University of Nebraska Books

Originally published in 1925 as Volume I of Granville Stuart's classic Forty Years of the Frontier, this book is based on his reminiscences and journals. The opening chapter reviews his early years in Virginia, Illinois, and Iowa; the narrative proper begins in 1852 when the eighteen-year-old Stuart headed for California with his father and his brother James. ("There was not a habitation from the Missouri river until the small settlement of Salt Lake was reached; nor one from Salt Lake until the Sierra Nevada mountains were crossed.") The volume covers his experiences in California, including an account of the Rogue River War, and describes how - almost fortuitously - he was able to confirm rumors of gold in present-day Montana. Because they lacked equipment and supplies, the Stuart brothers were unable to cash in on their find until 1860; during the interim they were traders along the emigrant road near Fort Bridger. After 1860 Stuart became a permanent resident of Deer Lodge; in 1864, thanks in great part to his efforts, Montana became a United States territory.

"Here are the incidents and characters for the making of endless novels - pioneers, trappers, squaw men, braves, prospectors, vigilantes, gold seekers, cowboys and cattle barons, sketched against the tremendous scenic background of the high Rockies." - New York TImes

"The odyssey of a nineteenth-century Ulysses." - New York Evening Post

Also available in a Bison Book edition: Pioneering in Montana: The Making of a State, 1864-18887 (BB 648) Volume II of Forty Years on the Frontier.

Cover design by Jack Brodie

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I found this book being both an honest account and a more accurate description of the Indian-American experience, as it comes from a man who was both Indian and personally lived through the trials and hardships through the Sioux tribe.

What is so interesting about the story is the naïve attribute of Luther Standing Bear and his honest, open and yet hold fast integrity. His trusting nature was so evident through out the story and yet he did not lack any intelligence and understanding. Of course those Indians with such nature were taken advantage of, and yet Luther Standing Bear remains always optimistic. There were many hardships, as in the loss of his free world and native life to a utilitarian white man's world of hustle and capitalism.

First there was much land taken and much sold with fraudulent treaties with government subsidiaries supplied, but it was the White's destruction of natural resources, the loss of the Buffalo and available food that caused the Indian's independence to wain and turn to the White man's society. This in turn set them up for what came next:

"Then like a thunderbolt from a clear sky came on order from the Interior Department that all rations and annuity goods which had been issued to all able-bodied Indians were to be cut off unless the Indians were willing to work for them."

This both took many Indians away from their homes to labor and in Luther Standing Bear's case, three jobs he took to support himself. The John Stuart Mill version of democracy, it's utilitarian enforcement of productivity is now forced on the Indian culture, a people whose land and free paced life was removed from them.

Luther relates how many whites took advantage of the non-English speaking Indians signing fraudulent land selling agreements, including a few unscrupulous Indians as Spotted Tail, who did the selling. There was also mentioned his experience of observing those Indians who were promised to be brought to Washington to speak to the government, but were being unknowingly used as city stop side shows, with tickets sales to the white men's advantage.

There were also the innocent killing of many Indians, the force of White man's culture, including the clothes, the cutting of hair, the religious teachings, the restriction against using his native tongue, and yet in Luther Standing Bear considered it bravery and wisdom to adopt the white man's ways and learn as much as he can to prove to the world that the Indians were both capable and good at living and producing just as the white men. His attendance at the Carlyle School, his relations and actions towards those in charge were so admirable.

The was also the death of two of his children, the event of a terrible train crash, events that would leave a horrendous impact on any person, and this man, Luther Standing Bear, maintains a strength of internal character that is most impeccable of a high and honorable nature. Not many persons would have remained so, and there is no complaining from him here, no venting, only stating his objective observances of both positive and negative occurrences and his subjective opinions written in such fair assessments.

Luther also relates how his people missed a few chances to better their predicament with the government as in Buffalo Bill's attempt to speak to the president in behalf of them and another occurrence where an agent influenced many to protect his own monetary interests.

Between Luther and his father, they understood the white man's invasion of the Indian world was "thick" and it was in wisdom to adopt their ways in order to survive. The major drawback from all this was the adoption also meant assimilation, as the dress, the religion and the language of the Indian was discouraged by the white man to be beneath his culture as inferior.

And yet all of the above was not meant as partisan to negativity, but rather, Luther was always optimistic, anxious to please his instructors and employers, admirable in is his constant desire to please the people he worked with, Captain Pratt in the Carlyle School, his employer at the Department Store, Buffalo Bill and many others. And for this he was very well liked, including by myself.

Townsend's journal of traveling across the plains and mountains to the Pacific in 1834 is not only an enjoyable read depicting life as such, but also an important historical narrative on names and events of the day.
An accomplished ornithologist, Townsend accompanied Nathaniel Wyeth and his seventy-man caravan of goods to the 1834 rendezvous and eventually established Ft. Hall in Idaho. Also in this expedition was the famous botanist Thomas Nuttall.
The author is very descriptive and expressive of everything around him from geography; the natural world; Indian encounters, along with their living conditions and cultures, to the livelihood of being on the trail and surviving day to day. He is meticulous and energetic in his writing.
An adventurous read and valuable to western history.

