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Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West Paperback – Illustrated, March 1, 1992

by Wallace Stegner (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 322 ratings
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From the “dean of Western writers” (The New York Times) and the Pulitzer Prize winning–author of Angle of Repose and Crossing to Safety, a fascinating look at the old American West and the man who prophetically warned against the dangers of settling it
 
In Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, Wallace Stegner recounts the sucesses and frustrations of John Wesley Powell, the distinguished ethnologist and geologist who explored the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon, and the homeland of Indian tribes of the American Southwest. A prophet without honor who had a profound understanding of the American West, Powell warned long ago of the dangers economic exploitation would pose to the West and spent a good deal of his life overcoming Washington politics in getting his message across. Only now, we may recognize just how accurate a prophet he was.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    5.11 x 0.94 x 7.72 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0140159940
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0140159943
  8. See all details
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  1. Angle of Repose
  2. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition
  3. The Big Rock Candy Mountain
  4. The Spectator Bird
  5. Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon
  6. The Sound of Mountain Water: The Changing American West
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book goes far beyond biography, into the nature and soul of the American West. It is Stegner at his best, assaying an entire era of our history, packing his pages with insights as shrewd as his prose." —Ivan Doig

About the Author

Wallace Stegner (1909–1993) published more than two dozen books throughout his life, including the novels Angle of Repose, which won the Pulitzer Prize; Crossing to Safety; The Big Rock Candy Mountain; and The Spectator Bird, which won the National Book Award. An early environmentalist, Stegner was instrumental—with his now famous “Wilderness Letter”—in the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act. 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (March 1, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140159940
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140159943
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.11 x 0.94 x 7.72 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 322 ratings

About the author

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Wallace Stegner

Wallace Stegner

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Wallace Earle Stegner (February 18, 1909 – April 13, 1993) was an American novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and historian, often called "The Dean of Western Writers". He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Book Award in 1977.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
322 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Long-Suffering Technology Consumer
5.0 out of 5 stars Adventure, religion, culture, politics, geography and WATER in the American west...
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2011
Verified Purchase
...wrapped up in a lyrically written and finely researched history.

I had not read anything by Wallace Stegner for many years, until a recent trip to the Grand Canyon restored my interest in the history of its exploration. Many choices are available to discover the history of the last part of the American west to become marked as something other than "unknown" on government maps. In "Beyond the Hundredth Meridian" Stegner expands the horizon beyond the confines of the dangerous canyon walls that threatened John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition through the Grand Canyon.

To be sure, Stegner is an excellent chronicler of the that trip down the Colorado. He captures the adventure, the danger, the great unknowns that faced Powell's crew. That voyage is the centerpiece of the first half of the book, and could stand on its own as a a tour de force of American discover.

Stegner gives us much more. He incorporates sophisticated discussions of the cultural climate, and the intersection of antebellum political mores in Washington, the fabric of relationships between the US government, native Americans, the Mormons and western settlers. He illustrates fine points of topography, geology, geography and river hydrology as he focuses on the essential element of any migration to the west: water. He explores the grand topics and the often overlooked (would "Big Canyon" be as good a name as "Grand Canyon" ? It almost got this name!).

As these lessons unfold, the book never comes across as a textbook. The writing is vibrant and often lyrical, without being overblown or self important. If you've spent any time in the parts of the United States where the rain is scarce and the vistas are vast, this book will provide an important education in the many forces that came to bear on its settlement. Even if you haven't, you'll acquire a solid foundation in the complex calculus that provides the initiative for discovery.

This quite simply a great piece of historical writing.
40 people found this helpful
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William C.
4.0 out of 5 stars History, adventure and human interest
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
If you are a Westerner (or just love the West), this book offers insight into one man's efforts not only to explore the arid West, but to also appreciate it and raise alarms about misuse of the Western landscape. The story of John Wesley Powell's exploration of the Colorado River country is one heck of a yarn, complete with vivid descriptions of navigating the whitewater (including some epic wipe-outs). Quite an account of one of the world's great "first river descents." The book also details Powell's poignant efforts to prevent abuse of the Western lands and waters.

Mostly, the prose is tight, well-crafted and delightful to read. At times, Stegner gets too deeply into details of Powell's battles with Congress and "booster" elements in the West. But overall, a good read.
7 people found this helpful
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The Captain
5.0 out of 5 stars Stegner and the art of history
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
History, from the perspective of individual ambitions and conflict have always been more interesting than anything undertaken with the academician's wider view to social impact and development. Stegner seems to know this going in and makes Powell's personality the locus of his narrative. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian is a highly literary depiction of Powell's concomitant American go-and-do-it-ness and its ironically corrosive effect on the optimism of the time. It's a truly beautiful story in its own right. As a moral tale it has few parallels, in my reading anyway, in quietly dismantling cultural myth and boosterism in favor of the objectivist's creed of seeking truth without agenda.
There is a cautionary tale here that rings true politically today, in as much as the story is a call to resist group think in any form, the extremes of alarmist predictions of doom on one hand, and, as well, the sometimes dismissive pursuit of human enterprise and exploitation on the other. In reading it, I wondered if the global warming crowd could meet the standard of Powell's commitment to truth any better than, say, a mindless real estate developer more interested in industrial nodes than in the land being subjected to his economic models. Stegner makes waypoints of the hyperbole of Powell's time in both directions.
Recommended reading for the intellectually independent. Learned and beautifully wrought.
3 people found this helpful
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Gandalf
3.0 out of 5 stars Powell and the Grand Canyon
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016
Verified Purchase
The initial description of Powell's Grand Canyon transit is wonderful. Stegner becomes tedious and plodding during the remainder of the book. Interesting historical perspective and nice description of Powell's career but this could have been handled in a more concise manner and with more reference to the interactions of the principal characters to create the historical sense and context. For example, the impact that the application of the traditional homestead size had on the development of the West and how this played out with respect to the current mess of senior versus junior water rights and the creation of large ranches instead of smaller homesteads would have been fascinating.
4 people found this helpful
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B Cochran
5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing, terrible production
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
Whoever works at the kindle factory turning these old texts into kindles: do a better job. The worst bit were the photographic reproduction s, pure mud on my display. Also tons of scanned text snafus that a simple proofread should have caught. Maybe, read this one in print?
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Dan Earle
5.0 out of 5 stars Expanded Understanding
Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
I have read earlier stories about Powell and his trip down the Grand Canyon and enjoyed them for their important exploration and adventure aspects. What I did not realize then and do now is how important a person Powell was in government and his contribution to the scientific approach and mapping of the West. We also see the political intrigue that took place in the past. Seeing it historically, it makes one think about how today's events will be seen in 100 years. It is a engaging read.
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Gordon M Clark
4.0 out of 5 stars Another Stegner Treasure...
Reviewed in Canada on September 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
Saskatchewan has produced some able people, Stegner amongst them. HIs writing has a timelessness admired by many.
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