Forays and Rebuttals

Forays and Rebuttals collects essays by Bernard DeVoto that examine American history, conservation, and literary criticism in the mid-20th century. The book displays DeVoto's work from his time as a columnist for Harper's Magazine, where he wrote the influential "Easy Chair" series. The essays tackle issues like public land use, Western expansion, and Cold War politics through both historical analysis and contemporary commentary. DeVoto's background as a historian and his passion for the American West inform his perspective on resource management and federal policy. These pieces represent DeVoto at his most combative, taking on what he viewed as threats to democracy and the public good. His coverage spans from local conservation battles to national political movements, building detailed arguments through historical context and sharp rhetoric. The collection demonstrates how environmental concerns intersect with questions of American identity and democratic values. Through these essays, DeVoto positions conservation as inseparable from larger debates about power, progress, and the role of government in American life.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Bernard DeVoto's overall work: Readers appreciate DeVoto's detailed research and his ability to capture the scope of Western American history, particularly in "The Year of Decision: 1846" and "Across the Wide Missouri." Multiple reviews note his thorough documentation and vivid descriptions of frontier life. Common criticisms include his dense writing style and tendency toward lengthy tangents. On Goodreads, several readers mention struggling with the pacing, with one noting "he takes 3 pages to say what could be said in 3 paragraphs." Readers value his wit and sharp commentary in works like "The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto," though some find his strong opinions off-putting. Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: - The Year of Decision: 1846 - 4.0/5 (238 ratings) - Across the Wide Missouri - 4.1/5 (196 ratings) - The Hour - 4.2/5 (412 ratings) Amazon: - The Year of Decision: 1846 - 4.5/5 (89 reviews) - Across the Wide Missouri - 4.3/5 (42 reviews)

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🔖 Bernard DeVoto won the Pulitzer Prize for "Across the Wide Missouri" in 1948, just a few years before publishing "Forays and Rebuttals" in 1936. 🌲 The book passionately defends conservation of public lands in the American West, a cause DeVoto championed throughout his career as both a historian and journalist. 📚 DeVoto wrote a long-running column called "The Easy Chair" for Harper's Magazine for over 20 years, and many essays from "Forays and Rebuttals" originated there. 🎓 Though he became known as a voice of the American West, DeVoto taught at Harvard University and spent most of his adult life in New England. 🖋️ The essays in this collection showcase DeVoto's famously acerbic wit and his willingness to engage in literary feuds, including his notorious criticism of modernist writers like Ezra Pound.