Centennial - by James A Michener (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: Random House, 1974.

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener's magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America's past, the story of Colorado--the Centennial State--is manifested through its people: Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chieftain and warrior, and his Comanche and Pawnee enemies; Levi Zendt, fleeing with his child bride from the Amish country; the cowboy, Jim Lloyd, who falls in love with a wealthy and cultured Englishwoman, Charlotte Seccombe. In Centennial, trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters are brought together in the dramatic conflicts that shape the destiny of the legendary West--and the entire country.

Praise for Centennial

"A hell of a book . . . While he fascinates and engrosses, Michener also educates."--Los Angeles Times

"An engrossing book . . . imaginative and intricate . . . teeming with people and giving a marvelous sense of the land."--The Plain Dealer

"Michener is America's best writer, and he proves it once again in Centennial. . . . If you're a Michener fan, this book is a must. And if you're not a Michener fan, Centennial will make you one."--The Pittsburgh Press

"An absorbing work . . . Michener is a superb storyteller."--BusinessWeek

Review Quotes

"A hell of a book . . . While he fascinates and engrosses, Michener also educates."--Los Angeles Times

"An engrossing book . . . imaginative and intricate . . . teeming with people and giving a marvelous sense of the land."--The Plain Dealer

"Michener is America's best writer, and he proves it once again in Centennial. . . . If you're a Michener fan, this book is a must. And if you're not a Michener fan, Centennial will make you one."--The Pittsburgh Press

"An absorbing work . . . Michener is a superb storyteller."--BusinessWeek

About the Author

James A. Michener was one of the world's most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific, the bestselling novels The Source, Hawaii, Alaska, Chesapeake, Centennial, Texas, Caribbean, and Caravans, and the memoir The World Is My Home. Michener served on the advisory council to NASA and the International Broadcast Board, which oversees the Voice of America. Among dozens of awards and honors, he received America's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1977, and an award from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1983 for his commitment to art in America. Michener died in 1997 at the age of ninety.