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Post by Treasuredude on Jan 14, 2006 8:19:31 GMT -6
What is the best book you have read on LBH? The worst? Here's mine....
BEST - LAKOTA NOON by Michno
WORST - KILLING CUSTER by Welch
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Post by Jim on Jan 14, 2006 9:08:01 GMT -6
BEST - Little Bighorn Diary by Willert
WORST - Billy Heath by Genovese
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Post by fred on Jan 14, 2006 9:13:03 GMT -6
BEST-- Archeology, History, & Custer's Last Battle by Richard Allan Fox, Jr.
WORST-- Killing Custer by James Welch/ Paul Stekler
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Post by crzhrs on Jan 14, 2006 11:34:16 GMT -6
BEST--Custer's Luck by Edgar Stewart (great first-time read for the amateur, with an objective and fair analysis) I judge it as a good all-round book, with info on why the battle take place, the government policies, the what-ifs that could have happened, and more. Not a technical book and does not try to explain everything in detail about movements, numbers, and time frame, but still very concise and a good read.
WORST--Where was Custer (I forget author)
Fred:
Sorry: Killing Custer was OK in my mind. The PBS documentary SHOWDOWN AT LBH was based on it. The book had great Indian testimony, including descendants of the Indians, lots of tid bits of side info, especially the story about the settler and his sons' grave on a side of Montana highway, Charles Windolph's daughter, who appeared in the book and documentary. Yes, its slanted toward the Indians, but still I enjoyed it.
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Post by fred on Jan 14, 2006 13:31:57 GMT -6
Crzhrs--
You know something? A lot of people talk about how good Custer's Luck is. I read it once, years ago, then it became a casualty in my divorce, but I just noticed, when I looked at my bookshelves, it's there! I had ordered a bunch of books based on Richard Upton's say-so & he included that one, along w/ Wooden Leg by Marquis, Graham's The Story of the Little Big Horn[i/] & Legend Into History by Kuhlman. So after I finish Willert, then go through the Smalley works for about the 5th time, I'm on to Stewart.
As for Welch's Killing Custer-- I actually enjoyed the book, so maybe saying "WORST" is not appropriate. Maybe least favorite is better. I think I was more disappointed in it because, when I bought it, I was looking for a real, good story of the battle & that's not what I got. To be very honest w/ you, I don't have a single book on the subject (of about 40-42 books) that I dislike or wouldn't read again.
Go Pats!
Best wishes, Fred.
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Post by Treasuredude on Jan 14, 2006 23:01:41 GMT -6
As for Welch's Killing Custer-- I actually enjoyed the book, so maybe saying "WORST" is not appropriate. Maybe least favorite is better. I think I was more disappointed in it because, when I bought it, I was looking for a real, good story of the battle & that's not what I got. To be very honest w/ you, I don't have a single book on the subject (of about 40-42 books) that I dislike or wouldn't read again. Go Pats! Best wishes, Fred. That's the same way I feel. I was hoping for a book on the battle. It's more about the making of the documentary. I just purchased the documentary on DVD not too long ago. One thing that puzzled me was the comments made by Windolph's daughter. I had the impression that Windolph was more pro or neutral Custer. According to the comments from his daughter, he hated Custer's guts. Like you stated, of all the books I've read on the subject, KILLING CUSTER is my least favorite. WORST is maybe too harsh a word.
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Post by crzhrs on Jan 15, 2006 11:29:55 GMT -6
One thing about KILLING CUSTER . . . it reminded me of SOMS. It didn't really deal with the tactical parts of the battle, jumped around a lot, tid bits of info on the characters involved, history of Indian-White-Government relations, etc.
I find the information about the people involved far more interesting than the actual tactics and the what ifs. It always amazes me about the close-knit relations between some of the people we discuss: Tom Custer's run-in with Rain-in-the-Face, Isiah Dorman's ties to the Sioux, Boyer's also, Fred Girard's feud with Sitting Bull, Custer and the Cheyenne, of course the Benteen-Custer feud, and all the other ties that get lost when we speak of only the battle.
