Prairie Fever: British Aristocrats in the American West 1830-1890 [Hardcover]

The extraordinary story of the British aristocracy's encounter with American frontier life in the nineteenth century. Something of the magic of the Great West  its big skies and great rivers and prairies filled with game  can be found in Peter Pagnamenta's compelling narrative of the mania for the prairie grasslands that swept British aristocrats in the middle of the 19th century. Grand solitary travelers came first and their tales of adventure brought scores and then hundreds of others  lords and younger sons needing a way to live and retired military officers and men hoping to get rich and sportsmen who wanted a grizzly and dreamers who imagined a ranching kingdom might end boredom once and for all. It's an extraordinary story, told in Vivid& a constant delight. Mr. Pagnamenta tells this story with verve and style. His love of tales of derring-do on the prairie matches his subjects. [A] lostand deeply weirdworld&has been lovingly excavated and brought back to life. Entertaining&. A deeply researched and finely delivered look at what can best be described as a counterintuitive slice of American history. A parade of colourful personalities and richly detailed scenes which entertain and, cumulatively, expose the violence of cultural imperialism. Lively and accessible&