Meticulous research by Quaife yields the definitive account of the Fort Dearborn Massacre. Very little information has been added to his classic account in the past 50 years, although historians have tried desperately to find new information on the subject. Quaife also gives a picture of the history of the entire region surrounding Chicago. African-American historians may be interested in his detailed biography of DuSable.

Chief Joseph And The Nez Perces is a beautiful photographic history documenting the epic journey of the Nez Perces made in flight from the army from June to October of 1877. The role of the respected Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph is explored with care and precision throughout the time of the Nez Perces' flight. The authors have presented only photographs of the areas travelled and frequented by the Nez Perces without reminders of modernity, so the land is presented as closely as possible to the landscape known by the Nez Perces of 1877. Tracing the route of the Nez Perces with a color coded map of the area helps explain their tortuous crossing and recrossing of the mountainous area through the main passes. The brief book is divided into three main sections: prologue, flight , and epilogue, with a helpful bibliography of related works. There is no doubt that the star feature of this history is the stellar color photographs, including a beautiful golden sweep of vista of the Bear Paw Battlefield, in Nez Perce National Historical Park, south of Chinook, Montana, and many more. There is also no doubt of the tragic heart of the tale, for Chief Joseph himself, though he worked tirelessly to reinstate his people in their homeland after the surrender, was never allowed to return to the Nez Perce Reservation in the Northwest. This blatant violation of the terms of surrender is blamed upon the army's high command, Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip H. Sheridan, who"ignored the surrender terms as if they had never existed (page ix)." Chief Joseph And The Nez Perces is a beautiful and moving picture account of a sorrowful bloody history.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

Bill Gulick gives a command performance in this book of the Nez Perce Indians. He depicts the life and times of these Indians so clearly...from the time they befriended the Lewis and Clark Expedition in September of 1805 and the years to follow, including all the historical documentation leading up to the plight of Chief Joseph and hundreds of his people into exile. The story doesn't stop here either. He also documents what happened after the famous 1877 Battle of Bear's Paw in Montana and how they were all sent off to reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma, soon to be subjected to other hardships. I would highly recommend this book to those interested in this part of America's past. Mr.Gulick indeed did his homework!

It's too bad this book is out of print, and so expensive, because it's a most enlightening book for those interested in 20th Century China and the immense changes it has undergone. Presumably libraries are the main customers for this book. Yet while it's very intelligent, it's not a dry academic book, so has broad appeal beyond scholarly libraries. The fact that this book focuses on an often neglected region of China (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang, Yunnan, etc.) makes it all the more important. It would be interesting to see the ratio of books published on the SE coast vs. the far West.

A. Doak Barnett, a legendary China scholar, toured these areas in
1948 and again in 1988. He paints a rich picture by interviewing a wide range of people: government officials high and low, blue-collar workers, peasants, a former labor camp prisoner, etc. As well as, of course, adding his own observations of the changes.

The consensus among all is that the positive economic transformation in these 4 decades is enormous, yet poverty remains widespread (it could hardly be any other way). Many told Barnett that the biggest positive changes in their lives, materially, came in the 1980s. This is doubtlessly true, because only in the reform period did the government give up its obsession with heavy industry and allow the production of consumer goods and petty retail market activity to flourish. But it's also likely, and one can infer this from Barnett's observations and interviews, that the capabilities for reform period growth were enhanced by productive capacity investments in the pre-reform era, which were underutilized.

The biggest current problem in urban economic reform remains the "third front" industries. These are defense industries that were placed in the far west for strategic purposes during the cold war, but now are unneeded duplicates that lose money, yet at the same time provide employment for many. The main rural problem is how to diversify (diets are much more grain-heavy/homogeneous than in the central and eastern regions) and raise yields in a difficult geographic and economic environment. Yields went through a surge in the 1978-83 period, yet gains since have been slow.

Those with an interest in China's minorities will especially want to read this book. For instance the lay reader might not know that as many Tibetans live outside of Tibet than live in it. Barnett discusses the history of and meets the Tibetans of Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai; as well as the many other minorities in the West.

It would be great to update this book with a third visit.

Before I had even completed the book, I was overcome with the urge to go explore the Fort again -- I hadn't been there in years and quite frankly living as close to it as I do, I'd taken it for granted. This book brought intense moments in history to life in the most exciting way -- and visiting with all these episodes still fresh in my mind made the experience of walking the grounds truly meaningful. The Fort is a gem that we Minnesotans should care for and treasure -- and this book is the definitive work on a very important time in Minnesota's history.

This is a great book for anyone who climbs in the Northwest or is interested in Northwest climbing history. The book gives a unique view into Kearney's life long love affair with the high, wild, and often remote summits. Kearney has been climbing, seemingly non-stop, since the early seventies and his passion for the sport leaps off the pages. In addition to the "normal" pictures and route descriptions(excellent), Kearney includes information regarding the history of the route and the individuals involved.(these are often fascinating stories - in a number of cases the first accents were done by the author) The historical overview is followed by an account of the accent that involved the author.(Kearney has climbed every route - 4 in British Columbia, 43 in Washington, 2 in Oregon and 2 in Idaho) This is a great addition to any climber's library. You should buy this book even if you own the other guides to the region.

This is a great book for the novice botanist. As a person who just recently started trying to identify wildflowers in the Monterey area, I found this book a great guide. I already have a couple of other books, including the ones from the Audubon Society and from the California Native Plant Society, but this one is so simple and covers most of the flowers you commonly see. It's easy to flip through, the pictures are clear and in color, and it certainly doesn't overwhelm you with technical jargon. I was only sorry it doesn't include some of the smaller/tinier flowers I see around. Maybe in the next edition. A great gift!

This book is the 2nd in a larger series called "The Frontier People of America". These people did the rough work of creating a civilization, and for their reward were cheated by eastern land companies and now renounced by the modern culture of our nation. It's the Indians who are now the "good guys" as if such an easy distinction could be made. Van Every is an excellent author and lays out the facts about atrocities and achievements of both sides of the frontier struggle. The hardships the pioneers face should give us pause when we complain about our alleged "problems".

This book offers a wonderful visual survey of myriad printmaking styles. In clear, unfussy, thoughtful text, the author shows us the hows and whys behind this special artform. A gem of a book for anyone with an eye for art.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a book with only about 100 pages but it very informative and fun. It tells the story of the birth of the Cowboy to Cowboys today and the New Old West. It is packed full of interesting pictures. I have this book on my coffee table and have given this book as a gift to several of my friends who enjoy rodeo and the cowboy way of life. I highly recommend it.