America Moves West

Although this was written as a textbook, it is one of the most interesting, best-written history books I've ever read. It is a bit more episodic than comprehensive. It covers "the West" from the earliest settlements to about 1890, although the term changes as time passes. For instance, after a few pages of early perspective on the English settlements, the settling of Kentucky and Tennessee are treated in some detail.The authors tend to move geographically rather than by time, so discussions of Spanish exploration fall later in the book, when Americans began to explore the Southwest. The chapters also tend to center on a certain subject matter, so there is a nice discussion of the Plains Indians and another on the fur trade in the middle, just as settlers began to look west of Iowa and Missouri.An excellent interesting read for anyone who likes history, as it does not attempt to present more material than can be handled within an interesting narrative. Lots of cool illustrations, too.