Bent's Fort.

Garden City, NY Doubleday: Dolphin , 1954. Mass Market Paperback First Edition Thus (1954), probably a later printing, as there is no direct statement of First Edition. Very Good+ in Wraps: shows slight lean to the spine; the price has been removed from the upper corner of the front panel;, but the scar therefrom is barely discernible; a couple of faint creases to the backstrip which is also lightly dusted; the binding is secure; the text is clean. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 12mo. (7.15 x 4.25 x 1.15 inches). 479 pages. Language: English. Weight: 10 ounces. First Edition Thus (1954), probably a later printing, as there is no direct statement of First Edition. Mass Market Paperback. David Sievert Lavender (1910 – 2003) was an American historian and writer who was one of the most prolific chroniclers of the American West. He published more than 40 books, including two novels, several children's books, and a memoir. Unlike his two prominent contemporaries, Bernard DeVoto and Wallace Stegner, Lavender was not an academic. Much of his writing was influenced by his first-hand practical knowledge of the American West and the historical realities and locations depicted in his books—in the mines, on the trails, in the mountains, and on the rivers. Lavender was a two-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, and was widely admired by scholars for his accuracy and objectivity. In 1954, Lavender published Bent's Fort, an historic landmark of the American West on the upper Arkansas River in present-day southeastern Colorado. Built by Charles and William Bent, Bent's Fort was a massive private fort that stood until 1849 as the center of trade with the Indians of the central plains. Lavender's history of these men and their role in opening up the southwestern region of North America has been compared to the works of eminent historians such as Francis Parkman and William H. Prescott.