EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON: QUANAH PARKER AND THE RISE AND FALL OF THE COMANCHES…

New York: Scribner, 2010. viii,371pp. Index. Bibliography. Notes. Map. Photographs. Tan paper over boards with black cloth spine, title in gilt on spine. First edition, first printing. Fine copy. Minor smudge to back panel of the dust jacket, else, fine. Joseph A. Stout, Jr., Oklahoma State University History Department: “It is good reading, well written and deserves the attention of scholars and history buffs.” Gwynne tells two interconnecting stories in his book. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful and feared tribe in North America. The second is the epic saga of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son, Quanah, the last and greatest Comanche Chief. In particular, the author has done a masterful job of portraying Quanah and his adaptation to the white society. Through the use of archival research, first person accounts, and secondary sources, the author adds not only new information but presents the story in an entertaining, readable manner. This is one of the two or three really good books on the Comanche---- a must read for any interested in the subject. Scarce in the first printing.