Notes Concerning the Author.
Ray Allen Billington (1903 – 1981) was an American historian born in Bay City, Michigan. He studied at the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin (PhD, 1926) and Harvard University (PhD, 1933). He taught at several universities before retiring in 1964. He married Mabel R. Crotty; they had two children. Although not of the Southern culture, his history was reasonably balanced.
The Ray Allen Billington Prize is given biennially by the Organization of American Historians for the best book in American frontier history.
Abstract.
Ray Billington’s Westward Expansion was a text long used in what the Society feels is the now banished field of Western History. It is good and pretty comprehensive from the early 1600’s to the early 1900’s. It is sad that this important aspect of American history has lost favor in our educational establishment. But, contrary to other historians, the Society encourages attentive study of this aspect of American history. We especially suggest it for bright youth who are home schooled.
Availability of this Book.
Books removed from libraries are readily available on-line as used books. Suggest Amazon and AbeBooks. An abridged version was published in recent years, but one fears the best parts were removed from the text in an attempt to be more politically correct.
CNW and HRW