Burton Books

Title: Book Review By Cecil Craig

Black, Buckskin, And Blue: African American Scouts & Soldiers on the Western Frontier

By Art T. Burton

Art T. Burton's first book (still available) was Red Black and Deadly: Black and Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territory. That popular western law enforcement history book came out in 1991. The author's new book, Black Buckskin, and Blue, continues to concentrate on men of color who helped settle America's western frontier. The book's central theme addresses African-American scouts and soldiers on the frontier during the nineteenth century much like he did with outlaws and lawmen of color in his first book.

Although Oklahoma is not the exclusive setting for the book, a great deal of the historical incidents contained in it did occur in Oklahoma. For instance, Black, Buckskin, and Blue: African American Scouts and Soldiers on the Western Frontier is thought to be the first book to discuss the role of black soldiers stationed in Indian Territory and their involvement in the Creek Nation tribal rebellion known as the Green Peach War of 1882.

Divided into three sections, Burton's book begins with a number of profiles of little known African-American frontier scouts. Among these is Frank Grouard, a black man who the author credits as being the person most responsible for the death of Indian Chief Crazy Horse.

After profiling these men along with a number of fur trappers and guides, the second section of the book is devoted to the Civil War in the west. Black, Buckskin, and Blue is thought to be the first book to examine the role of black soldiers operating west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. These colored troops, as they were referred to at the time, played an important role in federal victories within the Trans-Mississippi military theater during the War Between the States.

The book's third section deals with the Buffalo Soldiers of our nation's military. Often times being the only representatives of the federal government during the days of America's westward expansion following the Civil War, which was especially true in Indian Territory, many of their actions related to law enforcement. According to the author, "The term 'Buffalo Soldiers' has become a catch phrase; anyone that knows anything about western history should know something about (them)."

Surprisingly,some degree of Old West law enforcement had a direct relationship with the history of the United States black 9th and 10th Calvary regiments along with the African-American 24th and 25th Infantry. Art T. Burton has done a good job relating a number of law enforcement actions under taken by these military units. In it, he relates when and how the Buffalo Soldiers pursued outlaws as well as hostile Indians on the western frontier.

Henry B. Crawford, curator of history at the Museum of Texas Tech University described the book, Black, Buckskin, & Blue by saying; "In the tradition of great storytelling historians of the frontier genre, Art Burton applies his skills once again to destroy the artificial ethnic boundaries which still pollute today's popular image of the historic western frontier..."

For more on an overlooked chapter in western law enforcement and the contributions of African-Americans in settling America's frontier, Art Burton's new book is recommended reading.

"Burton Toys" is full of dry, quick-witted humor and descriptive situational comedy that often leads to tears from laughter. Each employee at Burton Toys seems to work the job that most of us dream of: having fun while doing nothing, but somehow accomplishing everything by implementing a strict regiment of procrastination and alcohol-induced epiphanies. Looking in, it's a nonsensical world of outlandish ideas and poor work ethic, but after turning a few pages, the lunacy becomes logical and you lose yourself in a world of fun, creativeness, and a lot of awkward situations. If it isn't obvious already, this is not a children's book, although it may seem that one wrote it. :~) "Burton Toys" has laughs on every page, so it can be enjoyed all in one sitting, or as a great bedside (or toilet side) book for the casual reader.

This is a nice "general purpose" cat book for children. It doesn't go into detail about anything in particular, but touches briefly on topics such as what food cat's should eat, how there are long and short hair varieties, and why spaying is a good idea.

The author's strength, besides being a vet, is that he emphasizes the functionality of cat's special features. He explains, for example, that they use their tails to balance and communicate, and that their whiskers are very important in feeling their surroundings.

Chapter Headings:

Who am I?
All kinds of cats
Going wild
Here I come
Pick me!
Let's eat!
Cat chat
Your feline friend
Playtime
In and out
Healthy cat
Cat Company
Having kittens
Glossary
Find out more...
Index

While this might sound like a lot of information, it isn't. Topics are usually handled on two facing pages with less that one page worth of text interspersed with photographs, humorous conversation balloons, and fun snippets.

Four Stars [B-] This is a nice general purpose book for elementary aged children. The format is what I call 'lively'. There are plenty of photos of various sizes that break up the text, plenty of blurbs and captions.

