Helen Plum Library

The Indian was the great soldier of the plains and, in many respects, the greatest fighter the world has ever known. But, unlike the white man, the Indian had no press agency through which to broadcast his story to the world. And so it comes about that for the most part such knowledge as we have respecting Indian war ventures, for example, comes not from the Indian but from sources having no interest in presenting the Indian point of view-from official...

In Creek Paths and Federal Roads, Angela Pulley Hudson offers a new understanding of the development of the American South by examining travel within and between southeastern Indian nations and the southern states, from the founding of the United States until the forced removal of southeastern Indians in the 1830s.During the early national period, Hudson explains, settlers and slaves made their way along Indian trading paths and federal post roads,...

Secret Valley, first published in 1939, is a classic old west novel of action, adventure and romance by Jackson Gregory (1882-1943), author of more than 40 western and detective novels. From the dust-jacket: Ross Haveril was the last of a clan of hard-fighting, quick-tempered men. Now, after years of prospecting in South America, he was returning to his home in Secret Valley. But Haveril didn't reckon on the changes that time brings. This was the...

Bill Carlisle was the last of the Old West's real outlaws. But, unlike many of the other famous characters of the early days, Bill was not the gunfighter type. Bill never shot or injured anyone in his hold-ups; further, he never robbed a woman passenger. He had, like most old-time cowboys, a wholesome respect for women-all women. This story of his life reads like the dime-novel fiction of an earlier day, but every incident of his daring and gripping...

"Orwell in Cuba: How '1984' Came to Be Published in Castro's Twilight" is a personal account of contemporary Cuba at a pivotal point in its history, with the Castro brothers passing power on to a new generation. We discover Cuba through the adventures, inquiries, and encounters of a Canadian journalist and writer trying to make sense of the current climate in Cuba and of how Cubans feel about the past, present, and future of their island. "Orwell...

Originally called Alta Villa (the "high place"), Little Italy was settled in 1915 by a group of northern Italian immigrants who came to Arkansas looking for an opportunity to achieve the American dream. Though smaller than other Italian colonies in the state, like Tontitown or Lake Village, Little Italy's centralized location and skilled winemakers created the perfect atmosphere for a Prohibition-era oasis where central Arkansans could purchase clean,...

In A History of Modern Japan, cultural historian Christopher Harding delves into the untold stories of Japan's recent history-from a pop star's nuclear power protest song in 2011, to Japanese feminists who fought for an equal political voice in the 1890s. Though highly successful, and typically portrayed as a unified effort, Japan's rebuilding throughout the 20th century faced a lot of domestic criticism. This story-led account gives a voice to those...

This widely regarded classic represents a volume of biographies of numerous master gunfighters, including such notables as John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, Dallas Stoudenmire, Sam Bass, Wild Bill Hickok, Butch Cassidy, and Tom Horn. Himself a Westerner familiar with the feel of pistol and rifle, Cunningham knew firsthand several of the Texas gunfighters featured in his book, the product of more than 35 years of research, interviews, and writing....

Since Reconstruction, African Americans have served as key protagonists in the rich and expansive narrative of American social protest. Their collective efforts challenged and redefined the meaning of freedom as a social contract in America. During the first half of the 20th century, a progressive group of black business, civic, and religious leaders from Atlanta, Georgia, challenged the status quo by employing a method of incremental gradualism to...

Grave sites not only offer the contemporary viewer the physical markers of those remembered but also a wealth of information about the era in which the cemeteries were created. These markers hold keys to our historical past and allow an entry point of interrogation about who is represented, as well as how and why. Grave History is the first volume to use southern cemeteries to interrogate and analyze southern society and the construction of racial...