Ray Allen Billington was an American historian whose work focused on the history of the American frontier and the American West. He emerged as a leading defender of Frederick Jackson Turner's "Frontier Thesis" from the 1950s to the 1970s, significantly expanding the field of American Western history. His scholarly contributions were foundational to understanding the West, and he played a key role in establishing the Western History Association.
Recognized for its cultural significance, this work contributes to the foundational knowledge of civilization. Scholars have deemed it essential, highlighting its importance in understanding historical contexts and societal developments.
When it appeared in 1949, the first edition of Ray Allen Billington's Westward Expansion set a new standard for scholarship in western American history, and the book's reputation among historians, scholars, and students grew through four subsequent editions. This abridgment and revision of the fifth edition focuses on the Trans-Mississippi frontier.