Life on the plains and among the diggings vs The Quick and the Dead: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Overland journeys to the Pacific, Frontier and pioneer life
Life on the plains and among the diggings
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Born in Aurora, New York, Alonzo Delano (1806-1874) moved on to the Midwest as a teenager. July 1848 found him a consumptive Ottawa, Illinois, storekeeper, and he joined a local California Company. He remained in the…
The Quick and the Dead
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When Duncan McKaskel decided to move his family west, he knew he would face dangers, and he was prepared for them. He knew about the exhausting terrain, and he was expecting the punishing elements. What he worried about…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Quick and the Dead is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Life on the plains and among the diggings.
- The Quick and the Dead has the widest readership — 7104 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Life on the plains and among the diggings | The Quick and the Dead | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (15) | 4.0 (7104) |
| Hardcover | — | 3.8 (10) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (126) |
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Reception
| Life on the plains and among the diggings | The Quick and the Dead | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 15 | 7104 |
| Editions | 16 | 18 |
| Citations | 4 | — |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 16 | — |
| Reading it now | 6 | — |
| Written reviews | 4 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 7124 |
| Pages | 384 | 185 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Life on the plains and among the diggings or The Quick and the Dead?
The Quick and the Dead has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Quick and the Dead 4.0/5, Life on the plains and among the diggings 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Life on the plains and among the diggings or The Quick and the Dead?
The Quick and the Dead is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Quick and the Dead (185 pages, ≈ 3 h 26 m); Life on the plains and among the diggings (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m).
Which is harder to read: Life on the plains and among the diggings or The Quick and the Dead?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Life on the plains and among the diggings: Challenging; The Quick and the Dead: Moderate.