Describes the journeys west made by many settlers in the mid-1800s--mostly overland, but also by sea--discussing their reasons for going, the difficulties they faced, and life on the way.
Explores the phenomenon of the California Gold Rush, including information about the routes to California taken by hopeful miners and the fate of John Sutter, owner of the land on which gold was first discovered.
From D.W. Griffith's The birth of a Nation in 1915 to such productions as M*A*S*H and An officer and a gentleman, the author, a World War II veteran, presents script and illustrations of war in the movies.