In the Two Medicine territory of Montana, the Pikuni Indians are forced to choose between fighting a futile war or accepting a humiliating surrender, as the encroaching numbers of whites threaten their very existence

In Understanding James Welch, Ron McFarland offers analysis and critical commentary on the works of the renowned Blackfoot-Gros Ventre writer whose first novel, Winter in the Blood has become a classic in Native American fiction and who book of poems, Riding the Earthboy 40, has remained in print since its initial publication in 1971. McFarland offers close readings of Welch's poems, four novels and recent book, Killing Custer, which tells the story of the Battle of the Little Bighorn from a Native American perspective.

James Welch never shied away from depicting the lives of Native Americans damned by destiny and temperament to the margins of society. The Death of Jim Loney is no exception. Jim Loney is a mixed-blood, of white and Indian parentage. Estranged from both communities, he lives a solitary, brooding existence in a small Montana town. His nights are filled with disturbing dreams that haunt his waking hours. Rhea, his lover, cannot console him; Kate, his sister, cannot penetrate his world. In sparse, moving prose, Welch has crafted a riveting tale of disenfranchisement and self-destruction. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The classic account of Custer\'s Last Stand that shattered themyth of the Little Bighorn and rewrote history books. This historic and personal work tells the Native American sideof Custer\'s fabled attack, poignantly revealing how disastrous theencounter was for the "victors," the last great gathering of PlainsIndians under the leadership of Sitting Bull.

Now with an introduction from celebrated poet James Tate, Riding the Earthboy 40 is the only volume of poetry written by acclaimed Native American novelist James Welch. The title of the book refers to the forty acres of Montana land Welch's father once leased from a Blackfeet family called Earthboy. This land and its surroundings shaped the writer's worldview as a youth, its rawness resonates in the vitality of his elegant poetry, and his verse shows a great awareness of a moment in time, of a place in nature, and of the human being in context. Deeply evoking the specific Native American experience in Montana, Welch's poems nonetheless speak profoundly to all readers. With its new introduction, this vital work that has influenced so many American writers is certain to capture a new generation of readers.

“At once a romance, a gripping suspense thriller, and a psychological portrait. . . .The Indian Lawyer is a triumph.”—San Francisco Chronicle Sylvester Yellow Calf is a former reservation basketball star, a promising young lawyer, and a possible congressional candidate. But when a parolee ensnares him in a blackmail scheme, he'll have to decide just who he is, and what he wants.

James Welch was one of the central figures in twentieth-century American Indian literature, and The Heartsong of Charging Elk is of particular importance as the culminating novel in his canon. A historical novel, Heartsong follows a Lakota (Sioux) man at the end of the nineteenth century as he travels with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show; is left behind in Marseille, France; and then struggles to overcome many hardships, including a charge for murder. In this novel Welch conveys some of the lifeways and language of a traditional Sioux. Here for the first time is a literary companion to James Welch’s Heartsong that includes an unpublished chapter of the first draft of the novel; selections from interviews with the author; a memoir by the author’s widow, Lois Welch; and essays by leading scholars in the field on a wide range of topics. The rich resources presented here make this volume an essential addition to the study of James Welch and twentieth-century Native American literature.

These thought-provoking and spiritual poems focus on faith, relationships, and the role of God in life and in the bedroom. Female empowerment is at the heart of this collection, as well as perceptions of humanity as beings full of light.

Richard Purvis-organist, choirmaster, and composer at historic Grace Cathedral-became a San Francisco legend and (along with Alexander Schreiner, E. Power Biggs, and Virgil Fox) a national celebrity who made mid-20th century American organ music popular with the masses through records, recitals, and the press. The only book of its kind, Richard Purvis, Organist of Grace is a major contribution to our understanding of the music, culture, and church politics of an era marked as much by social change as by a revolution in musical taste, technology, and compositional technique. Uniquely among his colleagues, Purvis was first and foremost a writer and performer of original music that thrilled church and concert audiences everywhere-a talent that won him more than one invitation to leave Grace to compose for Hollywood. (His closest ally at Grace described Purvis as writing "film music for the Episcopal church.") Child prodigy, conservatory virtuoso, prisoner of war-Purvis's early life reads like a movie. Then came his epic rise and fall at Grace, concertizing throughout the United States, and a teaching career that spawned a generation of organists who, like Purvis, were equally adept at playing theatre organs, unafraid to experiment-even with electronic organs-and trained to trust their ear, not just the page. Through scrupulous research and extensive interviews with those who knew Purvis best, James Welch captures the character, career, and legacy of "The Master of Grace" in the book that future scholars and readers will return to, again and again, as the Place Where it All Began in Purvis studies.Richard Purvis, Organist of Grace, 508 pages, is lavishly illustrated with never-before seen photos and a wealth of documents and interviews. It chronicles Purvis's early life in the Bay Area, his years at The Curtis Institute, his military service in World War II, and his tempestuous tenure at Grace Cathedral, where he made the stones sing and crowds cheer. The book includes detailed chapters about Purvis as composer, recitalist, and teacher; complete lists of his published (and unpublished) organ and choral works; the story of his strong interest in the theatre organ; and colorful anecdotes and reminiscences from those who knew him as a friend, teacher, and colleague. His legend continues-clarified, corrected, and completed-in this essential resource for organists, historians, and lovers of music.

In 1990 John W. Welch's book The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount presented a thorough Latter-day Saint interpretation of the Savior's greatest sermon, drawing on insights from Jesus's Sermon at the Temple in 3 Nephi to shed light on his Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple and Sermon on the Mount builds on that earlier study with substantial additions based on insights gleaned throughout a decade of continuing research. The basic analysis remains unchanged: understanding the Sermon (meaning both texts in their shared, collective meaning) as a temple text reveals that it has far more power and unity than a mere collection of miscellaneous sayings of Jesus.