Best of Dee Brown’s West: An Anthology, by Dee Brown, edited by Stan “Tex” Banash, Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe, N.M., 1998, $24.95.
Dee Brown, perhaps the most popular historian of the American West, is best known for his book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, but he has also written some outstanding shorter pieces of nonfiction–24 of which appear here. Previously published in American History Illustrated and other magazines, the articles chronicle the frontier from “The Great Adventure” (Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led that one) to “The Ghost Dance and Battle of Wounded Knee.” Among the ground Brown covers in his descriptive, highly readable narratives are the Trail of Tears, the Santa Fe Trail, Beecher’s Island, the Pony Express route, Jim Bridger’s stomping grounds and Geronimo’s hangouts. “Some uninformed people believe that the Old West is all mythology,” Brown writes in the prologue. “They need to read more Western history, the documented kind.” There are no footnotes with these true tales, but there are suggested readings for each one. “There is no question that Brown maintains a kindred spirit with those who played a role in the settlement of the West,” writes Stan Banash in his introduction. And that kindred spirit shows through in these two dozen stories.