Explore the latest books of this year!
Bookbot

James A. Michener

    February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997

    James Michener is celebrated for his expansive, multi-generational historical sagas, often centered on and named after specific geographical regions. His narrative approach delves deeply into the history and culture of these locales, bringing the past to life through meticulously researched detail. Michener's work offers readers epic explorations of human experience against rich, immersive backdrops.

    James A. Michener
    Alaska
    Hawaii
    Centennial
    The Fires of Spring
    Philadelphia & Its Countryside
    The Source
    • The Source

      • 1032 pages
      • 37 hours of reading
      4.3(39945)Add rating

      In the grand storytelling style that is his signature, James Michener sweeps us back through time to the very beginnings of the Jewish faith, thousands of years ago. Through the predecessors of four modern men and women, we experience the entire colorful history of the Jews, including the life of the early Hebrews and their persecutions, the impact of Christianity, the Crusades, and the Spanish Inquisition, all the way to the founding of present-day Israel and the Middle-East conflict. "A sweeping chronology filled with excitement." THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

      The Source
    • The Fires of Spring

      • 446 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      A story by the author of novels such as Space, Hawaii, Texas and Centennial.

      The Fires of Spring
    • Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener’s magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story of Colorado—the Centennial State—is manifested through its people: Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chieftain and warrior, and his Comanche and Pawnee enemies; Levi Zendt, fleeing with his child bride from the Amish country; the cowboy, Jim Lloyd, who falls in love with a wealthy and cultured Englishwoman, Charlotte Seccombe. In Centennial, trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters are brought together in the dramatic conflicts that shape the destiny of the legendary West—and the entire country.   Praise for Centennial   “A hell of a book . . . While he fascinates and engrosses, Michener also educates.”—Los Angeles Times   “An engrossing book . . . imaginative and intricate . . . teeming with people and giving a marvelous sense of the land.”—The Plain Dealer   “Michener is America’s best writer, and he proves it once again in Centennial. . . . If you’re a Michener fan, this book is a must. And if you’re not a Michener fan, Centennial will make you one.”—The Pittsburgh Press   “An absorbing work . . . Michener is a superb storyteller.”—BusinessWeek

      Centennial
    • Hawaii's prehistory and history appears through the eyes of its natives, missionaries and Asians who came to influence it.

      Hawaii
    • Alaska

      • 1088 pages
      • 39 hours of reading
      4.2(282)Add rating

      Describes the lives and struggles of humans and animals in Alaskan prehistory and then leaps into the eighteenth century where the historical high points are vividly portrayed.

      Alaska
    • Young and innocent, they came to a place they had barely heard of, prepared for war. They were American fighter pilots, trained but frightened, facing an an enemy they couldn't understand, and waging a war they had to win....

      The Bridges at Toko-Ri
    • Texas

      • 1322 pages
      • 47 hours of reading
      4.1(16963)Add rating

      This saga of Texas history spans four and a half centuries, beginning in the early 1500s and ending in the present.

      Texas
    • In this classic novel, James A. Michener brings his grand epic tradition to bear on the four-hundred-year saga of America’s Eastern Shore, from its Native American roots to the modern age. In the early 1600s, young Edmund Steed is desperate to escape religious persecution in England. After joining Captain John Smith on a harrowing journey across the Atlantic, Steed makes a life for himself in the New World, establishing a remarkable dynasty that parallels the emergence of America. Through the extraordinary tale of one man’s dream, Michener tells intertwining stories of family and national heritage, introducing us along the way to Quakers, pirates, planters, slaves, abolitionists, and notorious politicians, all making their way through American history in the common pursuit of freedom.   Praise for Chesapeake   “Another of James Michener’s great mines of narrative, character and lore.”—The Wall Street Journal   “[A] marvelous panorama of history seen in the lives of symbolic people of the ages . . . an emotionally and intellectually appealing book.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution   “Michener’s most ambitious work of fiction in theme and scope.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer   “Magnificently written . . . one of those rare novels that are enthusiastically passed from friend to friend.”—Associated Press

      Chesapeake
    • The Drifters

      • 830 pages
      • 30 hours of reading
      4.1(7371)Add rating

      A Corgi original, this novel is among a group of Michener's books which have been re-issued with new jackets. His other publications include Hawaii, Centennial, Texas, Chesapeake, The Source and Space.

      The Drifters