History Of The American Indians (Notable American Authors Series - Part I) [Library Binding]

James Adair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1775

A fully annotated edition of a classic work detailing the cultures of five southeastern American Indian tribes during the Contact Period.

James Adair was an Englishman who lived and traded among the southeastern Indians for more than 30 years, from 1735 to 1768. During that time he covered the territory from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. He encountered and lived among Indians, advised governors, spent time with settlers, and worked tirelessly for the expansion of British interests against the French and the Spanish. Adair's acceptance by the Creeks, Choctaws, Cherokees, and Chickasaws provided him the opportunity to record, compare, and analyze their cultures and traditions.

Adair's written work, first published in England in 1775, is considered one of the finest histories of the Native Americans. His observations provide one of the earliest and what many modern scholars regard as the best account of southeastern Indian cultures. This edition adheres to current standards of literary editing, following the original closely, and provides fully annotated and indexed critical apparatus.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Braund's impeccable scholarship and her thorough knowledge of the British colonial Southeast are evident in this new edition. At once authoritative and approachable by modern readers, her edition will introduce a new generation to this fascinating work and encourage fresh considerations of an all but forgotten masterpiece of colonial America."--Gregory A. Waselkov, University of South Alabama


"This publication brings together an accomplished historical editor and acknowledged expert on the southern Indian trade with one of the most widely-cited but least-available contemporary texts on the subject. A very welcome new edition adhering to modern standards of documentary editing and providing a useful critical apparatus."--Patricia Galloway, University of Texas

"Adair's 'History' is a crucial primary account of America's southeastern Indian tribes--the Cherokee, Catawba, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw--during the 18th century. . . . Adair's prose falls somewhere between Edward Gibbon's and James Fenimore Cooper's: by turns magisterial, windy and vividly concrete. . . . Braund, the editor of this fine edition, . . . has mined the archives to enlighten readers on Adair's years as a major player on the Anglo-Indian frontier--roughly 1738 to 1768."--Wall Street Journal

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

James Adair was an Englishman who lived and traded among the southeastern Indians for more than 30 years, from 1735 to 1768. During that time he covered the territory from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. He encountered and lived among Indians, advised governors, spent time with settlers, and worked tirelessly for the expansion of British interests against the French and the Spanish. Adair's acceptance by the Creeks, Choctaws, Cherokees, and Chickasaws provided him the opportunity to record, compare, and analyze their cultures and traditions.

Adair's written work, first published in England in 1775, is considered one of the finest histories of the Native Americans. His observations provide one of the earliest and what many modern scholars regard as the best account of southeastern Indian cultures.

Kathryn E. Holland Braund is Associate Professor of History at Auburn University and editor of A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, written by Bernard Romans.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Reprint Services Corp (January 1775)
• ISBN-10: 0781214009
• ISBN-13: 978-0781214001
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,283,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most informative book ever on Southeatern Indians, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: History Of The American Indians (Notable American Authors Series - Part I) (Library Binding)

This is a first hand account, by someone who was among the Southeastern Indians in the 18th C. It has more tidbits of information on everyday life than any other book I have seen. This should be a top priority book for anyone researching the indians of this time and place

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended by Benjamin Franklin, January 14, 2005

By 

Robert O. DeVries (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The History of the American Indians (Hardcover)

James Adair's classic study of southeastern Native American culture of the late colonial period is one of the few primary sources from that era. The editor Kathryn E Holland Braund has written an excellent introductory essay and added extensive annotations to the text. She also tells the story of how Adair's manuscript was accepted by the leading London publishing house of Dilly and Dilly upon the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin.

This is a book written by an amateur. It is a tragic tale of primitive tribes in a state of endless warfare, always in danger from deadly diseases, a colossal homicide rate, and runaway alcoholism, and caught up in the plots of the British, French, and Spanish to control the North American continent. Nearly half the book is formal argumentation that the American Indians are descended from the lost tribes of Israel. Since Adair's arguments don't support his case, it appears that he felt that book sales required catering to the romantic notions of his pre-scientific age.

In recent years, several writers have suggested that Adair's book is one of the major sources of the Book of Mormon. In this day of sophisticated computer word print analysis, scholars may decide that the computers will have the last word on this subject. But in terms of common sense, the argument is a strong one. It would certainly be difficult to conclude that Alma chapters 48-53 in the Book of Mormon had any other source than the last chapter of Adair's book.

Readers who have a special interest in Native American history, or in American religious history, should not miss this book.