Nebraska Books

J. Frank Dobie is a wonderful non fiction writer. Everything he writes
is new and vibrant even though it was first written in 1947. Amazing!
Great book for Texans. Great book for anyone wanting to know all about our coyotes. Amazing animals. And they are only found in the Americas.

I really loved this book. I bought it because I was doing research on Coyotes for a novel I was writing, and I thought I would skim this, but I read it word for word instead. Perhaps because I already had an interest in coyotes, but I came home every night looking forward to reading more. If you love animals, you'll love this book. Well written, easy to ready, interesting stories, etc.

John Hicks wrote this, the original classic, of the populist movement. It is easy to read and flows smoothly from page to page. It is very thorough and is the most in-depth book I know of about the Farmers' Alliance. An excellent history! Begin with this classic, then read Goodwyn and McMath and you will have all you ever need on the history of the Populist movement! A must have!

Though little more than a label today, Populism once stood for something specific - a movement of farmers and workers pushing for political and economic change in Gilded Age America. Published over seventy years ago, John Hicks' book remains one of the seminal works on the history of this movement, tracing its origins and following it through to its demise at the end of the century.

One of the keys to understanding the Populists as Hicks sees it is in understanding the role that the American frontier played in America during the late nineteenth century. It was to this vaguely defined, constantly changing area west of the Mississippi that thousands of farmers flocked, setting up farms in the upper and central Midwest. Lured by the massive advertising campaign of the railroads and local promoters, these people came in search of cheap, bountiful land that could be purchased with easy credit.

This massive spurt of growth came to an end with the crop failures of 1887. As the rains disappeared and the land dried up, the price of real estate dropped precipitously. The effects were felt not just in the Midwest, where tens of thousands fled the region, but the South as well. Here, the region was still recovering from the aftermath of the Civil War, with many farmers working as tenants under the crop-lien system, which gave merchants a powerful hold over them. Their resentment of the system added to that of their counterparts in the Midwest, who felt victimized by the economic system. For many, their crops never brought in enough revenue to meet their needs, and blame was increasingly directed at the banks, railroads, and grain elevator operators which seemed to be profiting exorbitantly from their misery.

These farmers sought organization as a solution to their problems. The Farmers' Alliance, a loose organization initially founded in the 1870s, grew as members sought to protect themselves from their economic situation by organizing business cooperatives and pushing to use the power of the government to address their concerns. Though tactics differed - some organized independent political movements, while others sought to take over the dominant political structure from within - by 1890 the separate Midwestern and Southern branches of the Farmer's Alliance were actively involved in politics, enjoying successes that emboldened their membership.

Initially the Alliance sought enactment of a complex "subtreasury" plan of government-managed cooperatives designed to alleviate the farmers' plight, but the constant political obstruction resulted in frustration. Faced with the combined opposition of both the Democratic and Republican parties, many members sought to overcome it by forming a party of their own - the Populist Party. This new party put forward James B. Weaver as presidential candidate, wining six states in the Electoral College and scoring a number of victories in down-ballot races across the country. The depression created by the Panic of 1893 led the party to adopt the "free silver cause," only to be undercut by the Democrats' nomination of William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 presidential election. Though signaling the demise of the party, Hicks argues that the Democrats' adoption of many of the Populists' ideas was proof of the ultimate success of the Populist revolt.

Even today Hicks' argument for the origins of Populism must be taken into account when studying the movement. Using the wealth of publications that the Alliance and the Populists produced, as well as other primary and secondary sources, he makes a persuasive case for the importance of the economic background to the movement, one that remains generally accepted today. As such, this book continues to be required reading for any student of American history, though one that needs to be balanced with more current scholarship on the subject.