It is the people involved that resulted in the battle and explains a lot about what happened.
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Post by Tricia on Feb 10, 2006 17:18:59 GMT -6
Crzhrs--
RE: Killing Custer
Finally had to read Killing Custer just to see what all the hoopla--or lack thereof--is about, and since I tend to sympathise with the Native American POV, I haven't found the narrative too difficult to accept. I'm kind of surprised the Swiss delegation had such a problem with it, as one of the first lines I came across regarding LBH was Welch's statement that Benteen purposely disobeyed GAC's orders! I didn't particularly like how the only author Welch quoted with any frequency seems to have been Ambrose ...
Regards, LMC
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Post by Scout on Feb 10, 2006 19:11:13 GMT -6
I'm with JIM the worst has to be ''Billy Heath; the man who survived Custer Last Stand'' Man, if any of you bought this piece of cow dung I feel sorry for you. I bought it and was really po'd at myself. The author offers no evidence at all on Heath being the Wm Heath killed in the battle. The book is absolutely full of 'Heath could have' and 'Heath probably did this'. talk about wishful thinking. Does any one out there ever feel like they were 'burned' on buying a book?
The best: wow, that's a hard one, I'll have to go with old school. ''The Custer Myth'', ''Wooden Leg,'' ''Troopers with Custer''. Swanson's book is the best 'picture book' on the subject.
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Post by Diane Merkel on Feb 10, 2006 23:40:42 GMT -6
Scout, I didn't buy Billy Heath, the publisher sent it to me, probably hoping for a review in the Newsletter. It is awful even when it is free! ;D
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Post by El Crab on Feb 11, 2006 1:19:54 GMT -6
I read the "important" pages of Billy Heath at Powell's, and I felt ripped off. I want my 10 minutes back!
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Post by bubbabod on Feb 11, 2006 23:54:09 GMT -6
I thoroughly enjoyed "Where Custer Fell" by James S. Brust. I always enjoy the "then and now" photos such as are in this book, as well as Paul Horstad's "Exploring With Custer" about Custer's 1874 Black Hills expedition. I also read Welch's "Killing Custer" and thoroughly enjoyed it. As someone else noted, it's not so much about the tactics or who did what during the battle, but more on relationships and the filming of his documentary. I loved the description he gave when he was up on Reno Hill at night and there was a big campfire down at the Bird in Ground's home at Reno Crossing and he could imagine what it must have been like for Reno's men to look down on the valley on the night of the 25th. If we talked about worst movie ever, gotta be "Custer of the West." It was on earlier this week and it makes you want to throw up watching it. One and a half times was enough for me.
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Post by Scout on Feb 12, 2006 8:10:14 GMT -6
That movie was unwatchable...Hollywood has never had a clue about the LBH. The script writers and directors...and even the wardrobe people never did any seroius research into the LBH, and the 'Hollywood' Indians that attack the wagon train are more hysterical than believeble. John Ford came the closes for realism, at least he used real Indians, although the uniforms are strictly Hollywood.
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Post by elisabeth on Feb 12, 2006 8:19:46 GMT -6
Agree, that movie was awful (even with Robert Ryan in it). Apart from all else, there were those great chunks of made-for-Cinerama irrelevant plot ...
But I think "7h Cavalry" ranks pretty high on any list of irredeemable nonsense!
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Post by Treasuredude on Feb 12, 2006 8:36:02 GMT -6
But I think "7h Cavalry" ranks pretty high on any list of irredeemable nonsense! I grew up in North Dakota. I remember seeing that movie for the first time. There are these snow covered mountains in the background of Ft. Lincoln. I said, "Well THAT wasn't shot in North Dakota!" But CUSTER OF THE WEST is the worst. I would rather chew on tin foil than watch that movie again.
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