Nebraska Books

This is a great book, the best book I have read in a long time. I feel like I am traveling the world with Annie and the Wild West Show.

I am a great, great niece of Phoebe Anne Moses Butler. This is one of the best bios I've ever read. Although Annie Fern Swartwout was also a neice and wrote a good biography, the family in general feels she embellished significantly. Mr. Havighurst is very factual and presents Aunt Annie as the lady she was...not some saloon swinging wench. Thank you Mr. Havighurst.

And to put the name thing to rest once and for all, her last name was Moses not Mozee...she just didn't like it and took the liberty to change it. It's that simple.

The book had alot of information just it didn't really focus on Annie it was on Buffalo Bill's show more often. It wasn't very helpful in the report I did on her.

Encompassing a half century of outdoor exploits in Montana, Dan Aadland's new book captures the essence of the hunter's bond with the outdoors and companions who revel in the experiences. The lively, frequently humorous recollections allow one to become immersed in the anticipation, exhilaration, and despair derived through our pursuit instinct. For me, the book provides a satisfying and enduring reconnect with what is surely the best of all seasons!

this book is a window into an American lifestyle that few today still experience or understand. adventuresome, humorous, and informative. excellent book!

Though I am not a hunter, I enjoyed this book a great deal. As in SKETCHES FROM THE RANCH, Aadland brings to life a place and its people, and you want to be there, with them. The author describes the rifles he owned with the same affection and sensitivity he brings to his descriptions of nature. You feel his boyhood excitement, identify with the adventures--and misadventures--of family life, and appreciate his extensive knowledge and love of his natural surroundings. Aadland's life as a hunter, from his boyhood initiation to new discoveries with his grown boys, exemplifies what he calls the "hunters paradox" -- the meeting of the willingness to kill with a deep reverence for life. Whether you are more entertained by the hunt or by the Montana love story, this book will satisfy.

As the daughter of the Author, Roy Alleman, I wish to report that this book is back into print.

I think that this is a book that very accurately describes what the winter of 1949 was like. After reading the book I talked to various people that lived in rural Nebraska at that time and they said that what was discussed in the book was very much like what they lived through. I plan on using the book as part of my lessons on Nebraska History for my students.

Excellent,easy reading of real life stories of farmers, ranchers, pilots, US Army personel of a major snow storm that first hit in November 1948 and again in January of 1949. Affected people in the all or parts of 10 western states. A national effort to rescue people and lifestock. A human drama and of heavy losses of lifestock.

This was an excellent book! It is a vivid, comprehensive and sweeping biography of a most important and influential man of the early American West. At the age of twenty four, Thomas Fitzpatrick started out with Ashley's expedition of 1823 as a fur trapper going up the Missouri River. The following year he discovered South Pass, then was part owner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. After the fur trade declined, he guided the first wagon train west over the Oregon Trail, then acted as guide to Fremont, Kearny and Abert on their expeditions. Later,he was appointed as an Indian Agent for the government and in this position he was most significant in facilitating relations with the Plains Indians. Leroy Hafen's writing is to be commended. He was an excellent author/historian. This is an easy book to read, and there is so much history to this remarkable man, Thomas Fitzpatrick.

This book is the result of a historian's dissertation on this little known now, but once well-known figure in the expansion of the west. Fitzpatrick discovered the Southern Pass, mentored Kit Carson, and is buried in the Congressional Cemetary in Washington DC. I'm not a fan of historical novels, or much of a student of history. But, this book described the way of life of the great western explorers of the 19th century in fascinating detail. Chock full of facts that I never learned in school history, this book sheds light on a poorly represented but important part of US history by tracing Fitzpatrick's life as reconstructed from historical documents and interviews with surviving ancestors. I highly recommend this book.

Most historians of the fur trade period of the old West regard Thomas Fitzpatrick as perhaps the greatest of all the Mountain Men, certainly among the top three or four along with Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger, or perhaps Joseph Walker or Kit Carson. Hafen thinks of him as almost a god and writes glowingly of his exploits and character.

Fitzpatrick was born in Ireland (quite a few Mountain Men came from Irish or Scots-Irish descent) in 1799. He came to America by the age of 17 and was a member of Ashley's first venture up the Missouri in 1823. As a trapper he led parties into every region of the Rocky Mountain west, returning frequently at the end of the trapping season to St. Louis with that year's catch, only to return again a short time later with the supply trains for the designated rendezvous. He was owner for a while of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, which he later sold to the American Fur Company. When the fur trade fell victim to a change in hat styles, Fitzpatrick became a guide for emigrant wagon trains and in the trade that existed along the Santa Fe Trail. He injured his hand (so the story goes, Fitzpatrick never gave a full account himself) in an encounter with the Blackfeet in 1836, and it was by the name Broken Hand that the Indians ever after called him. In 1843 he was guide with Fremont on his second expedition to Oregon and California, and guided Kearny to Socorro, NM, at the beginning of the Mexican War the following year. He became Indian Agent for the Central Plains tribes and organized many councils with them (including the famous Ft. Laramie council of 1851). He died in Washington, DC, there on Indian affairs business, in 1854.

