Morning of fire : John Kendrick's daring American odyssey in the Pacific / Scott Ridley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ridley, Scott.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kendrick, John, approximately 1740-1794--Travel--Northwest Coast of North America.

Kendrick, John.

Kendrick, John, approximately 1740-1794.

Voyages to the Pacific coast.

Explorers--United States--Biography.

Explorers.

Relations.

Fur trade.

History.

Travel.

United States.

Spain.

Northwest Coast of North America--Description and travel.

Northwest Coast of North America.

Northwest, Pacific--Description and travel.

Northwest, Pacific.

Fur trade--Northwest, Pacific--History--18th century.

United States--Relations--Spain.

Spain--Relations--United States.

United States--Relations--Great Britain.

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Relations--United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 452 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : William Morrow, [2010]

Summary:

Four years after the Revolutionary War, America's independence was still in doubt. The new nation needed money and a vital surge in trade. In 1787, a group of Boston merchants decided to send two ships on a desperate mission around Cape Horn and into the Pacific Ocean, to establish new trade with China, settle an outpost on territory claimed by the Spanish, and find the legendary Northwest Passage. The seven-year adventure, known as the Columbia Expedition, would bring the world to the brink of war. The man chosen to lead the expedition was John Kendrick--a master navigator and a charismatic captain of privateers during the Revolution. On the far side of the world, Kendrick would have to rely on his bravery, his charm, and his remarkable resolve to navigate unknown waters, negotiate with cutthroat imperialists from England and Spain, and form alliances with natives hit hard by early encounters with Europeans.--From publisher description.

Contents:

Prologue: Morning of fire

pt. I. The journey outward. Out of a time of great peril

Passage to the underworld

Spain's frontier

Refuge

Halting the incursion

pt. II. Infinite wilderness. Nootka

Seizure

The golden fleece

Divided dreams

A place of skulls

pt. III. Odyssey. Volatile paradise

House of cards

Columbia's homecoming

An American presence

Long-awaited return

pt. IV. Edge of empire. A soft war

Survival and seduction

A rising tide

Possession

Last season

The fire's reach

Epilogue: Legacy for a new nation.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [377]-444) and index.

ISBN:

9780061700125

0061700126

9780061700194

0061700193

OCLC:

548626454