This is a very strong collection of stories and an excellent place to start if you're new to Stephen Graham Jones. If you want to have a taste before taking the 15 dollar plunge, do what I did and type the author's name into that A9 Web Search box up top. Several of the short stories featured here can be sampled through various online publications, along with other little gems that could have just as easily fit into the book. You'll probably find yourself hooked before it even arrives in the mail.

stephen jones, the author of three previous novels, THE FAST RED ROAD, ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS, and THE BIRD IS GONE as done it once again. time and time again jones manages to blow me away with his vision of the world around us. BLEED INTO ME is a collection of stories, some have been published previously while others this is their first time seeing print. nobody puts together scenes like stephen jones. nobody takes ordinary events and flips them on their head like he does. the characters that roam the pages of this collection are 'real' people, people we all know. to steal a line from another review that sums it up best, "Jones sees this world, its parallels between beauty and despair, grace and turmoil, and describes it with originality and stylistic flair. Jones's vision is unflinchingly peculiar. It's also a vision like no other.

(...)

As far as historical fiction goes this is as good as it gets. Based upon the actual relationship between Cochise and a white US Army scout - Tom Jeffords - the author pours into the novel his own extensive research into the 1856-1872 era of what is now Arizona. This is not fluff writing and it is not romanticized. Cochise emerges as a real person with both light and dark shades as does Jeffords and the white and Hispanic settlers of the Arizona Territory. An extremely well-balanced account written well ahead of the time when more balanced accounts came into vogue. (First published in 1947.) This is also a very good read in terms of drama and pace and plot and characterization. I would not hesitate to ask students to read this piece alongside other more academic accounts of the clash in the American Southwest between the Chiricahua people and those who moved en masse into their homeland. The author, Elliott Arnold, has taken great pains to make this read as authentic as possible. Highly recommended.

Historical novel, later a movie and a popular T.V. series. Idealized view of Apache life. Tom Jeffords goes to Cochise so he can get the mail through Apache territory. Jeffords marries an Apache girl. Events led to peace until Cochise's death

This is Kihlman's second novel (his first one "Se upp salige" caused a scandal in Swedish-Finnish circles in 1960), and like in the first book he deals with the terrors of a family that is perfect on the outside and quite empty and bored on the inside. The complex themes of this novel might be hard to appreciate for an American audience that wants more straighforward writing and I suggest that anyone who want to know more about the background should check out Henrik Tikkanen's masterpiece "Snobs' Island" (available through zshops). In an interview last year mr. Kihlman proclaimed himself to be a happily married but totally depraved person. Much respected in Finnish literary circles, Kihlman has a very charming humour and is known for downplaying his own literary achievements. Currently he is suffering from writer's block and hasn't published any novel since "The downfall of Bladh" in the middle 80's. Well, he rarely gives interviews either, but when he does, he usually says something very worthwhile on the current state of affairs of our country. This book is considered a classic in Scandinavian litetarure, but I wonder what the Americans will make of it...

The Blue Mother centers around the recollections of two brothers. Man, are these two screwed up fellas! Benno is a mentally ill basket case who's institutionalized for an attempted suicide due to several bizarre homosexual encounters. His brother Raf may be more intelligently aware, but he's a psycological basket-case as well as alcoholic & marital cheat. The book has a soap opera-like theme to it, but Kihlman is a brilliant writer and the novel is hallucinatorily surreal. Here's another amazing writer virtually unknown to American readers & it's a shame. He's a genius.

Beyond the scientific portions of this book, California Grizzly spends a Chapter discussing the role of the grizzly bear as a symbol and emblem of California. It collects facts and pieces of information not readily available elsewhere, like very early images of the California Bear Flag and information about drawings of the California grizzly. Given that its two authors were zoologists, it is impressive that they spent the time and had the interest to establish some of the more humanly significant materials about this animal, and its influence as symbol.

Since the book was first published in 1955, it is pleasant to have a new edition, which makes its information available to a new generation of readers and Californians.

