Historians of the American Frontier

As a group, American frontier historians have been uniquely influential within and beyond their profession. Frederick Jackson Turner in particular stands out, but many others in the field contributed theories, hypotheses, and pivotal works that have permanently altered American conceptions of history. This new reference is the first volume to provide comprehensive information on the most prominent historians of the frontier. Fully annotated, it presents individual analyses of more than 50 historical scholars who helped to shape research, writing, and critical thought on the American frontier and American history in general. Each chapter is prepared by a different specialist and includes a brief biography, a complete summary of articles and books, and a detailed analysis of the historian's work. Historians of the colonial, trans-Appalachian, and trans-Mississippi frontiers are represented together with scholars who were primarily concerned with agricultural history, the Spanish Borderlands, land policy, railroad history, Native American studies, or other specialized subject areas. A valuable resource for students and scholars working in American frontier history and related fields, this book is an appropriate selection for historical societies and academic and public libraries.