Leroy Hafen was one of the greatest of the "old school" historical writers of the old West. He was an "on sight" researcher, tramping the same ground his subjects did, seeing what they saw. His footnotes, which often identify locations of vague references found in trapper journals or clarify and correct old diary entries, are often as fascinating as the text itself. He is a thorough and careful historian; nothing gets by him without the greatest of scrutiny. His admiration for Fitzpatrick comes through loud and clear: he calls him "an epic figure - unique and incomparable." Hafen is out of the old school of narrative historians (Parkman and Lossing come to mind), and he is a joy to read. History is never so enjoyable as in the hands of these writers. It's an excellent book, informative and entertaining. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book for children (and the young at heart). In writing one of a series about the states, Rajean Shepherd has done a masterful job of looking at Nebraska from lots of angles and putting these together into this book. From the Cornhuskers to Nebraska fossils to Native Americans to the pioneers she goes from Nebraska "A" to Nebraska "Z". The illustrations, that fit so well with the text, are outstanding by Sandy Appleoff. This book would be a great Christmas gift for you, your children, or your grandchildren.

This book was perfect. My son is using it as an ambassador gift for his trip overseas! It details Nebraska and all the great things about living here! I loved it!

What a wonderful book! Rajean writes this book on several levels, for youngsters to adults! Even though I am a Nebraska native, I have learned many new things about my state from this book! Sandy's illustrations are sweet and simple, with lovely color tones. I have given this book as a baby gift as well as a gift to our elderly friends in England. It has been enjoyed by all and will be treasured for years!

This book reads more like oral history or narrative, than 'native american studies' as it says on the back cover. Margot Liberty has added just the right academic footnotes to explain and clarify, without getting in the way. There aren't any books by a Native and an anthropologist that I know of that are as enjoyable, entertaining, and informative as this one. It is the perfect accurate, objective, in-depth, real counterpoint to much of the cotton candy fluff one finds about native ways and history in the New Age, and the dead, ponderous, dry, over-intellectual tomes that usually come out an institution as prestigious as the Yale University Press. I have rarely learned so much, and enjoyed doing it. I could hardly put it down.

The Cheyenne was undoubtably one of the most remarkable tribes of the Great Plains. Now you can have a very convenient one volume tribal history of them by John Stands In Timber with the help of anthropologist Margot Liberty. Stands In Timber,an old time Cheyenne, in his whole life collected the memories of his elders about the history of their Nation and he succeeded in editing it to a narrative from the creation to the reservation times. The effort of the author is of a rare kind and the result is also a rare one: you can learn the history of a native nation from the inside.

John Stands in Timber is my daughter's great-grandfather on her father's side. I am purchasing this book to let her know the history she shares as a Northern Cheyenne and to show her how much her great-grandfather cared about his people. I have read the book previously and appreciated the sense of cultural awareness John portrayed through his words. It is a lesson for us all to remember where we came from and appreciate how we got where we are now. I would recommend reading this book, to learn the history of the people and to appreciate that he wasn't just a historian, but a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather and also a good person.

buy this book. it's brilliant. brilliant. hear me? brilliant!

Robert Vivian's prose is so creatively lush, unexpected and unpredictable, you can hardly believe the "stories" he relates (he calls them essays) are based wholly on personal experiences. They read more like poetic fictions, and yet the style is quite accessible -- nothing self-consciously obscure or tediously "literary." If this is how he treats non-fiction, I can only imagine the delight of reading his fictions.

Robert Vivian has taken the personal essay to new heights, expanding poetic language into a deeply inspirational journey into the human experience. If ever you believed the essay genre to be dull and pedantic, Vivian will change your mind forever with his gorgeous language and important insights. The essay is boring no longer

