Astoria; Or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Astoria; Or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains, credited to Washington Irving, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Astoria; Or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains by Washington Irving. Read in English by Carol Pelster. "Astoria" describes the many perilous adventures, discoveries, and disasters experienced by the brave Americans who joined the 1810-1813 Astor Expedition to Oregon. The wealthy New York fur magnate John Jacob Astor masterminded an extensive enterprise with the hope of setting up a fur trading center and outpost of American colonization at the mouth of the Columbia River. Journeying by land and by sea, the intrepid travelers endured incredible hardships, utter exhaustion, and near starvation. Especially interesting and harrowing were the odysseys of Wilson Price Hunt and Robert Stuart who crossed the continent in opposite directions. In spite of the difficulties described, the book was a catalyst that inspired a generation of pioneers to pursue their own way to the Northwest. Washington Irving, author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Rip Van Winkle, was a masterful writer who was especially good at conveying the vastness and dangers of the wilderness. But as the book was written at the behest of the tycoon Astor, it also includes much description of business dealings, discussion of good and bad management decisions, and even at times some rather fawning praise of Astor himself. Irving also includes some anthropology as he describes the encounters of the explorers and the members of various tribes, whom he synonymously calls Indians, aborigines, savages, or their tribal names. It is noteworthy that the member of the expedition who receives the most abundant and unreserved praise from Irving is an Indian woman who exhibits constant courage and virtue. - Summary by Carol Pelster

Recording facts

• Recording title: Astoria; Or, Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains
• Author credits: Washington Irving
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 63
• Listed recording duration: 18:13:30

Catalogue topics

• exploration
• american northwest history
• oregon history
• 19th century american exploration
• stories of survival in wilderness
• stories of failed leadership

Opening tracks: first 24 of 63

1. 00 - Author's Introduction — 7:13
2. 01 - Chapter 1 — 28:27
3. 02 - Chapter 2 — 12:27
4. 03 - Chapter 3 — 27:20
5. 04 - Chapter 4 — 17:56
6. 05 - Chapter 5 — 27:04
7. 06 - Chapter 6 — 28:38
8. 07 - Chapter 7 — 18:11
9. 08 - Chapter 8 — 13:34
10. 09 - Chapter 9 — 9:16
11. 10 - Chapter 10 — 22:41
12. 11 - Chapter 11 — 22:47
13. 12 - Chapter 12 — 14:07
14. 13 - Chapter 13 — 20:12
15. 14 - Chapter 14 — 13:23
16. 15 - Chapter 15 — 30:25
17. 16 - Chapter 16 — 27:29
18. 17 - Chapter 17 — 18:59
19. 18 - Chapter 18 — 21:26
20. 19 - Chapter 19 — 16:33
21. 20 - Chapter 20 — 20:18
22. 21 - Chapter 21 — 22:38
23. 22 - Chapter 22 — 11:15
24. 23 - Chapter 23 — 11:40

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.