The American Plains Indians (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Jason Hook (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: July 25, 1985

The central plains of North America to the east of the Rocky Mountains were home to the Plains Indians; here the hunting grounds of the twelve "typical" tribes coincided with the grazing range of the largest of the buffalo herds. The adoption of a horse culture heralded the golden age of the Plains Indians – an age abruptly ended by the intervention of the white man, who forced them into reservations in the second half of the 19th century. Jason Hook's fascinating text explores the culture of American Plains Indians, from camp life to conquest, in a volume complemented by photographs and stunning artwork.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Jason Hook graduated from the University of Kent with a first class honours degree in English and American Literature. A former Senior Editor at Wayland Publishing, Jason has written extensively on the subject of Native Americans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 25, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850456088
• ISBN-13: 978-0850456080
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Plains Indians, March 19, 2008

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K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The American Plains Indians (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

This Osprey book serves as a well-written introduction to the ceremonial and military sides to the culture of the Indian peoples of the Central Plains, c. 1800-1890. Though this is an excellent visual source (like all books in this series) and the author is a well-known scholar of Native American studies, do not buy this book looking for a thorough history of the tribes and their wars-only the last three pages are used to offer the briefest of outlines of the Plains Wars c. 1851-1890.

This book would be very good for someone seeking to learn about the various warrior societies of the Plains Indians; these are very well illustrated and the author gives much information on their social roles in their tribes. Many aspects of non-military Indian culture, including the roles of spirituality and women, are also dealt with in surprising detail. There are lots of black-and-white photos of Indian chiefs and warriors, and line drawings throughout. One particularly interesting drawing (if a little morbid to the average modern American reader) is a chart showing how all the various body parts of a buffalo were put to good use by the Indians-as opposed to the contemporary white men, who are well known for their mass slaughters of more meat than they could have ever used.

Overall, buy this book if you are looking for a good, solid intro to the material culture and warrior and religious societies of the 19th Century Plains tribes. If you are looking for their history and their more famous leaders, however, look elsewhere.