Icons of the American West [2 Volumes]: From Cowgirls to Silicon Valley (Greenwood Icons)

Biographical Note:

Gordon Morris Bakken is Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton. He has written and edited numerous books, articles, encyclopedia entries, and reviews. His vast body of published work includes Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West (2006), Encyclopedia of Women in the American West (2003), and Where is the West? (2000).

Volume One: The Old West

List of Photos

Preface

Introduction

Timeline

1.Banditry in California, 1850-1875

2.Buffalo Bill Cody

3.Chief Joseph

4.Cowboys and Cowgirls

5.George Armstrong Custerth

6.Geronimo

7.Gold Rush to California

8.Hetch Hetchy

9.Mountain Men

10.John Muir

11.Annie Oakley

12.Frederic Remington

13.Rifles and Revolvers

14.Sacagawea

15.Yosemite

16.Brigham Young

Volume Two: The New West

Preface

List of Photos

1.Eugene Biscailuz

2.Bozeman, MT

3.Disneyland

4.Female Political Icons of the West Politicians

5.Bill Gates

6.Howard Hughes

7.Indian Casinos

8.Las Vegas, NV

9.Ronald Reagan

10.Ann Richards

11.Sierra Club

12.Yellowstone National Park, Alexandra Kindell

Selected Bibliography

About the Editor and Contributors

Index

The American West is rich in lore, cultural roots, and iconic images. The subject of countless movies, books, and songs, in many ways it embodies the American spirit. This lively two-volume set presents the stories of some of the most influential and representative Western icons--those that have captured the nation's imagination since the early days of westward exploration and that continue to do so within the environmental and technological frontier that is the modern West. This accessible treatment of the untamed enterprise of the 'Old West'--including cowboys, wild west shows, and gun battles--and the continued entrepreneurial imagination of the paradisical 'New West'--including environmentalists and the incorporation of national parks--elevates the reader's understanding of oft-romanticized subjcts and the conflicts and cultural changes that made them icons.

Narrative entries include:

; Chief Joseph

; George Armstrong Custer

; Gold Rush

; Winchester Model 1873

; Frederic Remington

; John Muir

; Las Vegas

; Bill Gates

; Disneyland

; Yellowstone National Park

; Sierra Club

With vibrant photos and descriptive sidebars, this comprehensive set is a must-have for students of American history and culture.

"Students in search of information about specific people, events, and places from the old or new West will appreciate this work for assignments and for individual interest. The first volume includes an 11-page time line of key events from 1784 to 2007. The straightforward, somewhat scholarly topical essays are individually authored and range in length from 28 to 46 pages. Each is subdivided by subject, accompanied by text boxes and pull quotes, and followed by further reading suggestions. Coverage ranges from Buffalo Bill Cody, Sacagawea, and Bill Gates to Rifles and Revolvers, Ronald Reagan, and Indian Casinos. Each essay opens with a black-and-white image representing the topicregrettably the only one in the chapter. A well-organized resource."

School Library Journal

"The success of each new set in this growing series relies on the strength of the topic it covers, so purchase where local interest warrants. Recommended for high school and public libraries as a supplement to subject collections."

Library Journal

"What do Annie Oakley, Frederic Remington, and Bill Gates have in common? According to Greenwood, they are popular icons of the American West, pioneers in what they do, and they influence millions. Distilling a broad cultural sphere into two dozen revolutionaries is a tough act, but Greenwood's 'Icons' series has done a fine job of focusing on the legendary principals known to wide audiences."

Library Journal

"Particularly interesting are articles addressing topics such as Indian gaming and the evolution of this economic/cultural phenomenon. The entries contain bibliographies and a modest number of photos, when appropriate...The contributors are well qualified. The history of the American West is a huge field; therefore, while not indispensable, this work will be a good investment for schools that can afford the price...Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers."

Choice

"With special features, such as a chronology of major events in the history of the American west, shaded boxes containing excerpts from primary sources, and end-of-entry bibliographies, this set provides an insightful look at what makes the west the west, which to paraphrase the book, is as much a state of mind as a place of residence (p. 228)."

ARBA

The American West is rich in lore, cultural roots, and iconic images. The subject of countless movies, books, and songs, in many ways it embodies the American spirit. This lively two-volume set presents the stories of some of the most influential and representative Western icons--those that have captured the nation's imagination since the early days of westward exploration and that continue to do so within the environmental and technological frontier that is the modern West. This accessible treatment of the untamed enterprise of the 'Old West'--including cowboys, wild west shows, and gun battles--and the continued entrepreneurial imagination of the paradisical 'New West'--including environmentalists and the incorporation of national parks--elevates the reader's understanding of oft-romanticized subjcts and the conflicts and cultural changes that made them icons.

Narrative entries include:

; Chief Joseph

; George Armstrong Custer

; Gold Rush

; Winchester Model 1873

; Frederic Remington

; John Muir

; Las Vegas

; Bill Gates

; Disneyland

; Yellowstone National Park

; Sierra Club

With vibrant photos and descriptive sidebars, this comprehensive set is a must-have for students of American history and culture.

Review Citations:

• School Library Journal 10/01/2008 pg. 83 (EAN 9780313341489, Hardcover)
• Library Journal 12/15/2008 pg. 157 (EAN 9780313341489, Hardcover)
• Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2008 pg. 68 (EAN 9780313341489, Hardcover)
• Choice 01/01/2009 (EAN 9780313341489, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Bakken, Gordon Morris

Gordon Morris Bakken is Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton. He has written and edited numerous books, articles, encyclopedia entries, and reviews. His vast body of published work includes Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West (2006), Encyclopedia of Women in the American West (2003), and Where is the West? (2000).