Charles McLaughlin, Texian Charge upon the Guards and Victory at Salado (1845)
Reviews of The American Elsewhere
Journal of American History
"Bryan's account of adventurers and adventurelogue is filled with inviting tales and is solidly grounded in the scholarship of history, literary analysis, and anthropology" John G. McCurdy author of Citizen Bachelors: Manhood and the Creation of the United States (2009) and Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution (2019)
"Bryan's account of adventurers and adventurelogue is filled with inviting tales and is solidly grounded in the scholarship of history, literary analysis, and anthropology" John G. McCurdy author of Citizen Bachelors: Manhood and the Creation of the United States (2009) and Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution (2019)
Diplomatic History (pdf)
"Bryan tracks the rise of the adventurer as an ideal type, attributing the appeal of this persona to romanticism . . . . The main payoff from his textual analysis is rich insight into antebellum masculinity. Bryan insightfully tracks 'emotional geographies' (40)." Kristin Hoganson author of Fighting for American Manhood (1998) and Consumers' Imperium (2007)
"Bryan tracks the rise of the adventurer as an ideal type, attributing the appeal of this persona to romanticism . . . . The main payoff from his textual analysis is rich insight into antebellum masculinity. Bryan insightfully tracks 'emotional geographies' (40)." Kristin Hoganson author of Fighting for American Manhood (1998) and Consumers' Imperium (2007)
Pacific Northwest Quarterly
"One of the strongest parts of Bryan's work is the way that he recasts the performative aspect of these men's identities . . . . Bryan's major insight about the nature of romantic ideals, the importance of these ideals to western adventurers, and popular conceptions of the mythic West builds upon a number of important works about the American West and identity . . . . [Bryan] has made a compelling case that we need to pay close attention to the sighs, moans, tears, and yells of the 'reckless generation.' Scholars of the American West, gender historians, and historians of the 19th century will find The American Elsewhere to be an informative and compelling perspective on the settlement of the American West." Chris Herbert author of Gold Rush Manliness (2018)
"One of the strongest parts of Bryan's work is the way that he recasts the performative aspect of these men's identities . . . . Bryan's major insight about the nature of romantic ideals, the importance of these ideals to western adventurers, and popular conceptions of the mythic West builds upon a number of important works about the American West and identity . . . . [Bryan] has made a compelling case that we need to pay close attention to the sighs, moans, tears, and yells of the 'reckless generation.' Scholars of the American West, gender historians, and historians of the 19th century will find The American Elsewhere to be an informative and compelling perspective on the settlement of the American West." Chris Herbert author of Gold Rush Manliness (2018)
The Journal of Arizona History (pdf)
"The American Elsewhere . . . demonstrates that masculinity, romanticism, and adventurism were malleable constructs that were consciously negotiated and remade over the course of the nineteenth century to prepare the way for the growth of the American empire . . . . Bryan's argument is forceful, persuasive, and buttressed by impeccable research." Daniel J. Burge, University of Alabama
"The American Elsewhere . . . demonstrates that masculinity, romanticism, and adventurism were malleable constructs that were consciously negotiated and remade over the course of the nineteenth century to prepare the way for the growth of the American empire . . . . Bryan's argument is forceful, persuasive, and buttressed by impeccable research." Daniel J. Burge, University of Alabama
Kansas History
"Bryan's remarkable collection of sources convincingly captures a cultural moment . . . . Bryan moves about in the worlds of art and poetry and even delightfully uses a contemporary book review. One realizes that the adventurer had to cut his way through a crowded marketplace, as Bryan had to reconnoiter a vast amount of secondary literature." Meg Frisbee author of Counterpunch: The Cultural Battles of Heavyweight Prizefighting in the American West (2016)
"Bryan's remarkable collection of sources convincingly captures a cultural moment . . . . Bryan moves about in the worlds of art and poetry and even delightfully uses a contemporary book review. One realizes that the adventurer had to cut his way through a crowded marketplace, as Bryan had to reconnoiter a vast amount of secondary literature." Meg Frisbee author of Counterpunch: The Cultural Battles of Heavyweight Prizefighting in the American West (2016)
The Chronicles of Oklahoma
"Adventurers with a literary bent spawned a whole new genre in the adventurelogue, and they contributed to the belief that Americans were uniquely suited, maybe even predestined, to remake the nation in their image . . . . Readers might be surprised by Bryan's extraordinary insights." Michael J. Hightower author of 1889: The Boomer Movement, The Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City (2018)
"Adventurers with a literary bent spawned a whole new genre in the adventurelogue, and they contributed to the belief that Americans were uniquely suited, maybe even predestined, to remake the nation in their image . . . . Readers might be surprised by Bryan's extraordinary insights." Michael J. Hightower author of 1889: The Boomer Movement, The Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City (2018)
Civil War Book Review (link)
"Taking aim at men who ventured west from the War of 1812 to the Mexican War, and then wrote about their experiences, Jimmy Bryan uncovers a world of romance and sentiment seemingly at odds with the rough and tumble world these men explored. The contrast, however, makes sense in the context of the “elsewhere,” and it’s here that Bryan’s analysis of adventuring men in the first half of the 19th century shines." Adam Pratt, University of Scranton
"Taking aim at men who ventured west from the War of 1812 to the Mexican War, and then wrote about their experiences, Jimmy Bryan uncovers a world of romance and sentiment seemingly at odds with the rough and tumble world these men explored. The contrast, however, makes sense in the context of the “elsewhere,” and it’s here that Bryan’s analysis of adventuring men in the first half of the 19th century shines." Adam Pratt, University of Scranton
Cleveland Review of Books (link)
"By embodying American exceptionalism, adventurers had themselves become exceptions to the American standard and were therefore free from criticism or tether. Such anonymity and freedom from the constraints of American society further encouraged adventurers to indiscriminately kill natives and openly lust after young native boys and girls. Bryan vilifies the “devout narcissist” adventurers—and the readers who adored them back home—for the ease with which the adventurer slaughtered Native American and Mexican peoples and appropriated their cultures. The strength of Bryan’s argument is in its cohesiveness. He examines the adventurelogue with skill and constancy such that he successfully portrays the seeming incongruity of Romanticism and martial violence." Carly Marze, University of Nebraska-Kearney
"By embodying American exceptionalism, adventurers had themselves become exceptions to the American standard and were therefore free from criticism or tether. Such anonymity and freedom from the constraints of American society further encouraged adventurers to indiscriminately kill natives and openly lust after young native boys and girls. Bryan vilifies the “devout narcissist” adventurers—and the readers who adored them back home—for the ease with which the adventurer slaughtered Native American and Mexican peoples and appropriated their cultures. The strength of Bryan’s argument is in its cohesiveness. He examines the adventurelogue with skill and constancy such that he successfully portrays the seeming incongruity of Romanticism and martial violence." Carly Marze, University of Nebraska-Kearney
The Journal of Popular Culture (pdf)
"The scope and breadth of Bryan's work is both academically rigorous and accessible. Peppered throughout are excerpts from a variety of travelogues and adventure novels." Nathan Pavalko, Pellissippi State Community College
"The scope and breadth of Bryan's work is both academically rigorous and accessible. Peppered throughout are excerpts from a variety of travelogues and adventure novels." Nathan Pavalko, Pellissippi State Community College
Great Plains Quarterly
"The American Elsewhere . . . is a fascinating and tirelessly researched examination of the adventurer's construction of American masculinity and exceptionalism." Cory Willard, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
"The American Elsewhere . . . is a fascinating and tirelessly researched examination of the adventurer's construction of American masculinity and exceptionalism." Cory Willard, University of Nebraska-Lincoln