The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest

By Alvin M. Josephy Jr.

Book Overview

"One of the classics of Indian history. The author describes the Nez Perce tribe, its confrontations with whites, and the beginnings of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. It has been one of the standards in the field of Western and Indian history since it was first published in 1965."-Lake Charles American Press "This magnificent book . . . is superb."- English Westerner's Tally Sheet "Big, splendidly researched history. . .colorfully documented account."- Time "A big book, a good book, an authentic source book. . . . This is a book the Indians will long remember and deeply appreciate. It tells the truth."- Indian Historian "The fullest account of the tribe's epic struggle to preserve their identity."- New York Times Book Review "A must for every student of the west or of the American Indian. It should long be standard in the field."- California Historical Society Quarterly "Alvin Josephy has brought extraordinary skill and patience to the task of discovering the realities of the Nez Perce world from the time of Lewis and Clark. . .until it dissolved in gunfire and driving snow in Montana."- Nation The abridged edition of Alvin Josephy's classic work retains the entire and continuous account as it was presented in the original 1965 edition; quotations and descriptions have been condensed or deleted and end notes and plates are omitted. Alvin M. Josephy is Chairman of the Board of the National Museum of the American Indian and an eminent historian. Among his books are Civil War in the American West (1991), Now That the Buffalo's Gone (1982), Red Power (1971), reprinted as a Bison Book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080327551X
• ISBN13: 9780803275515
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr
• Length: 667 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Authoritative, essential, heart-rending

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.

The best book available on this subject

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.