Skip to content

Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance Paperback - 1997

by Jonathan Raban

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, "Bad Land" recounts the exploits of the many homesteaders who came to the prairies of eastern Montana in 1909, drawn by the promise of free land--only to be defeated by a country so arid and unforgiving that maps identified it as the Great American Desert. "A stunning triumph".--"Newsday". 2 maps.


From the publisher

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER - Startlingly observed, beautifully written, this book is a contemporary classic of the American West. - "As good a book as I have read about rural America in a very long time." --The New York Times Book Review

In 1909 maps still identified eastern Montana as the Great American Desert. But in that year Congress, lobbied heavily by railroad companies, offered 320-acre tracts of land to anyone bold or foolish enough to stake a claim to them. Drawn by shamelessly inventive brochures, countless homesteaders--many of them immigrants--went west to make their fortunes. Most failed. In Bad Land, Jonathan Raban travels through the unforgiving country that was the scene of their dreams and undoing, and makes their story come miraculously alive. In towns named Terry, Calypso, and Ismay (which changed its name to Joe, Montana, in an effort to attract football fans), and in the landscape in between, Raban unearths a vanished episode of American history, with its own ruins, its own heroes and heroines, its own hopeful myths and bitter memories.

From the jacket flap

A New York Times Editors' Choice for Book of the Year
Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers AwardWinner of the PEN West Creative Nonfiction Award

"No one has evoked with greater power the marriage of land and sky that gives this country both its beauty and its terror. "
--Washington Post Book World In 1909 maps still identified eastern Montana as the Great American Desert. But in that year Congress, lobbied heavily by railroad companies, offered 320-acre tracts of land to anyone bold or foolish enough to stake a claim to them. Drawn by shamelessly inventive brochures, countless homesteaders--many of them immigrants--went west to make their fortunes. Most failed. In Bad Land, Jonathan Raban travels through the unforgiving country that was the scene of their dreams and undoing, and makes their story come miraculously alive.
In towns named Terry, Calypso, and Ismay (which changed its name to Joe, Montana, in an effort to attract football fans), and in the landscape in between, Raban unearths a vanished episode of American history, with its own ruins, its own heroes and heroines, its own hopeful myths and bitter memories. Startlingly observed, beautifully written, this book is a contemporary classic of the American West. "Exceptional. . . . A beautifully told historical meditation. "
--Time "Championship prose. . . . In fifty years don't be surprised if Bad Land is a landmark."
--Los Angeles Times

Details

  • Title Bad Land: An American Romance
  • Author Jonathan Raban
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 364
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Vintage, New York
  • Date 1997-10-07
  • ISBN 9780679759065 / 0679759069
  • Weight 0.69 lbs (0.31 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.94 x 5.26 x 0.98 in (20.17 x 13.36 x 2.49 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 19th Century
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Cultural Region: Midwest
    • Cultural Region: Pacific Northwest
    • Cultural Region: Plains
    • Cultural Region: Western U.S.
  • Library of Congress subjects Frontier and pioneer life - West (U.S.), West (U.S.) - Description and travel
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 96013432
  • Dewey Decimal Code 978

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times, 11/30/1997, Page 32
  • NY Times Notable Bks of Year, 01/01/1997, Page 96
  • Publishers Weekly, 09/08/1997, Page 0

About the author

JONATHAN RABAN is the author of the novels Surveillance and Waxwings; his nonfiction works include Passage to Juneau, Bad Land, and Driving Home. His honors include the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/West Creative Nonfiction Award, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award, and the Governor's Award of the State of Washington. He died in 2023.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Jonathan Raban

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - GOOD
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
17
Seller
Toledo, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$1.99
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage. Paperback. GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.
Item Price
$1.99
$3.00 shipping to USA
Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Fulton, Missouri, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.99
$4.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage. PAPERBACK. 0679759069 Softcover has light edgewear and a small cover bend. . Good.
Item Price
$2.99
$4.99 shipping to USA
Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Like New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$3.32
$3.50 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997-10-06. paperback. Like New. 5x0x8.
Item Price
$3.32
$3.50 shipping to USA
Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Kingwood, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage, 1997-10-07. Paperback. Good. 5x0x8.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA
Bad Land: An American Romance

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.99
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage, 1997. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$5.99
FREE shipping to USA
Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.15
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
$6.15
FREE shipping to USA
Bad Land: An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land: An American Romance

by Jonathan Raban

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.83
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage, 1997-10-07. Paperback. Good.
Item Price
$6.83
FREE shipping to USA
Bad Land : An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land : An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.09
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.09
FREE shipping to USA
Bad Land : An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land : An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.21
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.21
FREE shipping to USA
Bad Land : An American Romance
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bad Land : An American Romance

by Raban, Jonathan

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780679759065
ISBN 10
0679759069
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.58
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.58
FREE shipping to USA