About This Book

When Robert Louis Stevenson learned that the woman he loved had fallen ill, he came to America from Scotland as quickly as he could. Having very little money, Stevenson chose the cheapest means, and traveled across the storm-tossed Atlantic Ocean on a steamer ship to New York. The rest of the trip was a series of train rides where he endured 3,000 miles of dust and smoke.

On this difficult route Stevenson would meet the people, see the places, and experience the history of a changing American West.

Award-winning author Jim Murphy has interwoven Stevenson's perceptive account of his journey with a thoroughly researched and lively history of the building of the transcontinental railroad. Illustrated with 85 archival photos and line drawings.

About the Authors or Illustrators

Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy is celebrated for his engaging and carefully researched nonfiction for young readers. His more than thirty-five books include two Newbery Honor Books, The Great Fire and An American Plague (which also won the Sibert Award), and Blizzard!, which was named a Sibert Honor Book.

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