A vivid new perspective on the settling of the American frontier, by one of our most prominent young historians. Many have written about the settling of early 19th century America, but until now no one has explored these settlers' self-consciousness about what they were doing, what "settling" and cultivating the land itself meant. In The Health of the Country, Conevery Valencius shows that assessments of the "sickliness" or "health" of land pervade settlers' letters, journals, newspapers, and literature--evidence of the ...
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A vivid new perspective on the settling of the American frontier, by one of our most prominent young historians. Many have written about the settling of early 19th century America, but until now no one has explored these settlers' self-consciousness about what they were doing, what "settling" and cultivating the land itself meant. In The Health of the Country, Conevery Valencius shows that assessments of the "sickliness" or "health" of land pervade settlers' letters, journals, newspapers, and literature--evidence of the common sense of another time, when land was believed to have intrinsic health characteristics and the human body was understood to be linked in intimate and intricate ways with similar balances in the surrounding world. Valencius focuses her research on the Arkansas and Missouri territories from the time of the Louisiana Purchase to the Civil War, capturing the excitement, romanticism, confusion, and anxiety of the frontier experience and revealing how these emotions were bound up with settlers' unique relationships with their land. This is a complex and rewarding book, a beautifully written, fresh account of the gritty details of American expansion, animated by the voices of the settlers themselves.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Near Fine jacket. Book New York: Basic Books, Inc., 2002. First Edition, First Printing. Fine/Near Fine. Very clean black boards with black cloth spine, silver lettering on spine. No bumping or wear. Binding is tight & crisp, pages and edges are clean and bright. No names, writing or marks. 388 pgs. with index. Illustrated with photographs and drawings. Clean bright dustjacket is unchipped, has been price clipped--enclosed in new archival quality mylar cover. 8vo. American History.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good Dust Jacket. 1st edition, 1st printing, with full number line. From a private collection. Binding is tight, sturdy, and square; boards and text also very good. Remainder mark on bottom edge. Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Due to the size/weight of this book extra charges may apply for international shipping.
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Very Good. . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Your purchase supports More Than Words, a nonprofi t job training program for youth, empowering youth to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!