A Newer World - by David Roberts (Paperback)

About the Book

Roberts recreates the expeditions of the American West by John C. Fremont and Kit Carson, done between 1842 and 1854, in this riveting narrative. Roberts portrays the triumph of opening the West, while reminding the reader of the cultural tragedy this inflicted on the Native American. of photos.

Book Synopsis

In A Newer World, David Roberts serves as a guide through John C. Frémont's and Kit Carson's adventures through unknown American territory to achieve manifest destiny.

Between 1842 and 1854, John C. Frémont, renowned as the nineteenth century's greatest explorer, and Kit Carson, the legendary scout and Indian fighter, boldly ventured into untamed territory to fulfill America's "manifest destiny."

Drawing on little-known primary sources, as well as his own travels through the lands Frémont and Carson explored, David Roberts recreates their expeditions, second in significance only to those of Lewis and Clark. Additionally, Roberts analyzes how Frémont and Carson advanced the Americanizing of the West, writing with a modern-day sensitivity to the Native Americans, for whom these expeditions were a tragedy.

A Newer World is a harrowing narrative of hardship and adventure and a poignant reminder of the cultural tragedy that westward expansion inflicted on the Native American.

Review Quotes

Allen Barra The Wall Street Journal Exhilarating reading.

Anthony Day Los Angeles Times Gripping...Roberts does history a great service.

David Haward Bain The New York Times Book Review A remarkably well-balanced portrait of two major but still controversial figures of the Old West...Fascinating reading...The tension never lets up.

David Shribman The Boston Globe Roberts gives new life to some of the most vivid figures on the American canvas.

About the Author

David Roberts (1943-2021) ​was the author of dozens of books on mountaineering, adventure, and the history of the American Southwest. His essays and articles have appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, and The Atlantic Monthly, among other publications.