The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest (American Heritage Library) (Paperback)

~ Alvin M. Josephy Jr. (Author) "ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began its westward climb across the maze of the Bitterroot Mountain wilderness from present Montana to..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nez Perces, Walla Walla, Looking Glass (more...)

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"Big, splendidly researched history." -- Time Magazine

"Big, splendidly researched history." -- Review

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Product Details Paperback: 736 pages Publisher: Mariner Books (April 30, 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 0395850118 ISBN-13: 978-0395850114 Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.9 inches Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,296 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began its westward climb across the maze of the Bitterroot Mountain wilderness from present Montana to Idaho. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nez Perces, Walla Walla, Looking Glass, Hudson's Bay Company, Grande Ronde, White Bird, Bitterroot Valley, Fort Vancouver, Snake River, Peopeo Moxmox, United States, Yellow Wolf, New York, Mount Idaho, Camas Prairie, Eagle From the Light, Big Hole, Puget Sound, Fort Hall, Lolo Trail, Red Wolf, Spokan Garry, Clearwater River, Fort Benton, Captain John

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Citations (learn more)

60 books cite this book:

• Let Me Be Free: The Nez Perce Tragedy by David Lavender on 9 pages
• Chief Joseph, Yellow Wolf and the Creation of Nez Perce History in the Pacific Northwest (Indigenous Peoples and Politics) by Robert McCoy on 4 pages
• The Indian Heritage of America (The American Heritage Library) by Alvin M. Josephy Jr. in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Dreamer-Prophets of the Columbia Plateau: Smohalla and Skolaskin (Civilization of the American Indian) by Robert H. Ruby in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Governing Idaho: Politics, People, and Power by James B. Weatherby and Randy Stapilus on page 51, and Back Matter

See all 60 books citing this book

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Western Passage by T. J. Hanson

Discusses:

• emigrant horses
• trapping brigades
• Fort Vancouver

Western Passage by T. J. Hanson Discusses: emigrant horses trapping brigades Fort Vancouver Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	68% buy the item featured on this page: The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest (American Heritage Library) 4.7 out of 5 stars (3) $14.28
	18% buy Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy 4.8 out of 5 stars (31) $10.87
	5% buy The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story (Pivotal Moments in American History) 4.4 out of 5 stars (5) $18.45
	5% buy Indians of the Pacific Northwest: A History (Civilization of the American Indian Series) 3.0 out of 5 stars (1) $25.04

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The best book available on this subject, May 30, 2005 By  Ollokot (Utah) - See all my reviews Growing up in Idaho, and in my youth occasionally hearing some of the stories of the tragic flight of the Nez Perce, led me to read several books on the subject. No other story in American history is as fascinating as this one. Many good books have been written about it (along with a few that are not so good), but this one is easily the best. It is the most detailed, most accurate, and yet the most readable of all of them. Be warned, however--it is long (700+ pages), and nearly three fourths of the book deals with events that occured prior to the well-known Nez Perce war of 1877. For a shorter read about just the war itself Beal's "I Will Fight No More, Forever" might be a better choice. But for a comprehensive history of the entire region and its people, this is the best. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative, essential, heart-rending, November 29, 2005 By  Michael Knoll (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest (Abridged Edition) (Paperback) The appalling treatment of the Nez Perces is a sordid and shameful chapter in the modern history of the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Josephy carefully and meticulously describes the downfall of this peaceful and friendly people. His account begins slowly, but it accelerates with the momentum of a huge steam engine and thunders to a climax that left me in tears. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars More About the Nez Perce, Less About the Missionaries Please, August 24, 2007 By  Guild Fish (Hoosier in Australia) - See all my reviews Really I would rate this book at 4 ½ stars if Amazon would let us. It is a good book, but, at least for me, it does not quite make it to 5. I felt a little too much time was spent on the history of the missionaries sent to the Nez Perce lands. I do realize though that this was an important event that caused a rift in the tribe, so it needed to be covered. When I was reading the bits about the lives of the missionaries, the book started to bog down. I was more interested in learning about the Nez Perce than the settlers. Other than that, I thought the book was good, and well written. I will definitely be reading more on the Nez Perce in the future!		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395850118
• ISBN-13: 978-0395850114
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,296 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book available on this subject, May 30, 2005

By	Ollokot (Utah) - See all my reviews

Growing up in Idaho, and in my youth occasionally hearing some of the stories of the tragic flight of the Nez Perce, led me to read several books on the subject. No other story in American history is as fascinating as this one. Many good books have been written about it (along with a few that are not so good), but this one is easily the best. It is the most detailed, most accurate, and yet the most readable of all of them. Be warned, however--it is long (700+ pages), and nearly three fourths of the book deals with events that occured prior to the well-known Nez Perce war of 1877. For a shorter read about just the war itself Beal's "I Will Fight No More, Forever" might be a better choice. But for a comprehensive history of the entire region and its people, this is the best.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative, essential, heart-rending, November 29, 2005

By	Michael Knoll (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest (Abridged Edition) (Paperback)

The appalling treatment of the Nez Perces is a sordid and shameful chapter in the modern history of the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Josephy carefully and meticulously describes the downfall of this peaceful and friendly people. His account begins slowly, but it accelerates with the momentum of a huge steam engine and thunders to a climax that left me in tears.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More About the Nez Perce, Less About the Missionaries Please, August 24, 2007

By	Guild Fish (Hoosier in Australia) - See all my reviews

Really I would rate this book at 4 ½ stars if Amazon would let us. It is a good book, but, at least for me, it does not quite make it to 5. I felt a little too much time was spent on the history of the missionaries sent to the Nez Perce lands. I do realize though that this was an important event that caused a rift in the tribe, so it needed to be covered. When I was reading the bits about the lives of the missionaries, the book started to bog down. I was more interested in learning about the Nez Perce than the settlers. Other than that, I thought the book was good, and well written. I will definitely be reading more on the Nez Perce in the future!