The Accelerated Reading/ATOS designation is 4.2. The book can be read to any child, of course.

Pam T~

This book really does show a unique perspective on Cats. I think that it would make a great addition to school classrooms as another way to introduce children to the animal kingdom.

If you are someone who enjoys a good mystery, this is a must. A bit jumpy in the beginning but it'll suck you right in as you read about the characters, their findings within this adventure, and the historical background within the story. All in all a good read for a lazy afternoon.

The three short pieces are: "SAVE MY CHILD! or Trapped by the Bottle" (2m 2w), "FANNY'S PRAYER or All Was Not Lost" (4m 2w), and "MAYHEM AT THE MILL or Fortune's Fate" (3m 1w). PUBLISHER'S NOTES: "These three short melodramas were written for inclusion in Old-Time Music Hall Programs. However, all three could be performed . . . to form about an hour of entertainment for a social evening. The play requires little if any scenery to be effective. Details are given in the script together with production notes which cover style of performance, casting, lighting, costume, make-up, and music. Apart from the obvious meaning, the "screamers" in the title refers to printer's slang for exclamation marks which abound in these and all melodramas."

This book offers an in depth commentary on the structure and history of the 'shih' form of poetry, which I consider to be the singular and most exopressive form of classic Chinese writing for the time period that this book covers. Examples of classic composition and theme are cited. This is a 'must have' for scholars who are learning to write poetry in classic Chinese style.

A Christmas Story by Richard Burton is a quick read which pulls the reader into the Christmas childhood memory of one of the world's most infamous stage and screen actors. Burton's endearing tale reminiscences about a particular Christmas for him in Wales. Burton draws the reader in immediately with his descriptive style and one is right there with little Rich, as he is called, experiencing the entire scene. I felt so completely drawn into the story. The reader follows and feels little Rich's fear and anxiety and the mystery surrounding this particular Christmas. We are surprised at the end of the book with his first presented gift on the Eve of Christmas!

I would have loved to read more from Richard Burton, but alas, this is the only piece that he has ever written. Suffice to say that his style is quite captivating and resonates with rich descriptions.

The book contains an afterward by his widow, Sally Burton, which provides the reader an even more intimate glimpse into his early childhood, including his mother and his 12 additional siblings! He is number 12 in the pecking order and became orphaned at the age of two. His older sister raised him and the love he feels towards her is very evident in the book; in fact, he does adores her. I am grateful for this little insight, which helped to clarify this tale even more. The reader is also treated to pictures of little Rich and his sister, Cis who raised him.

I found this "little" tale in this "little" book most delightful!

This is an excellent selection of Sherman images of her fantasies and demons. As a newcomer to this form of self-exploration, search for and blurring of identiy, I found it fascinating. From an aesthetic of great photography, I find her work wanting because despite the changes in costume and make up, it is still variations on a theme of somewhat limited interest.

Sir Richard Burton--master explorer, linguist, and scholar. He is known as the man who brought the Arabian Nights to the English speaking world, and is credited with being partially responsible for the discovery of the source of the Nile. He infiltrated the sacred cities of Medina and Mecca, disguised as an Arab.
So what prompted him to go to Salt Lake City? Burton was at a very difficult stage of his life, and needed a sort of vacation. Plus, according to him, he wanted to "see the Mormons." Some say he was interested in seeing their system of polygamy firsthand, some that he loved to visit sacred cities (having been to Mecca, Medina, Harar, and Damascus). Whatever the reason, he fortunately documented his trip, and we are left with this wonderful look, from an outsider, at "The City of the Saints."
One of the things that makes Burton so great is his absolute objectivity. His account of his visit among the Mormons is no exception. He went, he saw the facts, and he formed his opinions, just as everyone else. What set him apart, though, was that he managed to recount his adventure without the taint of his own bias.
Another great quality of Burton's was his incomparable eye for detail. He noticed everything, and took great pains to discover the history of everything he encountered. The result is a wonderfully rich account full of history and culture that Burton gives us as no other man could.
This is considered to be one of Burton's best books, though it is little known. It is by far the best non-Mormon account of early Salt Lake City that I've ever encountered. Its only flaw is that it is a little drawn out in places, but for the most part, this is a wonderfully detailed account and well worth the read.