The Kingdom in the Country: A Journey through the Real American West

This book takes us on an exhilarating trip through the American West that few people ever see. It begins with with a city-bound writer for the Washington Post who looks at a map and wonders what’s out there in the empty places. A third of what lies beyond the Rocky Mountains, the most beautiful and rugged “land nobody owns” is the government’s. He quits his job, outfits a van, and takes off.

He soon discovers that this nation-with-a-nation -- the “kingdom” -- is a refuge for idealists and vi...