William J. Trinkle----
Director
The Bear Flag Museum

Though the work is forty years old, Storer and Tevis remains a valuable sourcebook for those wishing to understand the full nature of an extinction. It's all here: bear biology, relationships with Indians, relationships with Spaniards, stories of famous California Grizzlies, the ~real~ life and time of Grizzly Adams, and more. Whether you are a biologist, a historian, or just an armchair wildlife enthusiast, you will find California Grizzly a fascinating and necessary book.

In The Cattle Towns, Robert Dykstra demonstrates how five Kansas towns--Dodge City, Ellsworth, Caldwell, Abilene, and Wichita--developed through a complex set of conflicts that bred progress. Instead of adding to the frontier myth of wild and violent cattle towns, Dykstra builds upon studies of urban history and applies them to the developing frontier to create a local, social history that has national relevance.

Success or failure of a town depended on a number of variables including location, promotion, and people. Location as related to the county center, railroad lines, and especially for this study, cattle trails, played major roles in determining town futures. Advertisements in newspapers located between the Kansas cattle towns and the source of the cattle herds in Texas lured the trail drivers north. The most important element in the future of the cattle towns, however, was the local population.

Although the town newspapers often gave the impression that residents of the town and surrounding areas spoke in a unified voice, that was usually not the case. Disagreements between businessmen and rural folk, ranchers and farmers, natives and foreign-born, and reformers and vice practitioners were frequent. Dykstra contradicts earlier studies that claimed successful town development on mutual cooperation and shows how progress was made through such differences.

The differences over town policy provided a forum for area residents to discuss the future vision of their town. Whether the discussion was over alcohol, gambling, prostitution, or the movement of the splenic flu deadline, the result was an exchange of ideas focused on improving the town. Town businessmen, for example, sympathized with the reformers who sought to improve the moral values of the town by eliminating vices, but not at the financial cost of losing the trail drivers who were attracted by such vices and spent their funds liberally throughout town.

Due to the advancement of technology and the progression of settlers into the once open Kansas frontier, the cattle towns shifted their focus from cattle to the more consistent industry of agriculture. The westward movement of settlers altered the routes of cattle drives away from towns like Abilene and Dodge City and railroads continued to expand their coverage, removing these towns from the cattle industry. Despite the moral vices that accompanied it, the cattle industry between 1867 and 1885 helped provide an immediate economic base that developed towns and laid the groundwork for future success.

Utilizing information from period newspapers, letters, maps, government documents, and previous studies, Dykstra creates a well-written study that explores urban aspirations and rivalry in a frontier setting. By examining the motivations of individuals and groups in the cattle towns, Dykstra has made a valuable contribution to town building on the changing frontier.

"One of the most intelligent, interesting, and worthwhile contributions to the field of Western history in some time. [The author] has managed to say something rather basic about American culture in general." -- William H. Goetzmann. "Excellent . . . readable and persuasive. . . . One of the most refreshing and rewarding approaches to be applied to western history topics in many years, for [the author] is asking basic questions about social process and the nature of urban society." -- Howard Roberts Lamar.

Dr. Lawrence Frank's exploration of the social, ethical, psychological, and philosophical diminsions of Dicken's work is utterly delightful and highly readable -- a must for any Dickens affcianado or burgeoning scholar! You'll find a whole new level of meaning to all of Dicken's most endearing characters like Mr. Dick (from David Copperfield) and Master Bates (from Oliver Twist).

Egad! It's a pitiful reflection of the almost savage intellectual torpor that has settled upon academia and our nation as a whole that this fine work is out of print. I suggest you try Amazon's execellent out of print books search and order yourself a copy today!

As far as I am concerned, there was ne'er a book on Dickens penned prior to Mr. Frank's superb treatise. I have never been so proud of Mr. Chas. Dickens, a fellow Brit (and, I might add, a fellow writer)--or of Engerland, my home and native land. A true boon to mankind, Mr. Dickens was, and likewise this blessed text. I weep for joy.

