Description: The Historical Dictionary of the American Frontier covers early Euro-American exploration and development of frontiers in North America. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on explorers, adventurers, traders, religious orders, developers, and indigenous peoples.
Brief description: Jay H. Buckley is Associate Professor of History at Brigham Young University.
Review Quotes:
"Coauthors Buckley and Rensink encompass the ambitious scope of expeditions into North American from the late 15th to early 19th centuries to deliver a chronology, introduction, and dictionary of more than 300 cross-referenced entries for the various players, including religious orders and indigenous peoples caught up in the maelstrom of 'manifest destiny.' The authors wisely dedicate a third of the work to an extensive bibliography. Verdict: A solid starting point for readers seeking further exploration of Western history." --Library Journal
"This useful guide covers early American exploration and frontier life, from the late-fifteenth through the late-nineteenth centuries. More than 300 cross-referenced A-Z entries cover people, places, events, and institutions. The preface provides scope and methodology as well as a chronology and four small black-and-white maps. The entries are brief and concise. 121-page bibliography completes the volume. A good starting point to help users learn more about the growth of the American West. It belongs in most public and academic libraries." --Booklist "Historians Buckley and Rensink have worked together to create a historical dictionary that covers a broad historical time period, array of people, and political and social issues. The A-Z entries provide access to information for students and others doing introductory research. The volume is divided into eight sections, with a foreword, preface, maps, chronology, introduction, dictionary, bibliography, and information about the authors. Four black-and-white maps illustrate the explorations of the American frontier by French, Spanish, and government agents, and by mountain men. A chronology lists dates beginning with Viking explorations in 986 through the 1903-06 navigation of the Northwest Passage. The introduction examines the connotations of the term 'frontier, ' as defined in the US and by explorers from different countries. The dictionary contains both names and terms, with preference given to individuals or events that had a lasting impact on the expansion of the American frontier. . . .[T]he work offers ample cross-references among entries and an excellent, up-to-date bibliography of sources for the further discovery of information. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates; general readers." --Choice Reviews "The value of Buckley and Rensink's work lies in its bibliography. This is a classified list, and extends to 121 pages. It is far and away the best feature of the book." --Reference Reviews