The American West Is More Than the Legends

Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West | H.W. Brands | Basic Books

As with most books of history, Dreams of El Dorado by H.W. Brands features a map in the front, printed on the board of the cover and extending onto the first page, the dotted outlines of each of the United States traversed by trails and paths and railroads as represented by lines made of dots and dashes of various weights. The Lewis and Clark trail, fo…