The Hunting of the Buffalo [Paperback]

E. Douglas Branch (Author), J. Frank Dobie (Introduction), Andrew C. Isenberg (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 1997

The Hunting of the Buffalo, originally published in 1929, tells all about the marvelous and useful animal that once roamed the American plains. Its gradual extermination is chronicled by E. Douglas Branch, who drew on rich materials, including Indian legends, old letters and diaries, and tales of frontier travelers. No one has ever written more memorably about the great herds, their habits and haunts, their importance to the Indians, their discovery by awed whites, their decimation by huge cultural and economic forces.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best and most complete account of the whole melancholy business that has been written. A careful piece of work well documented and . . . temperately presented."—London Times Literary Supplement

(London Times Literary Supplement )

"Told in a lively and readable style, with many anecdotes and graphic descriptions and an admirable sense of the underlying drama."—New York Times

(New York Times )

"Excellent story of the . . . extermination of the free-roaming herds in less than three decades . . . [no other book] approaches this one in its selection of outstanding events in the march of history."—Utah Historical Quarterly

(Utah Historical Quarterly )

"Beautifully written."—Kansas City Star

(Kansas City Star )

About the Author

E. Douglas Branch (1905–1954) is also the author of The Cowboy and His Interpreters.

 

His mentor, J. Frank Dobie, is the author of many books, including The Voice of the Coyote (available as a Bison Book).

 

New to this edition is an introduction by Andrew C. Isenberg, an assistant professor of history at Princeton University who is writing a book-length study of the bison.

Product Details

• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press; 1st edition (January 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261373
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261372
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem of a Work, November 26, 2011

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5/0 "Outdoors USA" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hunting of the Buffalo (Paperback)

Branch published "The Hunting of the Buffalo" in 1929. He had the benefit of having his topic still within many living memories yet a vantage from an era largely removed from the politics and economics of the days of the Buffalo.
Branch was more a "chroncler" than a dry-data historian, and for that the reader should be thankful. He was also a gifted writer and easily capable of putting Life into the beached old bones of the Plains Bison.
Branch shows the era of the Buffalo and its' cast of characters as they were - thankfully sparing the reader all the dishonest political correctness that infects much of our "history" since the 60s. Following the lead of early conservationists (eg. Hornaday), Branch gives the government and the money barons the egg-in-the-faces they deserve. And, refreshingly, a la Catlin, he is also daring enough to show the unpalatable, unsanitized primitive side of the Indians too.
Branch was a bit of a renegade, as the lengthy, interesting and poignant introduction by J. Frank Dobie reveals. But his grasp of the essence of the Buffalo and the whirlpool of circumstances that brought on its' swan song was accurate and his deft ability to tell a wonderful story makes "The Hunting of the Buffalo" a truly entertaining read for anyone interested in one of the greatest pageants to have taken place on our continent.