t_wayne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
bfraynt's review against another edition
3.0
There are many things about this book that I really enjoyed. First, Black does a good job of framing the creation of the first national park as part of a larger historical context. It becomes very clear that Yellowstone emerged as part of the Civil War, ongoing war with and exploitation of American Indian tribes, the construction of the railroads and other settlement of the surrounding territories. Black also clearly did his research. He puts in lots of interesting details about the many players who created the park, including some that are pretty scandalous. I feel like I learned a lot about the history of Yellowstone that is not posted in the more sanitized plaques around the park.
At the same time, this book has a number of cons. While Black has clearly done a lot of research, sometimes it felt overwhelming. There were so many characters that I had difficulty keeping track of all of them. I also had difficulty keeping track of all of the different events occurring on multiple timelines. In some ways, I wish that Black had chosen to focus on just a few of the main characters, such as Langford or Cheney Doane. This might have made for a more readable book.
In the end, I would recommend this for anyone with an academic interest in the history of Yellowstone. Probably not a casual read.
At the same time, this book has a number of cons. While Black has clearly done a lot of research, sometimes it felt overwhelming. There were so many characters that I had difficulty keeping track of all of them. I also had difficulty keeping track of all of the different events occurring on multiple timelines. In some ways, I wish that Black had chosen to focus on just a few of the main characters, such as Langford or Cheney Doane. This might have made for a more readable book.
In the end, I would recommend this for anyone with an academic interest in the history of Yellowstone. Probably not a casual read.
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