Mary Austin and the American West

Synopsis

"Mary Austin (1868-1934) - eccentric, independent, and unstoppable - was twenty years old when her mother moved the family west. Austin's first look at her new home, glimpsed from California's Tejon Pass, reset the course of her life, changed her horizons and marked the beginning of her understanding, not only about who she was, but where she needed to be. By the time of her death in 1934, Austin had published more than thirty books and counted the leading literary and artistic lights of her day as friends." "In this rich new biography, Susan Goodman and Carl Dawson explore Austin's life and achievement with unprecedented resonance, depth, and understanding. By focusing on one extraordinary woman's life, Mary Austin and the American West tells the larger story of the emerging importance of California and the Southwest to the American consciousness."--BOOK JACKET.