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Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian
By Bruce Grant. 200 B&W Line drawings. With over 800 entries this copiously illustrated reference work is a fascinating history of the American Indian from the discovery of America to the present. Covers legends, lore, weapons and wars, beliefs, tools, more of every known Indian tribe. Alphabetically arranged and cross-indexed. 352 pages.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 20, 2012
Bruce Grant's Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian was first published in 1958 as American Indians, Yesterday and Today.
I'm reading a 2000 edition, "published by Wing Books, an imprint of Random House Value Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, by arrangement with E. P. Dutton, an imprint of Viking Penguin USA." The copy I have is from the juvenile nonfiction section of the local public library.
If you've got Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian in your library, it can be deselected on the basis of outdated content.
Believe it or not, the appendix "Indian Population on Reservation in the United States" includes a "Distribution of Indian Tribes by States" that is based on the census of 1950. Some of the figures are from "the World Almanac and Book of Facts for 1959" (bold mine).
In the "Books to read if you want to know more" section, there are over 30 fiction and nonfiction books, ranging in publication year from 1928 to 1957.
I'm actually shocked that it has been published so many times without an update to the appendices!
Bias and misinformation characterize the entries. Here's some examples:
"BIG HEART," Grant tells us, is "Indian term for 'brave. Indians spoke of 'keeping their hearts big' and having no fear" (p. 43).
The entry for "COUNTING" reads: "The system of tens generally was used by Indians in counting. The white man calls this the decimal system. The Indians called it the finger and hand count."
Christopher Columbus has an entry, wherein Grant tells us that Columbus discovered America.
There is a "DIGGERS" entry, in which Grant writes "These Indians were reported to be very dirty and ill clothed and were considered the lowest form of Indian life" (p. 110).
"FIRE WATER" is the "Indian name for distilled spirits" (p. 128).
"HOW" is "Word of greeting used by Indians, who had no expressions for 'good morning,' 'good day,' or 'good evening.' (p. 154)
Of the Pueblo Indians, Grant writes that "they have become famous because of their peculiar customs and ceremonies, for instance, such a custom of men instead of women working in the fields" (p. 257).
A far better choice is the five-volume American Indian Contributions to the World by Keoke and Porterfield. As of today (August 20, 2012), it is available from Oyate for $175.
I'm reading a 2000 edition, "published by Wing Books, an imprint of Random House Value Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, by arrangement with E. P. Dutton, an imprint of Viking Penguin USA." The copy I have is from the juvenile nonfiction section of the local public library.
If you've got Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian in your library, it can be deselected on the basis of outdated content.
Believe it or not, the appendix "Indian Population on Reservation in the United States" includes a "Distribution of Indian Tribes by States" that is based on the census of 1950. Some of the figures are from "the World Almanac and Book of Facts for 1959" (bold mine).
In the "Books to read if you want to know more" section, there are over 30 fiction and nonfiction books, ranging in publication year from 1928 to 1957.
I'm actually shocked that it has been published so many times without an update to the appendices!
Bias and misinformation characterize the entries. Here's some examples:
"BIG HEART," Grant tells us, is "Indian term for 'brave. Indians spoke of 'keeping their hearts big' and having no fear" (p. 43).
The entry for "COUNTING" reads: "The system of tens generally was used by Indians in counting. The white man calls this the decimal system. The Indians called it the finger and hand count."
Christopher Columbus has an entry, wherein Grant tells us that Columbus discovered America.
There is a "DIGGERS" entry, in which Grant writes "These Indians were reported to be very dirty and ill clothed and were considered the lowest form of Indian life" (p. 110).
"FIRE WATER" is the "Indian name for distilled spirits" (p. 128).
"HOW" is "Word of greeting used by Indians, who had no expressions for 'good morning,' 'good day,' or 'good evening.' (p. 154)
Of the Pueblo Indians, Grant writes that "they have become famous because of their peculiar customs and ceremonies, for instance, such a custom of men instead of women working in the fields" (p. 257).
A far better choice is the five-volume American Indian Contributions to the World by Keoke and Porterfield. As of today (August 20, 2012), it is available from Oyate for $175.
May 18, 2010
Sort of the random book that I picked up from a guy on the street. It's awesome and has the best drawings.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews