The University of Nebraska Press’s “Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion” was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist.
The book, written by Elliott West, was a finalist in the History category.
West’s book presents a sweeping history of the American West and its vital role in the transformation of the nation, focusing on the period between the 1840s and 1870s, when the region underwent tremendous cultural and infrastructural changes. These factors influenced migration and settlement in the U.S. and helped redefine the relationships between government, industry and citizens. However, Elliot argues, the American West’s historical significance is often overshadowed by the Civil War and Reconstruction, even though happenings in the West impacted those events as well.
West, Alumni Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Arkansas, is considered one of the best historians and writers of the American West by his peers. His Nebraska Press-published book received Columbia University’s 2024 Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy – the third book in the Press’s history to receive the honor – and was a Spur Award Winner, a designation of the Western Writers of America.