Say the name Max Brand and people generally think Western. But this prolific writer from the pulp era dabbled in many genres, from spy stories to fantasy and even poetry (the work he saw as his true calling).

Brand even created the character of Dr. Jimmy Kildare, featured in over a dozen movies and two television series. The Collected Stories of Max Brand showcases mainly his non-Western work to great effect, including the first Kildare tale, "Internes Can't Take Money" (published in Cosmopolitan of all places in 1936).

Crime fans will likely enjoy this first foray into the medical drama, since it is contains a touch of the noir. Internist Jimmy Kildare gets involved in a Damon Runyon-esque (only without as much humor) cadre of criminal types in a situation that eventually folds in on itself in a manner more than somewhat reminiscent of O. Henry but still very satisfying.

Throughout, as Kildare is patching up various gunshot wounds and the like, he stays true to his calling and never accepts a dime for his work -- until a friend of his desperately needs money. Then he is more than willing to accept the cash.

Though "Internes Can't Take Money" is not a great story, it is highly entertaining and, more importantly, inspired a film the next year (starring Joel McCrea) that eventually gave rise to the series (movie, radio, and TV) that would make the now-surprising idea of a good doctor who is also ethical into a pop-culture icon. The character also made its author a very rich man. And it all started with this story.

To many, the stories of Max Brand embodied the West. However, Max Brand was not his real name; he published under 20 different pseudonyms, and his oeuvre encompassed much more than trail drives, cowboys and Indians. He is the creator of Dr. Kildare and Destry.

Although the task seems insurmountable, the editors selected 18 stories from the nearly 900 penned by the man whose real name was Frederick Schiller Faust. Arranged chronologically, the collection opens with the very early "John Ovington Returns," written in 1918. Slightly autobiographical, Faust had told his young wife that he was about to leave her and their baby daughter to go to war, just as the fictional John Ovington reveals to the woman he loves.

The concluding piece, "The King," was written when Faust hoped to bring his Arthurian legends to the screen. Instead, he was put to work script doctoring or upgrading other people's work. "The King," which was found among Faust's papers after his death concerns illusions, and an aging king of Hollywood actors.

In between these two tales, the reader is treated to the breadth of Faust's fiction, some of which, such as "Our Daily Bread," placed the focus on more current cultural mores and themes.

First published to honor the centennial of Faust's birth, "The Collected Stories of Max Brand" is a richly woven tapestry of one man's literary gifts.

- Gail Cooke

Frederick Manfred is one of the great lost American writers, and "Conquering Horse" is the beginning of the five-novel cycle (the "Buckskin Man" tales) at the core of his achievement. This novel takes place among the Sioux in the early 1800s, before white settlers started appearing in the region Manfred dubbed "Siouxland." Subsequent titles take in the Mountain Man era ("Lord Grizzly"), the horrifying violence of the 1862 Sioux Uprising ("Scarlet Plume"), the havoc wrought by gold miners in the 1870s ("King of Spades"), and the final transformation of the West in the image of Old World values ("Riders of Judgment") with a new century coming into view. Manfred is a superbly evocative writer, and taken as a whole the five novels (which were published out of sequence) create a unified picture of the Old West that is harsh and unsentimental, yet filled with grandeur and extraordinary writing.

I have always been interested in the old west. The various customs of the Native Americans and the ways that the minds of prior generations worked in their own times. I have always had a love of horses and this novel certainly kept my attention. This book is only one of the Buckskin Man Series. They are all excellent. They have an order in which they should be read to be most effective because of the dates. If I can remember the order they are as follows. 1. Conquering Horse. 2. Lord Grizzley 3. Riders of Judgement 4. Jack of Spades 5. Scarlet Plum I was not disappointed in one of these. Frederick Manfred also wrote under the name of Fredrica. I do however, have a few of his books that I do not like. His home was in Minnesota and the area that he writes about in all these novels is the five state area around Minnesota.