Dreams of El Dorado

A History of the American West

De: H. W. Brands

Narrado por: Matt Kugler

"Epic in its scale, fearless in its scope" (Hampton Sides), this masterfully told account of the American West from a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist sets a new standard as it sweeps from the California Gold Rush and beyond.
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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Lively...[Brands] knows how to write in a popular style that draws us in and holds our interest...[He] also pauses to make some thought-provoking insights, which round out the narrative and present his subject in a fresh light...An engaging, eminently readable introduction."—Wall Street Journal

"An exciting new history of the American West and how it was settled, from the California gold rush to the Oklahoma land rush and more."—New York Post

"[Brands] has a deft narrative touch and a talent for highlighting the human drama undergirding historical events...History as adventure story."—Los Angeles Reviewof Books

"[A] fine new history."—Houston Chronicle

"Brands surveys the past three centuries of the West, chronicling all-too-human tales of hope, greed, triumph, tragedy, and irony. His history is propelled by the stories of amazing characters, some famous, others obscure...A marvelous short history of the West, rewarding both expert and neophyte readers."—Booklist (starredreview)

"Brands is a master storyteller...[Dreams of El Dorado] will enthrall aficionados of 19th-century American history."—Library Journal

"A lively, well-written survey full of novel observations on a region shrouded in legend."—Kirkus

"Brands argues convincingly that the reality of the American West was very different than the way it was mythologized...Lucid prose and short, tightly focused chapters...This broad but clearly structured study, with its many well-chosen illustrations, is likely to have wide appeal."—Publishers Weekly

"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

"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 bestselling author of Empire of the Summer Moon and Rebel Yell

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.

Superb

This includes most all topics: Indian relations/wars/personalities, mountain men, Mormons, the gold rush, the Oregon Trail, cattle drives, buffalo men, Mexican War, the continental railroad, and more. I was looking for a book like this for a long time. The writing is very fine as is the choice of what to include on each topic. Once I got used to the narrators voice I did not find it objectionable at all: he clearly enunciated and I did not find his emphasis as bad as some reviewers did.

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

Incredible!

Best book I’ve read this year! It is an exciting history of the American journey west

Go West Young Man

Appreciate the fortitude of all the men and women who ventured west in this great country.

Excellent overview of the settling of the west.

Brands manages to succinctly cover several different topics with regard to settling the west. I found the material about the treatment of Native Americans to be helpful, and disturbing. The section about the gold rush, and the Cowboys is fascinating.