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Book reviews for "Gregg,_Josiah" sorted by average review score:

Commerce of the Prairies
Published in Paperback by The Narrative Press, Inc. (2001)
Author: Josiah Gregg
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Historical Masterpiece of the Southwest
In 1831, on a suggestion from his doctor to travel west to improve his health, Josiah Gregg joined a wagon train of Sante Fe traders. The result is a highly acclaimed first hand narrative of the Sante Fe trade and life on the prairies during the 1830's. Gregg's vivid writing style illustrates the many hardships and adventures of life along the Sante Fe Trail and into Mexico. We read about traveling through barren deserts, inconsistencies of the weather, the always present danger of marauding Indians and Mexicans, the questionable Mexican governmental policies, etc. Being an amateur naturalist (he had several species of plants named after him), Gregg describes geographical landforms, geology, and plant and animal life extremely well. He also gives clear, precise and realistic descriptions of the cultures and customs of both the Indians and native Mexicans from how they dressed, to how they constructed their homes; religious, spiritual and matrimonial beliefs; how food was secured and prepared; theories on future agricultural practices and uses, etc. Gregg was a keen and acute observer of his immediate surroundings which is evident in both his writing style and presentation of the subject. Professor Moorhead's editing is second to none.

Primary Source, in depth, discussion of the southern plains
Shortly after Mexican Independence interest in establishing trade with Sante Fe, Mexico's most northerly province, became ever more popular. Josiah Gregg was preceded by Mountain Men who explored the area, but he was the first with sufficient education to describe the people, land features and Indians with whom traders would have to deal. His work constitues a PREFACE to other books dealing with the Santa Fe Trail and its growing interest to the United States. Independence, MO, and Fort Smith and Van Buren, AR. - were the northern and southern starting points for Santa Fe respectively. The book is as much a tale of encounters as it is a repository of valuable information. A 'FIRST READ' for persons interested in Santa Fe and the Westward Movement. Another of a variety of fascinating histories of the Southwest.


Commerce Of The Prairies; Or, Journal Of A Santa Fe Trader (2 Volumes) (Notable American Authors)
Published in Library Binding by Reprint Services Corp (1844)
Author: Josiah Gregg
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Josiah Gregg and His Vision of the Early West
Published in Hardcover by Farrar Straus & Giroux (1979)
Author: Paul Horgan
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Josiah Gregg and Lewis H. Garrard (Boise State University Western Writers Series, No. 28.)
Published in Paperback by Boise State Univ (1977)
Author: Edward Halsey Foster
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