Allan W. Eckert Non-Fiction Books

Owls of North America

Describes the characteristics and habitat of herons, egrets, cranes, flamingos, coots, and spoonbills in the United States and Canada

A biography of the famous Shawnee describes Tecumseh's plan to amalgamate all North American tribes into one people, his role as statesman and military strategist, and his death in the Battle of Thames.

Centuries after it was first discovered, the opal remains the undisputed Queen of Gems. A stone of incredible beauty and variety, with a background rich in myth, adventure, and intrigue, it is considered by many to be the most desirable, the most handsome, and the most precious of all gemstones. The first comprehensive book on the subject in over thirty years, The World of Opals is a complete guide to the science and history of these remarkable gems. It begins with a thorough examination of the physical properties and attributes of common and precious opals, with up-to-date information on opal formation, extraction, storage, and cutting. Next, it chronicles man's involvement with the stone from 4000 B.C. to the present, following the opal through countless reversals of fortune and mythology as talisman, prognostic aid, patron stone of thieves, and bearer of bad luck. Readers will find fascinating de-tails about the discovery, whereabouts, and value of famous opals, from such classic specimens as the Burning of Troy Opal to the Bonanza Opal and other more recent discoveries. Finally, the book surveys today's major opal-producing areas and provides current information on opal occurrence worldwide. Punctuating the text are useful tables, extensive glossaries of opal types and opal-related terms, and beautiful photographs that capture the essence and mystery of this most exquisite stone. Accessible and authoritative, The World of Opals is a first-rate reference that will be consulted by mineral and gem enthusiasts for years to come. The complete guide to the science and history of opals The World of Opals contains thorough and accessible coverage of all aspects of the legendary Queen of Gems. It features the latest information on how opals are formed, where they are found, and how the stone is mined, and explores the fascinating history and mythology of opals throughout the ages. An indispensable addition to the library of every mineral and gem enthusiast, this definitive reference includes: * In-depth material on physical properties, attributes, and handling * A multifaceted examination of opal formation, opalized fossils and pseudomorphs, and opal types * Famous and distinctive opals, including weight, origin, date of discovery, and background * An up-to-date survey of major opal fields, plus an alphabetical guide to opal occurrence worldwide * Extensive glossaries of opal types and related terms, plus bibliography, tables, photographs, and more

This nature novel, by following the hatching and lifetime experiences of the last know wild passenger pigeon, chronicles the life, natural history, and ultimate extinction of this species which was once the most abundant bird species in North America. The last wild bird was killed in 1900; the last captive bird died in 1914.

A region of such wealth and beauty as Upper California could not long be hidden from the eyes of restless Americans pressing steadily westward. In 1841 a party of men, women, and children set out from Missouri led by John Bidwell, the prince of California pioneers. Their trip to California across the plains and mountains, as revealed in the journal of their leaders, is a tribute to human courage, endurance, and faith. We knew only, Bidwell wrote, that California lay to the west. The Bidwell pioneers were followed by many other parties, including the Donner-Reed party. Caught in the Sierra Nevada mountains by the icy grip of an early winter, the Donner party built crude shelters and struggled to survive. Soup made of boiled leather and powdered bones became a luxury. Of the 79 persons who started, 34 died before an expedition out of California rescued the survivors. Allan Eckert s new book, Dark Journey, provides an accurate and comprehensive, yet dramatic, picture of the Donner-Reed Wagon Train s grim, harrowing odyssey from Illinois westward to California, beginning in the spring of 1846 and finally mercifully ending in the spring of the following year. It is the result of extended and intensive research through a multitude of original documents and contemporary accounts of this poignant chapter in American history. Dark Journey is fact, not fiction, The incidents described in this work actually occurred; the dates are historically accurate; the characters, regardless of how major or minor, actually lived the roles in which they are herein portrayed. In this volume, certain techniques normally associated with the novel form have been utilized to help provide continuity and narrative flow but never at the expense of historical accuracy. Where dialogue is used, it is actual quoted conversation from historical sources. Otherwise it is reconstructed from historically recorded interchanges between individuals but not written then as dialogue. In other instances, historical fact has been utilized in the form of conversation to maintain dramatic narrative pace but unfailingly in keeping with the character and fundamental perspective of the individual speaking the words.

The Infinite Dream, told with all the historical detail which made Allan W. Eckert famous, explores America's westward expansion beyond the Mississippi River, 1834 - 1848. In this period before the Civil War, restless pioneers were casting eager eyes on the lands between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. In 1821, Missouri had been admitted to the Union—the second state carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. In the 1820s and '30s, pioneers were crossing into the Iowa Territory. To the west, lay the Great Plains. While the vast, almost treeless expanse of the great American desert held little appeal to early settlers, beyond the Rocky Mountains lay the fertile and forested wilderness of the Oregon Territory and California. To the south lay Texas, a rich land sparsely settled by Spaniards and Mexicans. As this book opens, both California and Texas are part of Mexico. John Sutter is trying to obtain Mexican citizenship so he can become a landowner in the California province. The Mormons are facing harsh persecutions in the East. And America is suffering from the sectional tensions arising from conflicting views of states' rights.When the Democratic candidate, James K. Polk, was elected President in 1844, it became clear that the United States would achieve its “Manifest Destiny” to spread and inhabit the western lands.Eckert's historical narrative is written as a great human drama. Diary and journal entries of real people who lived the hardships, war, deprivation, and success of this era salt the pages of this edition, giving faces and feelings to one of our country's grandest historical adventures—the opening of the American west.