Kansas: A Land of Contrasts

By Robert W. Richmond

Book Overview

Now in its fourth edition, the singular text of Kansas history for the last twenty-four years, Dr. Robert W. Richmond's Kansas: A Land of Contrast remains the classic survey of the Kansas story. The political and economic aspects of the state's development are fully covered, but in this latest revision there is a greater emphasis on social history, with artists, writers, and athletes sharing the stage with politicians, industrialists, and explorers. As in previous editions, Richmond includes ample quotations from documents of the period to convey a first-hand impression of the times. These colorful and often humorous anecdotes pepper the text with distinctive detail and make it a true pleasure to read. The bibliographic readings at the end of each chapter have been extensively updated. The text is also profusely illustrated, with many images new to this edition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882959492
• ISBN13: 9780882959498
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Length: 366 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Glad to See It Back

In five simple words, glad to see it back (okay, IN PRINT). This was one of the first general volumes on Kansas history that I had the pleasure to read. It flows quite well and spurs readers to pursue further research on various topics. It is primarily chronological, spanning the prehistory period thru the present. Kansas has had a rich and multi-layered history, so no real topic gets more attention than another, so it is primarily an excellent resource tool to get one's feet wet regarding various topics. The chapter on Bleeding Kansas on the Civil War were quite useful. Richmond is a scholar on this Kansas time period, and the chapter is excellent in dispelling myths and providing information on both sides of the slavery issue. Also enjoyed the chapter on late nineteenth century Kansas development, taming of Western Kansas, etc. After noticing this book for sale, I went back and reread several chapters of this book, which goes back to the 1970's. Richmond's charming writing style accomplishes what it should accomplish: popularizes a subject relatively few readers want to go on their own...and actually makes the reading go fast and enjoyable.