Books with author George R. Stewart

The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers; an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.

Seventeen-year-old Moses Schallenberger wanted to go to California. In 1844, he joined a wagon train to do just that. There was only one problem: Nobody had ever made it to California by wagon before. For a year, he and 50 others struggled through high mountain passes and across wide rushing rivers, enduring dangerous encounters with Indians and buffalo, inclement weather, difficult terrain, near-starvation and disaster.Ultimately, Moses and his friends succeeded–becoming the first pioneers to cross the Sierra Nevadas by wagon. Today, the trail they blazed is a major route into California.

In 1846, the nation was turning 70. Herman Melville and Walt Whitman were 27, Lincoln was 37. The first telegraph lines were up and humming. California was still part of Mexico, but already faint parallel lines—wheel tracks left by emigrant wagon trains—marked the California Trail. Close to half a million emigrants would cross the plains before completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, but in July, 1846, there were only 800 Americans in California, and the routes across the Continental Divide and the Sierra Nevada were not yet well established. It was on the 20th of that month that the Donner Party set out for California from Little Sandy Creek, Wyoming—enough time, they thought, to cross the Sierras before the winter snows fell. Eighty-seven men, women and children set out on the journey, and their tragic fate constitutes one of the most gripping and chilling chapters in the exploration and settlement of the American West. Much has been written over the years about the Donner Party—and a powerful documentary film, Simple Justice, was made by Ric Burns in 1993 and shown on PBS—but George Stewart’s spell-binding and compassionate narrative, Ordeal by Hunger, published initially in 1936, remains the gold standard. In his introduction to our edition, James D. Houston writes: "Sixty-five years after its first publication, this remarkable narrative still stands as the definitive account, giving dramatic life to a haunting and emblematic tale." Though there is horror and tragedy in this story, there are also acts of courage and selflessness. It is a powerful human drama. As the author puts it, the story tells "what human beings may achieve, endure, and perpetrate in the final press of circumstance." In addition to James Houston’s authoritative, new introduction, we have incorporated new illustrations and maps, aided in this effort by many organizations, most especially The Bancroft Library of The University of California, Berkeley.

‘A raw and honest account. In Search of Sisu touches on key elements of human psychology, overcoming adversity and difficult decision making on an intensely personal journey’Bear Grylls - - - - -‘Powerfully written and compelling. A must-read for anyone with an interest in adventure’Sir Ranulph Fiennes - - - - -At the age of 22, Geordie Stewart became the youngest Briton to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountain on every continent. Aged 17, he read a book about Everest and, despite no climbing experience, became obsessed with achieving this ambition. Four years later, despite turning around 150m from the summit on his first attempt, he stood on top of the world.The book offers a raw, emotive and passionate insight into the complexity of teenage vulnerabilities. The real aim in those seven mountains was not climbing glory or breaking records but rather a path to contentment. In Search of Sisu reveals Geordie’s transition from a self-doubting teenager battling an all-encompassing eating disorder to a young man who had the belief to realise his dreams.

The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers; an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.

The tragedy of the Donner party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846 eighty-seven people -- men, women, and children -- set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers; an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.