The Course of Empire

Bernard Augustine De Voto (1897-1955) was an American historian, essayist, novelist, and critic best known for his trilogy on the American West: The Year of Decision: 1846 (1943), Across the Wide Missouri (1947, Pulitzer Prize for History and Bancroft Prize), and The Course of Empire (1952, National Book Award). He also edited Mark Twain's papers and wrote the influential "Easy Chair" column for Harper's Magazine from 1935 to 1955, establishing himself as a prominent voice in American literature and conservation.