Coauthors Buckley and Rensink encompass the ambitious scope of expeditions into North American from the late 15th to early 19th centuries to deliver a chronology, introduction, and dictionary of more than 300 cross-referenced entries for the various players, including religious orders and indigenous peoples caught up in the maelstrom of 'manifest destiny.' The authors wisely dedicate a third of the work to an extensive bibliography. Verdict: A solid starting point for readers seeking further exploration of Western history.

Library Journal

This useful guide covers early American exploration and frontier life, from the late-fifteenth through the late-nineteenth centuries. More than 300 cross-referenced A-Z entries cover people, places, events, and institutions. The preface provides scope and methodology as well as a chronology and four small black-and-white maps. The entries are brief and concise. 121-page bibliography completes the volume. A good starting point to help users learn more about the growth of the American West. It belongs in most public and academic libraries.

Booklist

Historians Buckley and Rensink have worked together to create a historical dictionary that covers a broad historical time period, array of people, and political and social issues. The A-Z entries provide access to information for students and others doing introductory research. The volume is divided into eight sections, with a foreword, preface, maps, chronology, introduction, dictionary, bibliography, and information about the authors. Four black-and-white maps illustrate the explorations of the American frontier by French, Spanish, and government agents, and by mountain men. A chronology lists dates beginning with Viking explorations in 986 through the 1903-06 navigation of the Northwest Passage. The introduction examines the connotations of the term ‘frontier,’ as defined in the US and by explorers from different countries. The dictionary contains both names and terms, with preference given to individuals or events that had a lasting impact on the expansion of the American frontier. . . .[T]he work offers ample cross-references among entries and an excellent, up-to-date bibliography of sources for the further discovery of information. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates; general readers.

Choice Reviews

The value of Buckley and Rensink’s work lies in its bibliography. This is a classified list, and extends to 121 pages. It is far and away the best feature of the book.

Reference Reviews