This is a wall-sized version of the map accompanying volume 17 "Language¨ of the Handbook of North American Indians, the multivolume series produced by the Smithsonian Institution. It is by far the most detailed, accurate, and comprehensive map available of the location of distribution of the many native languages of North America. Most maps of North America as a whole show only major languages or even just language families. The more detailed maps cover only particular regions. I just wish this map could be purchased laminated.

Languages covered in depth are Alabama, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Caddo, Cherokee, Natchez, and Quapaw. The book also contains articles on the proto-Muskogean and the Muskogean language family in general, and there are brief entries on other linguistic topics like the Mobilian Trade Jargon and the "Taensa language" hoax.

In the same grand style as in his "A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America" the writer continues with unsurpassed stories on trees, in this case the trees of Western North America, where the greatest living trees on the world can be found. What can I add to this? [see also my review on "Eastern Trees"]

It is a great pity Donald Culross Peattie was unable to follow through on his plan for a volume on Southern Trees. [For a few brief notes on the life and the untimely death of the writer see the afterword by his son Noel in the 1991 Indiana University Press reprint of "Flowering Earth"]

Mavericks of black literature are the focus of these essays, considering such under-mentioned writers as J.A. Rogers, an early member of the Harlem Renaissance and pioneering journalist; and Vincent Carter, who lived as a voluntary expatriate writer in Europe. Out There is an intriguing and thoughtful account of a very unusual set of black writers.

Things have been pretty tough for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in recent years. In 2004 they suffered their first losing season in over 40 years, breaking the nation's longest streak in that area. But it would be hard to argue with anyone who claimed that Nebraska was the most dominant team of the 80's and 90's, compiling an eye-popping record of 211 wins against just 36 losses, averaging less than one loss per year in those two decades. Of course the man at the helm for all but the last two seasons of the 90's was the great Tom Osborne. Nebraska Football is of course the subject of this latest offering from Triumph Books and Athlon Sports in their Game Day series, dedicated to the greatest program in college football.

On thing that really makes Nebraska unique is that they don't have the benefit of professional sports or even another large university in their state to compete with. In Nebraska, the Cornhuskers are it and it is one of the great atmospheres in all of sports. The book follows the same formula as the rest in the series, beginning with a look at the Traditions and pageantry of NU football, including their famous red sea of fans, garbed in crimson, and the blackshirt defense as it has become known. I for one never knew the story and origin behind the blackshirt defense until I read this book.

Nebraska's great players reads like who's who of college football greats: Tommie Frazier, Turner Gill, Eric Crouch, Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Grant Wistrom, Will Shields, and many more. When it comes to coaches, two names stand out, and what a pair they are! Bob Devaney took over in 1962 after Nebraska had finished 3-6-1 the previous year. NU would not have another losing season for over 40 years! Devaney went 101-20-2 and winning 8 conference titles, and two national championships. He turned the team over to Tom Osborne who would do even better with a record of 255-49-3 and three national championships. From 1994-1997, Osborne's teams lost only two games.

Relive some of NU's greatest games including the 1971 "Game of the Century" showdown with rival Oklahoma, won by the Huskers 35 - 31, the 1995 Orange Bowl win over Miami, and the miraculous overtime win over Missouri in 1997 that preserved an unbeaten season. You'll thrill to many more great moments and rivalries in this thrilling look at Nebraska football.

As with all of Triumph's books it sparkles with fantastic black & white and color photography and is personalized by reflections from former players and coaches. Even if you're not a fan of NU, you can't help but respect them.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Featuring full-color photographs of 103 original quilts, all drawn from the Nebraska Quilt Project survey, Nebraska Quilts & Quiltmakers by Patricia Cox Crews (Professor of Textiles, Clothing, And Design, University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Ronald C. Naugle (Professor of History, Nebraska Wesleyan University) is a dazzling 245-page showcase of great quilts ranging from the 1800's to the modern day, and from stylized repeating decorations, to applique patchworks, to stunning art visions crafted from needlecrafted fabric. Accompanying each presented quilt is a brief biography of its quiltmaker and a history of the quilt, such as one of a pioneer woman who struggled to protect her children and keep them alive under harsh conditions. Nebraska Quilts & Quiltmakers is a very highly recommended and inspirational resource for dedicated quilters of all levels experience and expertise.

An oversized, very handsomely illustrated history of Nebraska. There is some text, but the emphasis is on the photographs depicting various time periods in the state's development. There are 5 major sections: before statehood, the fledgling state, the emergence of modern Nebraska (1890-1930), drought and war (1930-1970), and the most recent technological era (1970-present). The photos are far-ranging and include famous people, forts, Native Americans, early town and city growth, natural formations, Dust Bowl scenes, cowboy and farm life, and the most recent developments. It's a fun book to look at and would grace anyone's coffeetable, Cornhusker or otherwise.