Beyond the Frontier: A History of St. Louis to 1821
Frederick A. Hodes, Ph.D.

Available as a deluxe paperback, ISBN 1-880397-53-6, for $19.95—certainly the best book bargain we’ve seen in a long, long time. 
A hardcover edition, ISBN 1-880397-54-4, is also available, for $39.95.

The Patrice Press is proud to announce the publication of Beyond the Frontier: A History of St. Louis to 1821, by Frederick A. Hodes, Ph.D. It could well be the most important book ever published on the subject—at 676 pages certainly the most comprehensive.

Less than four centuries ago the site was densely forested, with no permanent human habitation. Indian tribes moved in and out, and soon Catholic missionaries roamed the area, trying to save their souls. It was not until February 14, 1764, that Pierre Laclede’s boat touched the limestone ledges, bringing civilization to the stair step of benches leading to the west.

Gradually the village picked up population, and the sovereignty changed from the French to the Spanish. When the French on the east bank of the Mississippi River learned of the pending Americanization of the Illinois Bottoms, there was an exodus to the west bank. Still, growth was slow, compared to what would follow in the mid-nineteenth century. Dr. Hodes takes us through the formative years, patiently and carefully, leading up to statehood, in 1821.

Before closing his masterwork, he takes us on a literary journey that, as far as we know, has never been done before. He asks us to imagine an afternoon walk in 1820, starting a few blocks south of what is now the Poplar Street Bridge. As he takes us north along the riverfront, he points out each house or business, on both sides of the street—introducing us to the people who live there and tells us what they do for a living. Walking to the north, almost to the Big Mound (source of the St. Louis nickname, "Mound City"), he turns us a block to the west.

And then we start a walk to the south, with each house identified, many of the citizens introduced.

It’s a quiet walk, as you stroll those dirt streets. It seems as if you actually stop and silently talk to those villagers. Silent talk? Sure, because they’ve all been gone almost two centuries.

The book is amplified with more than 1,500 notes, a massive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Product of a twenty-five-year study, the scholarship is impeccable. But trust us—with all the care put into it, it is beyond interesting—in many places it is downright thrilling.

This is the first book of a projected series of five, and the author is already deep into the research for the second volume, which will take the history to 1850.