American Century

The westward movement of Americans in the 19th century was one of the largest and most consequential migrations in history, and among the paths that blazed west, the California Trail was one of the most well-known. The trail was not a single road but a network of paths that began at several “jumping off” points.

Among all the various figures in 19th century America who left controversial legacies, it is hard to find one as influential as Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Mormonism, and the Latter-Day Saint movement. Revered as a prophet on the level of Moses by some, reviled as a perpetrator of large-scale fraud by others, what everyone can agree on is that Joseph Smith founded a religious movement that played a crucial role in the settlement of the West, especially in Utah.

A thrilling Western novel set in the lawless American West during the late 19th century. In "Love and Gunfire," the windswept plains hide dark secrets, and every shadow tells a story of betrayal and vengeance. Cleo Matthew, a haunted drifter, finds himself face-to-face with his past when he discovers that Seamus, the man responsible for the downfall of his crew, is on board the same freight train. As tensions rise and old wounds are reopened, the stage is set for a brutal confrontation that will echo through the annals of their tragic histories. Cleo’s memories of glory and loss are ...

Our fairy tales come to us from the old world. It's about time some came from America. Here are some American made fairy tales.

LOVE, AMBITION & SCANDAL COLLIDE AT THE 1893 CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR Dora Chambers may be the newest Lady Manager at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, but it isn't quite the plum position she expected. Instead of afternoon teas and fancy dinner parties, she finds herself on the dusty Midway Plaisance, tasked with overseeing the Egyptian dancers whose shimmies and scant costumes are stirring up a scandal. Fueled by the Fair's progressive spirit and heady enthusiasm, Dora rises above her disappointment and embraces a determination to fulfill her duty and aid her husband's social ambition. But as ...

Welcome back to Mill Ridge for a special holiday treat! A woman hiding her beauty - An ex-ranger hiding his flaws - Can these two misfits find the spirit of Christmas this holiday or will they run in the opposite direction? Erin Steel knows the people of Mill Ridge can't stand her and she's not complaining. As the former representative from the Teachers Association, she knows moving to Mill Ridge will enable her to live her life in solitude. Hiding her beauty is one thing, but when a man with an eye patch draws her out of her shell, she is determined to avoid him at all costs. Former Texas ...

A USO singer, a sailor and a whirlwind WWII romance Suzy arrived in New York City in January 1944 with starry-eyed hopes and dreams for stardom. That all changed when she locked glances from her USO stage with a charming red-haired sailor with sapphire eyes. From then on her world turned topsy-turvy and back with an enchanting, all-consuming wartime romance to beat the band. With WWII raging, the fifteen-month whirlwind journey pushes and pulls her from boundless romantic glee and excitement to the farthest depths of utter loneliness and tear-jerking sadness. Can heart-warming true love ...

An exposed family secret changed her life forever and blindsided his Marine heart. From the day Hannah was abandoned as a newborn, her adoptive parents have kept the truth of her origin from her and her siblings. But when that secret is exposed, a threat arises which forces her to leave the only family she’s ever known and the adoptive brother she adores. She must start her life anew in Charleston. U.S. Marine Lieutenant Adam White, harbors a secret—more confidential than patrolling the Caribbean for French corsairs, more threatening than the fight against Barbary pirates in the ...

Love and the Working Class is a unique look at the emotions of hard-living, nineteenth-century Americans who were often on the cusp of literacy. These laboring folk highly valued letters and, however difficult it was, wrote to stay connected to those they loved. This book displays the personal expression of factory hands, manual laborers, peddlers, coopers, carpenters, lumbermen, miners, tanners, haulers, tailors, seamstresses, laundresses, domestics, sharecroppers, independent farmers, and common soldiers and their wives.

A historical adventure book set in the American wilderness during the early 19th century. This gripping narrative captures the triumphs and tribulations of early American explorers. "Frontier Footsteps" unfolds the awe-inspiring journeys of Lieutenant Pike and Governor Cass as they traverse the unexplored American wilderness in the early 1800s. From the icy treachery of the Mississippi River to the dense, enigmatic forests of the Chippewa territory, this book vividly recounts the relentless pursuit of knowledge and discovery. Join these intrepid explorers as they map uncharted territories, ...

