The Pioneers

“A tale of uplift, with the antislavery settlers embodying a vision of all that was best about American values and American ideals.” * The New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice *
“David McCullough has become perhaps our best-loved chronicler of America’s past… . The Pioneers is the account not just of one Ohio settlement but of myriad such places across America, where innumerable immigrants (as the settlers were known) came to make a fresh start in a strange land. It is a story as resonant today as ever.” – Gerard Helferich * The Wall Street Journal *
“McCullough is among the most thoughtful and thorough historians of the past two generations… . [A] great American mind.” – John S. Gardner * The Guardian *
“McCullough is a master of research along with being a wonderful storyteller. He takes the history of the area and turns what could be dry and dull into vibrant and compelling tales… . Lovers of history told well know that McCullough is one of the best writers of our past, and his latest will only add to his acclaim.” – Jeff Ayers * Associated Press *
“To read The Pioneers is to understand that the settlement of the Northwest Territory was, in some ways, a second phase of the American Revolution – a messy experiment, touched by high ideals and bitter conflicts, that still resonates in ways we’re only beginning to grasp.”
– Danny Heitman * Christian Science Monitor *
“Like McCullough’s other books, The Pioneers succeeds because of the author’s strength as a storyteller. The book reads like a novel, with a cast of fascinating characters that the average reader isn’t likely to know about… . A worthy addition to McCullough’s impressive body of work.” – Michael Schaub * NPR.org *
“Readers will immediately recognize that storytelling is one of Mr. McCullough’s great literary strengths. He consistently produces engaging prose about a particular period of time, and makes history come alive.”
– Michael Taube * The Washington Times *
“A lively history of the Ohio River region in the years between the Revolution and the Civil War… . [McCullough’s] narrative abounds with well-recognized figures in American history—John Quincy Adams, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Johnny Appleseed—while highlighting lesser-known players… . Vintage McCullough and a book that students of American history will find captivating.” * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *
“In his usual revealing style, McCullough has crafted another dynamic volume of American history. With clarity and incisiveness, he details the experience of a brave and broad-minded band of people who crossed raging rivers, chopped down forests, plowed miles of land, suffered incalculable hardships and braved a lonely frontier to forge a new American ideal. They were indeed the pioneers.”

– Dave Kindy * The Providence Journal *

David McCullough (1933–2022) twice received the Pulitzer Prize, for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback. His other acclaimed books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The American Spirit, The Wright Brothers, and The Pioneers. He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

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