The Indian Frontier, 1763-1846 (Histories of the American Frontier)
Up to now, lay readers and scholars looking for information on  relations between Native American tribes and the U.S. government  have had to consult Francis Prucha's two-volume standard survey,  The Great Father, even if they were interested in only a  specific period. But no longer. For information on the crucial  period from the end of the French and Indian War to the  beginning of the Mexican War, they can now turn to Hurt's  excellent synthesis, which updates the first half of Prucha's  first volume. Hurt considers each region in turn, discussing not  only U.S. policy toward Native Americans but British, French,  and Spanish policy as well and showing how each country related  to the others and how Native dealings with one country  influenced their expectations from the others. He clearly  explains complex treaty and trade negotiations and provides an  excellent bibliography that leads the reader deeper into the  subject. One of the best history books of the year, this  well-written survey belongs in every academic library and most  public libraries. Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ.  Lib., MarquetteCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.