A compelling and beautifully told story of extreme events that resonates the terrible cost of the American Dream. A powerful work of fiction that recreates one of the most tragic events of pioneer America, as a wagon train crosses the country to the Promised Land of California, only to be halted in the final stages by an early winter in the high reaches of the mountains. the emigrants endure the bitterest of winters with only the most slender of supplies and some members of the party are forced to extremes to stay alive. ...
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A compelling and beautifully told story of extreme events that resonates the terrible cost of the American Dream. A powerful work of fiction that recreates one of the most tragic events of pioneer America, as a wagon train crosses the country to the Promised Land of California, only to be halted in the final stages by an early winter in the high reaches of the mountains. the emigrants endure the bitterest of winters with only the most slender of supplies and some members of the party are forced to extremes to stay alive. Based on the true story of what became known as the Donner party, the story of James and Margaret Reed and their children is one that begins with restless optimism, encompasses remarkable feats of courage and endurance, as well as the depths of human degradation, and ends with what seems like a miracle. Part of the story is told by James and Margaret's daughter Patty, reminiscing long after those dark days of 1847 when as an eight-year-old she witnessed scenes no child should ever see. Patty's voice is finely crafted, her story unforgettable.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. xi, 317 pages. Inscribed by the author. A clean, attractive copy. "Depicts the hardships, tragedy, and devastating starvation that confronted the Donner party, which became trapped by winter snows in the Sierra Nevadas, through the eyes of James Frazier Reed and his eight-year-old daughter, Patty."
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Seller's Description:
Very good in near fine dust jacket. SIGNED by the author on the title page (signature only). Stated first edition, no number line (1st printing). Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 336 p. Audience: General/trade. Dust jacket as new except for a crease to the inner front fold. Book has slight bumping to the base of the book spine, a crinkle in the bottom of two pages, and small nicks in the bottoms of the boards. 'Signed By the Author' sticker. The late author lived in the house once occupied by Patty Reed, the Donner party survivor whose family is the subject of the book. He was the winner of two American Book Awards, a Joseph Henry Jackson Award for Fiction, and the Humanitas Prize and the author of 'Bird of Another Heaven' and 'Farewell to Manzanar'. Where possible, all books come with dust jacket in a protective mylar sleeve, sealed in a ziplock bag, wrapped in bubble wrap, shipped in a box.
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Seller's Description:
-1. Flat signed by author James D. Houston on the title page. Not personalized. Stated First Harvest Edition 2002, first printing with full letter line in near fine / very good condition. The pages of the text are clean, crisp, and unmarked. No creasing along the spine, and no bent page corners. Cover has a little fading on the front near the spine, but otherwise the book is in excellent condition with no remainder mark. All items guaranteed, and a portion of each sale supports social programs in Los Angeles. Ships from CA.
Edition:
First Harvest Edition (from Harcourt, Inc.)
Publisher:
Mariner Books
Published:
2002
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
13469937442
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Seller's Description:
Good. Signed by author. Slightly cocked. Minor sticker residue on front cover. Reprint. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. xiii, [3], 315, [1] p. Illustrations. Map. From Wikipedia: "James Dudley Houston (November 10, 1933 April 16, 2009) was an American novelist. He wrote nine novels in total. Houston was born in San Francisco, where his parents had migrated from Quanah, Texas, a small town near Oklahoma. Their story kindled an interest in treks and quests that intensified when he met his future wife, Jeanne Wakatsuki, whose family had immigrated to California from Japan. He attended Lowell High School and San Jose State University where he met Jeanne Wakatsuki, whom he would marry in 1957. Houston co-authored his wife's autobiographical memoir, Farewell to Manzanar, about her experiences in the Manzanar internment camp. The book became a bestseller after it was published in 1973. Houston was the winner of two American Book Awards, a Joseph Henry Jackson Award for Fiction and the Humanitas Prize. Snow Mountain Passage (2001) was inspired by a personal link to the ill-fated Donner Party of early Californian history. Houston died of complications of lymphoma, aged 75, in Santa Cruz, California." From Wikipedia: "The Donner Party (sometimes called the Donner-Reed Party) was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846 47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Some of the immigrants resorted to cannibalism to survive, eating those who had succumbed to starvation and sickness. The journey west usually took between four and six months, but the Donner Party was slowed by following a new route called Hastings Cutoff, which crossed Utah's Wasatch Mountains and Great Salt Lake Desert. The rugged terrain, and difficulties encountered while traveling along the Humboldt River in present-day Nevada, resulted in the loss of many cattle and wagons, and splits within the group. By the beginning of November 1846 the emigrants had reached the Sierra Nevada, where they became trapped by an early, heavy snowfall near Truckee (now Donner) Lake, high in the mountains. Their food supplies ran low, and in mid-December some of the group set out on foot to obtain help. Rescuers from California attempted to reach the emigrants, but the first relief party did not arrive until the middle of February 1847, almost four months after the wagon train became trapped. Of the 87 members of the party, 48 survived to reach California. Historians have described the episode as one of the most spectacular tragedies in Californian history and in the record of western migration."
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. Book. Signed by Author(s) An Excellent Copy-Signed & Dated By The Author On The Title Page. A First Edition, First Printing. Book Is In Near Fine Condition. Boards Are Clean, Not Bumped. Fore Edges Have A Tiny Bit Of Shelf Wear. Interior Is Clean And Legible. Not Remaindered. Dust Jacket Is In Near Fine Condition. Not Chipped Or Crinkled. Not Price Clipped. Dust Jacket Is Covered By Mylar Brodart. Thanks And Enjoy.
I admit to being a bit disappointed in the book. There was far too much Jim Reed and not enough Donner Party. The sections concerning Jim Reed and the US/Mexican war were pretty boring. Interspersed among these chapters were excerpts from Patty Reed's (Jim's daughter) notes from the trail. These were quite good and kept me going as I skimmed or skipped whole chapters of Jim's story.