The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man [Paperback]

John Myers Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1976

Before his most fabulous adventure (celebrated by John G. Neihardt in The Song of Hugh Glass and by Frederick Manfred in Lord Grizzly), Hugh Glass was captured by the buccaneer Jean Lafitte and turned pirate himself until his first chance to escape. Soon he fell prisoner to the Pawnees and lived for four years as one of them before he managed to make his way to St. Louis. Next he joined a group of trappers to open up the fur-rich, Indian-held territory of the Upper Missouri River. Then unfolds the legend of a man who survived under impossible conditions: robbed and left to die by his comrades, he struggled alone, unarmed, and almost mortally wounded through two thousand miles of wilderness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is no story like it in all literature and in all history. . . . The greatest and truest hero of all time was once a buckskin man living on the American frontier. Mr. Myers has done a fine job of scholarly research. He offers many new insights as to the true character of the mountain man. And the bibliography is alone worth the price of admission."—Frederick Manfred, Chicago News

(Frederick Manfred Chicago News )

"Myers has done a bang-up job, and when he finishes the reader readily understands why Glass’s experience became tradition among the Indians, who—far more than most whites—knew how to judge, and who appreciated and respected, a real man."—Arthur L. Coleman, San Antonio Express

(Arthur L. Coleman San Antonio Express )

Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (March 1, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803258348
• ISBN-13: 978-0803258341
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Legend Revived, January 16, 2005

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man (Paperback)

Mountain man Hugh Glass was a legend to his peers, many of them legends themselves. His fame spread to the East, where his incredible story was told in the newspapers of Philadelphia. His legend entered the lore of Indian tribes as well, where it was still being told many decades after his passing. But with the coming of the 20th century, Hugh's legend faded into obscurity. John Myers Myers' The Saga of Hugh Glass is an excellent attempt to rescue Hugh from the obscurity that he had faded into and restore him to his rightful place among American frontier legends.
The central tale of Hugh's legend is almost too fantastic to be believed. Attacked and mauled to the point of death by a grizzly bear, he was left in the wilderness to die by companions who robbed him of his rifle, knife, tomahawk, flint, and nearly all the tools necessary for survival in the wild. Yet Hugh, though horribly wounded, near death and weaponless, navigated over 300 miles of virgin wilderness back to a frontier outpost. Then, after refitting with weapons and equipment, and before his wounds were fully healed, he set out into the wilderness alone once more to make an incredible solo winter journey to retrieve his precious rifle and take vengeance on the companions who had robbed and abandoned him.
Many historians had discounted this story as balderdash - nothing more than the outlandish boasting of a blowhard's self-aggrandizement. Myers addresses this in the first section of his book, carefully assembling the remaining evidence, and building a powerful case for the veracity of the legend. Before launching into Hugh's story, he has already reasonably established that though fantastic, the story you are about to read is true, not just another tall tale.
John Myers Myers is a favorite author of mine. Though he thoroughly researched his histories, he had nothing of the academic about him when telling a tale. He was a pure folk historian, and his writing style is utterly idiosyncratic, and resembles nothing more than a grizzled old story teller telling tales around the fire. His prose is loaded throughout with colorful phrases - "pickled in print", "throwing lead", and "not a bet on which Lloyds of London would risk a confederate dollar". These are just a small sampling of Myers' unique voice. For ears accustomed to more traditional forms of history, his rambling and folksy style may be off-putting. I, however, find it perfectly suited to his subject matter and a charming and refreshing change of pace from the ordinary.
This book should be of great interest for those who study the period of the mountain men and fur trade. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone who loves tales of great American legends. And it is highly recommended reading for anyone who loves stories of amazing true adventure told well.

Theo Logos

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nifty saga..., April 25, 2005

By 

Addison Phillips (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man (Paperback)

My previous exposure to John Myers Myers consists of his two works of fiction (Silverlock and The Harp and the Blade), both of which I enjoyed greatly and have treasured. I knew that he'd written historical books like this, but had never run across one. A review on Amazon tipped me off to this book.

Myers has a very peculiar, particular voice which he uses a great deal early in this slim volume (his text settles back into a more mainstream flow as the pages fly by), which is a little odd, but somewhat amusing. He wears his heart on his sleeve and it is quite clear what he thinks of his sources, of the historical characters, and so on. Balanced and nuanced this book ain't!

But then maybe it shouldn't be. Here is a story that just seems too tall a tale, right up there with a certain large lumberjack and his technicolor ox or stretched from the same cloth as Dan'l Boone was in Fess Parker's portrayal, about a man who wouldn't say quit come pirates, bears, or (forgive the era that spawned it) "wild" Indians. Hugh Glass, if you've never heard of him, might have been the greatest of the mountain men.

Myers builds a pretty good case for the man and his adventures having taken place. Here's a hero I hadn't really encountered before and Myers make his legend believable without ruining exploits worthy of campfire retellings. Not too big a book, just right. I recommend it (in spite of Myers's oddities).

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, May 15, 2003

By 

William J Higgins III (Laramie, Wyoming United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man (Paperback)

This is an enjoyable read of an early day fur trapper and his adventures (misadventures) in the uncharted wilderness. I must agree with some reviewers that the author can be quite quirky in his writing style with offbeat, way-out puns and phraseology, but nevertheless a good read. Myers justifies the many hardships of Hugh Glass through several second hand sources for those unbelievers of this somewhat, but not, fictional character. Glass was captured by pirates, escaped, then was captured by the Pawnees and later lived with them for some years. He then left the Pawnees and joined Ashley's fur expeditions to the Rockies. Many a narrow escape with Indians, but probably the most celebrated adventure of his life was the mauling by a grizzly and the ensuing tales thereof. One reviewer mentioned how they should make a movie out of this book. Well, they did, many years ago. "Man in the Wilderness" starring Richard Harris is based on Hugh Glass and his heroic adventure with the grizzly.