Dreams of El Dorado

A History of the American West

De: H. W. Brands

Narrado por: Matt Kugler

From a New York Times bestselling author, a masterful history of the American West—from the California Gold Rush to the settling of Oklahoma and beyond.

"Epic in its scale, fearless in its scope, this is a bravura performance from one of our master historians." —Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Blood and Thunder

In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands 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.

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

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

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

A better narrator could have made it 5 stars

The story is marvelous, well written and the analysis of the various stages of development of the West was insightful. Disturbing were the various mispronunciations on the part of the narrator of Indian tribes and most of all the Willamette River and Valley. Emphasis is on the “a” and you should not just guess at that. I also felt he rushed his delivery. Some areas needed more gravity, deliberation. But well worth the listen.

Both entertaining and enlightening

This book gives a very good overall account of the stages in which the United States acquired, explored, exploited, and developed the Trans-Mississippi West and, what is more entertaining and sometimes saddening, more detailed accounts of significant incidents and individuals, admirable and otherwise, involved in each stage.

Expansive overview

I enjoyed this listen, but have to say it came across like the key lectures the author might have given in a survey course on the history of our expansion to the West. That's not a bad thing, though I feel it cut down on the intricacies and depths of the stories told. I still learned a few things, and will listen to more by the author. Narrator was solid.

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.

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.