This book is more about the life of Judson Granniss then Ariel Custer. Judson grew up in a home that while it belonged to a women named Emily Dillon it was run by his hard mother. He and his mother had come to live there because of a will written by Emily's father. Emily was a meak person and did her best to be quiet and have others do as they pleased. However, no matter what she did Judison's mother was not happy with it. Thus when Emily appears to have been murdered the mother Judison and his new found friend Ariel are the obvious suspects. This is a wonderful story of how if you have faith anything is possible.

If you're looking for a valuable addition to your drama/comedy library, this is it. No worrys about buying a drama book with only a couple of usable scripts. You can use all of these. They're funny, poignant, and relevant. Your audience will laugh, cry, and be drawn closer to God.

Ambrose uses far too many secondary sources for his research for this book to be more than an extended essay of what others had written before him.

A wealth of wonderful tidbits, articles, interviews, from not only the HERALD but from other newspapers the HERALD thought fit to be reprinted.

I found many confirmations of things said and written in other places that were not always documented.

And it's just a fascinating trip through the summer of 1876 via a major newspaper.

This book is unique in that it provides essays on the numerous facets of Custer's life not only by the participants that knew him but from Custer himself including notable historians that know Custer best. It also covers fascinating facts such as Custer's First Stand at Trevillian Station, a Civil War Battle where Custer was surrounded by Confederate Calavary. Hutton, himself a notable Western Historian, is one of a number of well written essays on the Custer Myth including a critical look at how movies and art portrayed Custer over the years representing the pathos of the nation at that time. The change of view from Erol Flynn's "They Died with Their Boots On" to Richard Mulligan's portrayal in "Little Bighorn" takes a well versed explanation. One of my favorite parts of the book is an essay by Hutton where he explains why in movie director John Ford's "Fort Apache" version of Custer's last stand, John Wayne's character Captain York praises the gallant loss of Colonel Thursday (Custer,) who he actually hated, because York "realized that society understands little of the true motivation of heroes but still needs to idealize them as figures to emulate". This is just not an interesting read but a reflection of how changes in society change perceptions of men and history. By the way, its a fun read!

After reading and researching many of authors sources, this is the best book written about one of our nations most controversial figures.From his impeccable Civil War record through his record in the Indian Wars which shaped development of this nation, we can all be proud of this man. If you thought the worst of this man, as I, you will reconsider and admire him.

Compiled by Howard Waldrop (a renowned writer of deftly researched alternate-history stories and winner of both the Nebula and World Fantasy awards), Custer's Last Jump And Other Collaborations is an enthralling anthology of original short stories in which Howard Waldrop combined his talent with other skilled wordweavers such as George R. R. Martin, Bruce Sterling, and others. From a unique perspective on the saga of Troy; to a distant future in which Mankind is nearly extinct; to an alternate history when Crazy Horse uses Confederate monoplanes against Custer; Custer's Last Jump And Other Collaborations is a dazzling display of literary imagination, and a very strongly recommended read for science fiction fans enthusiasts everywhere.

The earlier paperback edition of Cavalier was the first book I read about Custer. At the time I was expecting Utley to take a strong stand as to whether Custer was a brilliant Indian-fighting hero, or an egomaniacal upstart. So I found the objective style and even-handed treatment a little disappointing. However, several years and books later, I have come to see this as the best book on Custer and LBH ever written, mainly because of his refusal to approach the subject with the pre-conceived notions others have.

Utley neither lauds Custer, nor does he cast blame. He makes it clear that Custer may have been somewhat over-rated in his Indian fighting abilities. Though he allows that he had gained a lot of knowledge of Plains warfare and might have become equal to the likes of Miles or Crook, had he lived. He points out that Custer did ignore the scouts who told him of the great number of warriors present in the camp on LBH. However, he also notes that Custer was not unlike other military leaders of the time in under estimating the fighting abilities of Indians, and therefore did not think that numbers really mattered. While he feels that Reno and Benteen did not support Custer as they could have, he also feels that not enough credit is given to the idea that the Indians merely outfought them all.

Of course, this was all included in the earlier editions. So the obvious question is, do you need to read the revised edition. This depends on what you're looking for.

With a few small exceptions the text remains the same. Utley has made a few changes based on later research, especially work by Larry Sklenar, but his overall theories have not changed. Also, for those interested in further reading, he has augmented his list of sources.

The main difference in the editions is physical. This is definitely "over-sized," fitted better to a coffee table than a bookshelf. And it is filled with illustrations, many of which seem to have been chosen more to improve the lay-out than for their applicability to the text. Take for example the photo of a Buffalo Soldier with the caption, "Custer disapproved of black soldiers...." (p.45) Or the photo of modern-day cadets at West Point captioned, "Cadet Custer had 726 demerits...."(p.22) And, of course, there are more portraits of Custer and renditions of LBH than one would ever dream existed.

My suggestion would be that, if you're a collector of Custeriana, or simply the type who likes to impress your guests with your choice of books, you might want to purchase this and place it somewhere prominent in your home. Otherwise you'd do just as well to stick with the paperback version.

After reading Custer's debut novel, "Concept of Justice" I knew I'd want to read other books by this awesome author.I just finished Custer's debut nonfiction book, "Dirt Floor" and it's confirmed in my mind; the guy is an amazing author; mastering fiction, nonfiction and even a few poems. His style is flawless and never flowery or dull. The descriptions are just enough, not laborious; the dialogue, believable. Bring on your third book, Henry Custer...your fans are hungry.