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The explosive true saga of the legendary adventurer Jedediah Smith and the Mountain Men who explored the American frontier, written by New York Times bestselling authors of Blood and Treasure Bob Drury and Tom Clavin.
It is the early 19th century, and the land recently purchased by President Thomas Jefferson stretches west for thousands of miles. Who inhabits this vast new garden of Eden? What strange beasts and natural formations can be found? Thus was the birth of Manifest Destiny and the resulting bloody battles with Indigenous tribes encountered by white explorers. Also in this volatile mix are the grizzled fur trappers and mountain men, waging war against the Native American tribes whose lands they traverse.
This is the setting of Throne of Grace, and the guide to this epic narrative is arguably America's greatest yet most unsung pathfinder, Jedediah Smith. His explorations into the forested frontiers on both sides of the Rocky Mountains and all the way to the West Coast would become the stuff of legend. Thanks to painstaking research and riveting writing, the story of the making of modern America is told through the eyes of both the ordinary and memorable men and women, settlers and Indigenous, who witnessed it. But it's Smith who drives the narrative with his trailblazing path through the unexplored terrain of the American West.
Throne of Grace is a gripping yarn that drops the reader into the center of an underreported era and introduces one of the great explorers in American history.
"Advance praise for Get the Picture
"It's a passionate, brilliant examination of why humans make and value art, from a joyous and gifted investigator." --Lit Hub
"Connoisseurs and neophytes alike will be charmed and captivated by Bosker's boundless curiosity and astute powers of observation." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[Get the Picture] could not be more fun. A delightful book on an inspiring topic by a writer who could make dust sparkle." --Kirkus (starred review)
"Curious but not naïve, gossipy but generous, critical but admiring, hilarious but profound . . . This book is sheer pleasure." --Benjamin Moser, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Sontag, and The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters
"Get The Picture investigates the questions you're too chicken to ask: 'Um, how come this is called art and how come I'm supposed to like it, or is it fakery and what is art anyway?' Bosker's answers are fascinating and her writing is so compelling and funny that I am jealous." --Patricia Marx, author of You Can Only Yell At Me For One Thing at a Time
"Funny, whip-smart, and gorgeously written, Get the Picture will forever transform the way you see. In this engrossing book, Bianca Bosker crashes that most gate-kept of worlds, contemporary art. . . . Equally edifying for art lovers and novices, Get the Picture will send you into a torrid love affair with shape, texture, and color. I loved every word." --Suleika Jaouad, author of Between Two Kingdoms
"This book freaked me out. Bosker's accessible, conversational spelunking into the world of contemporary art so powerfully rehydrated the PTSD in me between the little kid artist I once was with the self-consciously constricted thinker I became in art school that at one point I simply had to put it down, shaken. If you've ever wondered 'what happened' to art--galleries, critics, collectors--and, of course, artists--then this book is a very companionable start. It's also very funny, to say nothing of very vivid. And, confoundingly, very, very difficult to put down." --Chris Ware, New Yorker artist/writer, author of Building Stories and Whitney Biennial selectee (2002)
"Bianca Bosker takes us on a delightful journey into the rarefied world of art. What could have been an arch sendup turns out to be a joyous, empathetic engagement with an unforgettable collection of characters and artworks. I couldn't put Get the Picture down." --Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea and Travels with George
"Get the Picture is a brilliant adventure through the fraught, frenzied, fanatical world of art and emerging artists. Bosker flings us into the epicenter of creativity and obsession, and with infectious curiosity, illuminates the surprising science, history, and controversies at the core of our relationship with art. An extraordinary book." --Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief
"How to understand the art world? Bring questions and ideas then insinuate yourself--find ways to belong in the gallery, in the studio, at the fair. Bianca Bosker confesses her ignorance to experts, refuses to look down on schmos, and then gracefully (and often, hilariously) curates her own experience. I would buy a painting from this author, even if she weren't selling it as research; and I highly recommend this book." --Ted Conover, author of Newjack and Cheap Land Colorado
"Fascinating for contemporary art lovers and skeptics alike. At the heart of Bianca Bosker's intelligent book is the author's burning curiosity, and it's contagious." --Patrick Bringley, author of All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me
Bianca Bosker is the New York Times bestselling author of Cork Dork and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Best American Travel Writing, and been recognized with awards from the New York Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, and more.
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