"It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own"

"It's your misfortune and none of my own," the line from a song, sets the tone for this sweeping account of the West from the early European incursions to the present. White, a leader in the "new history of the West" movement, builds upon Patricia N. Limerick's The Legacy of Conquest ( LJ 9/1/87) to provide a far-reaching explanation of the creation of a region rather than just the vanishing of the frontier. Drawing upon ethnic, environmental, urban, labor, and women's history as well as traditional sources, White gives fresh perspective to the West. His book is well written and contains useful graphics, though a major disappointment is the lack of footnotes. Nonetheless, this is a significant contribution to the understanding not only of how the West was won but also of how much of it was lost. This will appeal to history buffs and scholars and is highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
-Daniel Liestman, Seattle Pacific Univ.