One man’s ambitious journey into the heart of California’s gold country becomes a pursuit for limitless wealth in the face of devastating ruinAt the height of California’s Gold Rush, men left everything behind for the chance at striking it rich. Now, some thirty years after its peak, gold fever still entices adventurous Easterners like James Macklin Chance to the western frontier. A wanderer and a nobody, James is drawn to California by the dream of lasting wealth—...

The first volume in the addictive saga of the American Revolution by the #1 New York Times –bestselling author of the North and South trilogy.Meet Phillipe Charboneau: the illegitimate son and unrecognized heir of the Duke of Kentland. Upon the Duke's death, Phillipe is denied his birthright and left to build a life of his own. Seeking all that the New World promises, he leaves London for America, shedding his past and pr...

The first volume of John Jakes’s acclaimed and sweeping saga about a friendship threatened by the divisions of the Civil WarIn the years leading up to the Civil War, one enduring friendship embodies the tensions of a nation. Orry Main from South Carolina and George Hazard from Pennsylvania forge a lasting bond while training at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Together they fight in the Mexican-American War, but their closeness is tested as their r...

A monumental American novel about one man’s rise from life as a penniless immigrant to the head of a family empireIn the tradition of great writers like Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck, John Jakes crafts a sweeping family drama. In late-nineteenth-century Chicago, the tragedies and triumphs of the Crowns illustrate the power of the American Dream. As immigrants to America, their turbulent story spans a decade marked by the vicious Pullman Strike, the birth of mo...

Two families are united—and torn apart—by the Civil War in these three dramatic novels by the #1 New York Times –bestselling master of the historical epic.North and SouthIn the years leading up to the Civil War, one enduring friendship embodies the tensions of a nation. Orry Main from South Carolina and George Hazard from Pennsylvania forge a lasting bond while training at the United States Military Acade...

A family builds its empire in books four through six of an American historical epic from the #1 New York Times –bestselling author of North and South .This multigenerational saga follows the Kent family in their pursuit of a better future in the expanding United States amid deceit, passion, and violence. From the brutal Battle of the Alamo to the bloody Civil War, their fate is ...

The brilliant collection of short stories about the American West by author John Jakes, hailed by Patricia Cornwell as “the best historical novelist of our time”The Bold Frontier collects bestselling author John Jakes’s timeless stories about the untamed American West. Jakes thrillingly portrays the harsh realities of life on the frontier with tales of lawmen in the Sierra Nevada, railroad workers in Kansas, and gamblers on the steamboat River Queen

The rousing Kent family saga continues as Philip Kent fights for his new country alongside the greatest figures of the Revolutionary WarThe engrossing follow-up to The Bastard finds Philip Kent standing as a Continental solider at the Battle of Bunker Hill. In a bold move, Kent has taken up arms for the future of his new family. Spirited and unwavering in his dedication to his adopted homeland, Kent fights in the most violent battles in America’s early his...

Against the backdrop of the harsh and unforgiving American frontier, Abraham Kent seeks to build a life and identity of his ownContinuing the saga of the Kent family, John Jakes turns his masterful eye to the settlement of the untamed American West. Abraham Kent, the son of Philip Kent and Anne Ware, fought valiantly on the frontier, only to return home to Boston and a life he doesn’t want. Determined not to live in his father’s shadow, Abraham and his young bride ...

The first three novels in an American epic from the #1 New York Times –bestselling author, "the godfather of historical novelists" ( Los Angeles Times ).This multigenerational saga follows the Kent family and their pursuit of a foothold and future in the expanding United States. From the family's initial journey traveling to America's shore to their voyage to the Western frontier...

In a flourishing post–Civil War America, the Kent family seizes good fortune again—until all is suddenly threatened by one woman’s returnThe penultimate volume in John Jakes’s stirring Kent Family Chronicles finds America booming in its postwar prosperity. With this newly secured peace comes an opportunity for the Kent family to reconcile and to thrive, both personally and financially. Gideon Kent takes up his father’s vow to reunite the family, but when he brings ...

This addictive John Jakes adventure blends the Kents’ ruthless push for an empire with murderous betrayal and the Civil War’s life-altering culminationWith the Civil War reaching its gory climax, the divided Kent family is pushed to the edge of complete destruction. With the advent of the transcontinental Union Pacific Railroad, the Kents continue to fight for their foothold among America’s wealthy founding families. While their private, insular war rages, young Je...