Paul Reeve’s new book, Making Space on the Western Frontier, has received some positive reviews around the ‘nacle. ‘Nacle reviews however count for very little in the world of academia. In the latest issue of The Journal of American History historian Anne Hyde has written a very positive review of the work, calling it “an effective case study at both the micro and macro levels.” In summarizing Reeve’s study, Hyde concludes that Reeve’s attention to the workings of federal officials to privilege mining interests at the expense of Southern Paiute and Mormon claims to space in southern Utah/eastern Nevada is “stunning.” She lauds his reconstruction of efforts by Mormons and Southern Paiutes to survive the onslaught of “an awesome flexing of federal might.” The review, unlike Reeve’s prose, is a bit dry, but is well worth the read. I suspect that Paul is more than a little pleased to see his book so well reviewed in one of the top journals in the historical profession.

For those with access to a university library, here’s a like to the full text of the review.