Washington Irving’s Astoria chronicles the ambitious early nineteenth-century enterprise of John Jacob Astor to establish a global fur-trading empire at the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River in present-day Oregon. The sweeping narrative maps the grueling overland journey of the Astorians as they navigated the unforgiving topography of the inland Pacific Northwest, struggling through the deep gorges and rapids of the Snake River across what is now southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Simultaneously, the book traces the maritime arm of the expedition, detailing the perilous coastal navigation from the Columbia's notoriously violent sandbar north to the rugged, forested shores of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. By documenting the brutal environmental realities of these coastal inlets and arid interior plateaus, Irving vividly captures the severe geographic challenges that defined the earliest commercial settlement of the Pacific Northwest.

467 pages illustrations

Washington Irving's 'Astoria' chronicles the story of John Jacob Astor's ambitious attempt to establish a trading post on the Columbia River in Oregon in 1810. Irving narrates the adventurous spirit of the pioneers, their encounters with native tribes, and the legacy they left behind. It is a gripping tale of exploration and enterprise, ideal for readers of adventure and history.

xvi, 336 pages ; 22 cm