12. Robert R. Morgan, English
Robert Morgan
Boone: A Biography (Algonquin, 2007). In this expansive biography of Daniel Boone, Morgan separates myth from reality and explores the real man behind the legends. Boone exemplified the visionary spirit of his time. Hunter, explorer, politician, speculator—he was a trailblazer, a revolutionary, and an American icon for more than two hundred years. Born in 1734, Boone served in the Virginia legislature, participated in the settling of the Middle West, fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, and witnessed the election of his friend as first president of the United States, the Louisiana Purchase, and the beginning of westward expansion. Unlike many others of his time, he had a deep respect for the Indians, who taught him how to hunt, navigate, and survive in the wilderness he came to revere. In telling Boone’s story, Morgan tells the story of early America—its ideals, its promise, its romance, and its destiny.