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Wondrous Times on the Frontier: America During the 1800s Kindle Edition

by Dee Brown (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 312 ratings
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A lively history of the nineteenth-century American West from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author: “Glorious . . . Do not miss a page.” —Rocky Mountain News

Frontier life, Dee Brown writes, “was hard, unpleasant most of the time,” and “ lacking in almost all amenities or creature comforts.” And yet, tall tales were the genre of the day, and humor, both light and dark, was abundant. In this historical account, Brown examines the aspects of the frontier spirit that would come to assume so central a position in American mythology. Split into sections—“Gambling, Violence, and Merriment,” “Lawyers, Newsmen, and Other Professionals,” and “Misunderstood Minorities—it is mindful in its correction of certain stereotypes of Western life, and is a mesmerizing account of an untamed nation and its wild, resilient settlers.    This ebook features an illustrated biography of Dee Brown including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.
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  1. Print length
    423 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    October 23, 2012
  6. File size
    8364 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Dee Brown: A Life

Brown in the 20's

Brown in the early 1920s. (Photo courtesy of the Dee Brown LLC.)

WW2 Portrait

A portrait of Brown taken during World War II.

Brown with Grandson

Brown with his grandson, Nicolas Wolfe, in 1972. He dedicated Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee to Nicolas. (Photo courtesy of Linda Luise Brown.)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first nonfiction work since Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee , Brown turns his attention to the social and cultural history of the 19th-century West. Observing certain similarities between the emigrants and Chaucer's pilgrims, he notes that their rates of progress were about the same and that each group had representatives from the trades and professions. Brown describes some famous visitors to the West: grand duke Alexis Romanoff, on a buffalo hunt; Oscar Wilde, wearing a sunflower in his lapel; Horace Greeley. He examines the tall tale and practical jokes played on greenhorns and tenderfeet, noting that the young Teddy Roosevelt, recuperating from respiratory ailments, was the butt of many. Brown writes about frontier lawyers and courtroom theatrics, ministers, schoolteachers, doctors, newspapermen, gold seekers, women, soldiers, actors, cowboys in this vivid portrait of the diverse elements comprising the westward movement. Paperback rights to HarperCollins.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“[A] vivid portrait of the diverse elements comprising the westward movement.”—Publishers Weekly

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009PCGUZS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media; 1st edition (October 23, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 23, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8364 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 423 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 312 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Dee Alexander Brown

    Dee Alexander Brown

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    Dorris Alexander "Dee" Brown (February 29, 1908 – December 12, 2002) was an American novelist and historian. His most famous work, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) details the history American expansionism from a point of view that is critical of its effects on the Native Americans.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Dee Brown

    Dee Brown

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Dorris Alexander “Dee” Brown (1908–2002) was a celebrated author of both fiction and nonfiction, whose classic study Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is widely credited with exposing the systematic destruction of American Indian tribes to a world audience. Brown was born in Louisiana and grew up in Arkansas. He worked as a reporter and a printer before enrolling at Arkansas State Teachers College, where he met his future wife, Sally Stroud. He later earned two degrees in library science, and worked as a librarian while beginning his career as a writer. He went on to research and write more than thirty books, often centered on frontier history or overlooked moments of the Civil War. Brown continued writing until his death in 2002.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
312 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

innerdragon
5.0 out of 5 stars Gloriously entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
What a great read! Well presented, well organized and presented in a readable and entertaining style-- all history should be like this. The author takes each subject by chapter, and presents some entertaining and humorous quotes from eye witnesses. We learn of everyone from gamblers to soiled doves, from miners to cowboys. My only regret in finishing this is that our own times will never be chronicled by someone from the future because of our appalling lack of a permanent record and the egocentric desire to "rewrite" history in a way that reflects only the social and political issues of the moment.
20 people found this helpful
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Jane
4.0 out of 5 stars Frontier Life
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
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Some parts of this book were revealing. For example, how travelers slept with situations that included being dirty, hungry, and with bedbugs. With our conveniences today, we shouldn’t forget the difficulties early settlers coped with.
5 people found this helpful
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Nick Taylor
3.0 out of 5 stars Great read for Americans
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2020
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I loved the stories and even recognised a lot of the names .. but this is a book for someone a little closer to home. Perhaps someday we will have one about characters in South Africa.
3 people found this helpful
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Scott L Keever
5.0 out of 5 stars Lively and informative
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2022
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This is a fun tour of the greater "Old West" over the course of the 19th century, from the Ozarks to the Rockies and the Great Plains to the Pacific, presented in an easy, conversational style.
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Monteen
4.0 out of 5 stars Dee Brown, Great writer---always has the right information to hold readers interest.
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019
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Not finished reading, but so far I am enjoying reading this book. Thanks for having such good prices on books. I am an avid reader.
4 people found this helpful
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Stephen Herdina
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2021
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This is a very entertaining collection of insights, so much so that I gave it to Mom for Mother's Day. (Mom is a big reader you know.)
3 people found this helpful
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R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2020
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A very enjoyable book about the old west with true stories, not Hollywood fiction.
One person found this helpful
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Jerri
2.0 out of 5 stars Not very interesting. Writing is disjointed
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2020
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Not very interesting. More a collection of thoughts. Not up to his usual standard of writing. He jumps from topic to topic
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book
Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
Dee Brown was a Western treasure. The author of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" had a unique perspective on Western history, and this book proves it. A study of humor in the west, the book also provides a social history of western attitudes and prejudices during those legendary times.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Compassionate, vivid and frequently very funny, "Wondrous Times on the Frontier" is a book I can heartily recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Valek
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2015
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Dee Brown was on the ball again
One person found this helpful
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Raquel29
1.0 out of 5 stars never arrived
Reviewed in Germany on April 9, 2014
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I am still waiting for the book! if there was a problem I don t understand why we are not informed. I have sent an email ans asked for refund or the book sent again. Still waiting?
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Leith Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining.
Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2020
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One of the best pieces concerning the 'old West'. A great read. Dee Brown is missed.
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CSJ DESERT
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2015
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Damaged cover...
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