A very good, concise history of some of the mountain men and fur trapper/traders of the early American West. It is along the same line of thought as Robert Utley's "A Life Wild and Perilious". Whereas Utley's book is more of a chronological history of the fur trappers, this one is based more on geographical location. Each chapter is devoted to an individual character and the life of that person. Many of these early trapper/traders' lives interweave with each other and therefore you have more of a tendency to remember who knew who and who did what with who, etc. After reading chapter after chapter, it humbles one when looking back at these mens' lives and how much they accomplished, whether it be in how many places they traveled, what sort of trade they were involved in, their relationships with the Indians and each other, how some were involved with the initial founding of the west, etc. It is simply amazing what went on so long ago. I have much respect and admiration for these men.

This biography managed to make mundane and boring one of the most fascinating characters of the opening of the West. The fat-free, salt-free prose relentlessly rambles on with no distinction between events of monumental importance (Bear Flag Revolt, e.g. - one page) and tedious details of Carson's children. No explanatory detail is given about saddlery,horses,firearms,clothing,etc., nor is sufficient description given to the geography of the country in which he spent so much time. Most of all, the book suffers from a lack of detailed maps. On the bright side, the book seems well researched and documented and the sources are clearly indicated. Best of all, in this era of historical demonization, there is a genuine affection and sympathy for Kit Carson, quite convincing me that he was not only a fascinating pioneer but an exemplary character.

Although this account of the famous explorer's life and adventures contained well documented and interesting information, I found the presentation rambling and often outright confusing. The first chapters were arranged according to specific expeditions, but the purpose of each expedition was poorly explained and it was easy to loose track of the individuals present and the chronology of events. Occasionally, events referred to in early chapters were not actually described until later chapters (i.e. the Court Martial of Fremont). Unfortunately the disjointed narrative distracted significantly from the informative content of the book.

Much like the pulp-novel persona that sprung from the legends of Kit Carson, the real man was a master of life in the West. From his early days as a mountain man to his later life as an Indian agent, Guild and Carter do a good job of illustrating the life of Carson and his role in the opening of the West. Throughout the book, the authors keep the focus on Carson and do not let the wider events in which he was involved overshadow the man. On one level this approach diminishes the importance of those events and Carson's role in them, but it also seems to provide a good illustration of how Carson viewed those events.