Description: John Wesley Powell, the great American explorer and environmental pioneer, embodied the energy, optimism, and westward impulse of the young United States. "A River Running West" is a gorgeously written, magisterial account of this towering figure, a true story of undaunted courage. 42 halftones. 7 maps.
Review Quotes: "This thorough and engaging biography is suitable for all levels."--CHOICE
"It's a case of man and mountain matching one another: Donald Worster is one of the finest American historians of his generation, and John Wesley Powell one of the most impressive Americans of his time. This book is very accessible, very thorough, and very welcome."--Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove, Crazy Horse, and Roads"Another sublime contribution to the historical literature of the American West from Worster....A top-drawer biography, at once scholarly and popular, generous in its intelligence, rich in context and anecdote."--Kirkus Reviews"Worster gathers together more material on Powell than that contained in both previous biographies combined, and the result is a more complex and richly detailed picture of a man he sees as an exemplary 19th-century American....This splendid, vivid and prodigiously researched biography brings Powell back to life."--John Vernon, The New York Times Book Review"In this superb book, Worster backs up his claims about the depth and breadth of Powell's vision as 'one of the leading interpreters of the West, an influential voice on its land and water issues as well as its treatment of indigenous peoples.' Worster captures Powell's rich life and the life of a nation struggling to come to grips with its vast resources."--Audubon