I just want to share summaries with other costomers

I just want to share summaries with other costomers

Published six months after Custer's death, Frederick Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" traces the American icon's life from his boyhood in Ohio through his cadet years at West Point, his Civil War exploits, his impressive rise to the rank of Major General of cavalry in the Army of the Potomac and his transition to the peacetime army. All the foundation elements of the Custer story are stated in Vol. I of Whittaker's book. They are supported by the first person accounts of Custer and other of his peers, and in my opinion, clearly define the reasons for Custer being rightfully considered a genuine, homegrown American hero based on his Civil War exploits alone! [See also: "Custer Victorious"/Urwin; "Custer and His Wolverines"/Longacre; "Touched by Fire"/Barnett] My reading of this book was enriched by the fact that, as a Custer contemporary, Whittaker was not only in touch with the the 19th century ambience, but that he had the added advantages of active service as a trooper in the 6th New York Cavalry and access to Custer's papers, Civil War memoirs and personal anecdotes through his collaboration with Custer's widow, Elizabeth. As a result, the book is replete with knowledgeable commentaries on the customs, mores and military standards of the times. Of special interest to me were the final three chapters devoted to Custer's transition from the wartime to the peacetime army [Book Six, Chapters 1-3]. In these chapters Whittaker gives a clear and perceptive overview of the postwar military structure; the social psychology of the men Custer would come to command; the negative public perception of the postwar enlistee; the deficiencies in the formation of the 7th Cavalry; and the intense political intrigues which seem to surround and infect the military, particularly in peacetime. [For a contemporary example, see "Patton: A Genius for War"/D'Este]. In a clear and interesting fashion Whittaker enunciates the undercurrents which produced the "four D's" (demoralization; disobedience; dipsomania; desertion) which Custer had no part in creating but over which he was expected to exert appropriate control. Whittaker makes it clear that it was Custer's efforts in this direction, coupled with his own naivete, that set the stage for many of his future difficulties with the command structure. Whittaker's "A Complete Life of General George A. Custer" is the spiritual and intellectual great granddaddy of most subsequent writings on the subject. I found that, in spite of its venerability, the book is still productive of provocative thought pieces. As an example, it contains perhaps the first published mention of Custer having been offered a full colonelcy in the 9th Cavalry, a black regiment, which he allegedly refused , ". . .preferring a lower step to a lower grade of service. . ." One may speculate as to how the acceptance of that command might have influenced Custer's subsequent career. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the acceptance of command of a black regiment (the 94th Massachusetts) provided an upward step for Col. Robert Gould Shaw, and Gen. John J. Pershing's early command experience with the all-black 10th Cavalry Regiment (and the resulting sobriquet "Black Jack") may well have called attention to this officer and advanced his career. In spite of Whittaker's lapses into florid prose and blatant hero-worship, I found Volume I of his complete biography of Custer to be emminently readable and informative. I would highly recommend this as a "must-read" for both Custerophile and casual history reader alike.

True life exploits of Charles Roy Siringo in the old west bringing many fugitives to justive while enduring hard ships!

This is a great book if you're into the American West, The Wild Bunch, or just a detective fan.
Charlie Siringo must have been one of the toughest men who ever lived...15 years in the saddle as a cowboy, followed by 22 years as a Pinkerton detective!
Charlie writes as a detective would...mostly, it's just the facts. He writes in an easy to read style that seems to flow from him in a natural manner. His stories are amazing, and he was surely a 'walking national treasure'in terms of his first hand knowledge of the American West 1865-1900.
I can't believe he is so 'forgotten' as one of the west's real and true heroes. A terrific insight into the times and the man.

Charles Siringo was the real deal, the rare 1870's cowboy who experienced the trail rides of the Wild West, but also felt the need and had the desire to put his experiences in writing. The stories in his books seem to be honest and legit, not inflated or self-indulgent. He was a man of great courage and resoursefulness, and the stories in this book are full of real-life examples. I have read several of Siringo's writings, and have found this book to be the most enjoyable and fascinating of them all.

THE DEATH OF RAYMOND YELLOW THUNDER AND OTHER TRUE STORIES FROM THE NEBRASKA-PINE RIDGE BORDER TOWNS is a top pick not just for Texas collections, but for any library strong in regional American history in general and border town politics and stories in particular. From the long history of racial unrest in these downs to community efforts to overcome internal violence and strife, THE DEATH OF RAYMOND YELLOW THUNDER is packed with powerful blends of history and cross-cultural conflict and interactions.

Reading this book I was completely sucked into a world that...A. I never knew existed, and B. If I knew about I probably would never have given a second thought.

Magnuson did an amazing job tying together the events of the 19th and 20th centuries...and a really great job keeping me from confusing the dozens and dozens of major players in the book.

He tells a series of hot-button stories in a way that manages to be fair to the facts, people and groups involved while at the same time keeping the reader's interest. More than a few times I kept reading just to see how one story would end up, or what would happen to one of the individuals involved.

Stew Magnuson, through investigative reporting unearths new facts and shines light on a dark and shameful period of history. He works hard to identify and treat fairly the multiple perspectives on the death of Mr. Yellow Thunder, the trial, and later the famous Native American occupation of the Wounded Knee battle ground. He describes the events which began in 1972 and interviews the participants' some 35 years later. By writing in narrative, non-fiction style, much like a novel or short story, he has made a captivating read out of complex material. I was surprised when I couldn't put the book down once I started, finishing 320 pages in a weekend. RH