Cindy Bonner knows that the most powerful love stories are those told straight from the heart of the lover. In Looking After Lily, the lover is a young Texas outlaw, trying to reform. Haywood Beatty and his brother Marion have survived the famous Christmas 1883 shootout between the Beatty Gang and the McDade vigilantes. Both Beattys are jailed in Bastrop where Lily, Marion’s very pregnant young wife, waits for the outcome of their trials. Haywood gets sprung, but Marion is sentenced to two years hard labor. And before Haywood leaves the jail, Marion exacts his promise to take care of Lily...

Once again on the American side of the Atlantic talent pours forth from the pens of these literary women. Even to choose a mere ten seems to be a choice too difficult to make. Society may hold women back but these writers are equal to the challenge and overcome its boundaries with superbly written stories that are a beacon for all others who follow.

Missionary Diplomacy illuminates the crucial place of religion in nineteenth-century American diplomacy. From the 1810s through the 1920s, Protestant missionaries positioned themselves as key experts in the development of American relations in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, and the Middle East. Missionaries served as consuls, translators, and occasional trouble-makers who forced the State Department to take actions it otherwise would have avoided. Yet as decades passed, more Americans began to question the propriety of missionaries' power.

Mario Puzo first answered the question 'What is a family?' with the creation of the Corleones in his landmark best seller The Godfather. Now, 30 years later, Puzo enriches us all with his ultimate vision of the subject: the story of the greatest crime family in Italian history, the Borgias.

In the early spring morning light, shortly after seven o’clock, the body looked like a pile of debris covered by brown and black leaves left over from the previous autumn. A decorated war hero with severe amnesia sustained twelve years before, Clifford Dumont has remained lost in the middle of his life until unexpected events challenge him to confront his suppressed fears and the black wall of his past. When he finds the dead body of his co-worker, Jean-Paul, at a national historical battlefield, Clifford is jarred out of his day-to-day routines. His complacency is further challenged by ...

Barbara Kreiger's intriguing narrative presents the account of Clorinda Minor, a charismatic American Christian woman whose belief in the second coming prompted her to leave a comfortable life in Philadelphia in 1851 and take up agriculture in Palestine.

She’s a debutante with broken dreams…He’s a preacher with an unsavory past…Both want to bury their secrets… Charles Bailey’s life has done a complete turnaround. He may still be a logging crew foreman, and he may still have a past that would make a godly man weep, but he’s also a man with a changed heart and a mission to serve as pastor to a small logging community. If only walking the narrow path weren’t so difficult. The last thing he needs is the temptation of the vulnerable—and beautiful—new cook’s assistant. It’s clear she needs a friend, but anything more than ...

The Great Depression and Broadway: Finding Light in the Darkest Hours By Richard Fleischman Step into the heart of Broadway during one of the most challenging eras in American history. In The Great Depression and Broadway: Finding Light in the Darkest Hours, Richard Fleischman takes you on an unforgettable journey through the iconic musicals that lifted the spirits of a nation struggling to survive. From the glitzy lights of Radio City Music Hall to the stage of the Great White Way, Broadway became a sanctuary of optimism, providing both a temporary escape and a lasting sense of hope. This ...

Can the perfect picture reveal the truth before it’s too late? Photographer Amelia Harris has had enough of her aunts' meddling matchmaking. So when The Photographic Times commissions her to spend the summer on Mobile Bay taking portraits of the elite and capturing nature for penny postcards, Amelia happily accepts. But this job is not as simple as it appears, and Amelia must defend against naysayers if she’s to ever gain respect in a man's world. And that doesn't leave any room for romance. Point Clear Resort General Manager Titus Overton never wanted the position he inherited when his...

After freeing himself from his former slave masters, Riel becomes a pirate after striking a deal with the infamous Captain Glass. In exchange for learning English, how to sail, and how to be a fearsome pirate, Riel will give Captain Glass seventy percent of his bounty for five years. Five years later, Captain Glass is unwilling to release Riel from his debt. Under threat of being resold as a slave, Riel feels trapped in a life he doesn’t want. Darlene Smith has always been a tomboy. She favors trousers and swords over dresses and knitting. Wanting her to act like the high class lady she ...