver pelts to buffalo robes, from the hoofbeats of horses to the steam blasts of the first transcontinental trains. Epic in its scale, fearless in its scope, this is a bravura performance from one of our master historians." (Hampton Sides, best-selling author of Blood and Thunder)

"The expansion of the United States across what would become the American West is the sort of sprawling, tumultuous epic that is best told by a calm and concentrated mind. Fortunately the author of this book is H. W. Brands, who has the vision and supreme narrative skill to braid the chaotic tendrils that make up the past into a story that is almost as exciting for its coherence as it is for the heroic and heartbreaking events it so vividly renders. Dreams of El Dorado is the latest reason to think of Brands as America's go-to historian." (Stephen Harrigan, author of Big Wonderful Thing and The Gates of the Alamo)

Great survey of a huge area over a long time

Great survey of a huge area over a long time. Generally well read, with the exception of some of the names of rivers.

Absolutely Incredible! What an Adventure!

H.W. Brands is in my opinion the greatest author of American history of the 21st Century. his book here dreams of El Dorado was an incredible adventure to listen to! I enjoy putting on my headphones and taking a trip back in time and listening to the indomitable spirits of those who went West and of course those who were already there.. Brands commitment to supplying us with the true facts of our nation's history of the West is the most incredible effort by any author ever done! please read this book! you will not regret it! this book is truly an adventure and history lesson.

Proper Nouns

A good job demonstrating larger themes through the eyes of individuals. The narrator needs to take care with the pronunciation of place names such as Willamette, The Dalles and Merced.

Weaving it all together

Brand offers a meaningful tapestry of the American West’s two centuries of expansionist invasions. Fast-paced and only surficial due to the expanse of what’s covered, the result is nonetheless a valuable weaving together of how this land and the peoples on it rapidly evolved. Note: sadly this narrator like so many does not resolve to get key pronunciations right. Case in point, the Willamette River. Otherwise a voice that’s easy to listen to.

HW Brands is Excellent, As Expected

The narration is great. The story unfolds in an organized and logical flow.

Given the time-span and issues, this book could have been 7 different, very detailed books. But this book gives you a start for further exploration of other literature. From 1800 to 1900 basically, the West went from Louisiana Purchase to National Parks. From Buffalo herds to Cattle Ranches. From Native American to European inhabitants. From slow travel by foot on trails to ships to rail. How American pioneers (Fur Traders, Farmers, Loggers, Miners, Pilgrims, and Entrepreneurs) overtook Native American, Mexican, Spanish, French, and British designs for the area.

Super interesting content on Yosemite "Park", it was the native land of the Miwok (Piute) Tribe as late as 1850. They lived there. They lose control and are removed. Then (1868) comes a wacko druid, proto hippy named John Muir who writes poetry and obsesses about the beauty, perhaps never conscious that it's only "empty' because it was made empty. Things happened that quick in the West.

As far as treating the history and players with due respect, this book does accomplish this. Further, there is so much new content, it certainly entertains and educates even widely read historical readers.

Comprehensive coverage, problems with reader

Very informative and interesting. The reader speaks with too much artificial drama that reduces the effectiveness of the reading. Also I am appalled that he didn’t take the time to learn the proper pronunciation of “Willamette,” “Klamath,” snd other places.

Attention Keeper

You'll love hearing accounts of history you never knew..... leaving you wanting more and more.

The reader is outstanding.

The Dream of Eldorado….

We’re for some fulfilled and for many others not so much. I completely enjoyed this book and feel as if I have really just scratched the surface of the Old West. This book leads me on in search for books that tell the stories of the American West. Mr Brands has written a great book to begin my study.

Great history (and some new insight)!

Grew up out West and thought I knew all the stories. Provides a lot of new info and tells them in an interesting way. Couple of pronunciations were a little bit off - but there’s a lot of strange names out there! Really enjoyed it.

The west

I really enjoyed listening to this audio there was a lots of information I knew nothing about