Cimarron by Edna Ferber Best Seller in 1930

A novel by the historical fiction author, Edna Ferber. Published in 1929 it achieved the number 1 best seller status in 1930. The novel has lost favor with many as it is looked at as being racist although it does depict historical events that occurred in our country.

Cimarron gets its name from the Cimarron Territory. The Cimarron Territory was an unrecognized name for the Oklahoma Panhandle or No Man’s Land, an unsettled area of the West and Midwest, especially lands once inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Cherokee and Sioux. In 1886 the government declared such lands open to settlement. Oklahoma at the time of the novel’s opening is one such “Cimarron Territory” though, in actuality, the historical setting of the novel is somewhere in the Cherokee Outlet, also known as the Cherokee Strip and probably the city of Woodward, Oklahoma.

The novel is set in the Oklahoma of the latter nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It follows the lives of Yancy and Sabra Cravat, beginning with Yancey’s tale of his participation in the Oklahoma Land Race 1893 land rush. They emigrate from Wichita, Kansas to the fictional town of Osage, Oklahoma with their son, Cim, and (unknowingly) a black boy named Isaiah. The Cravats here print their newspaper, the Oklahoma Wigwam and build their fortune amongst Indian disputes, outlaws, and the discovery of oil in Oklahoma. Upon its publication, Cimarron was a sensation in America and came to epitomize an era in American history. This novel became Ferber’s third successful novel and paved the way for many more historical epics penned by the author.

From Wikipedia Article

Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey 1906

Spirit of the Border is an historical novel written by Zane Grey and published in 1906. Based on events that occurred in the Ohio River Valley in the 18th century the book is the second in a trilogy by the author.

Lew Wetzel, historical figure, dedicated his life to destroying the Native Americans who lived in the valley and to protect the white settlements in the region.  The story deals with the Moravian missionaries who tried to Christianize the Indians. Two brothers lives take separate paths upon their arrival on the border.

The first book in the trilogy was Betty Zane which was Grey’s first published work. The third book in the trilogy was The Last Trail which focused on an ancestor of Grey, Jonathan Zane.

A 1954 edition of this book can be found at The Paper Trail

Jean Marie Auel – A Favorite of Mine

One of my absolute favorite authors is Jean M. Auel. Her historical fiction is so remarkably well written that you feel that you are truly there with pre-historic humans living life with them. She is a master in my eyes.

Jean Marie Auel was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 18, 1936. The second of five children of Neil Solomon Untinen, and Martha Wirtanen. Jean and her husband, Ray Bernard Auel, have five children and live in Portland, Oregon.

Auel has been a member of Mensa since 1964. She attended Portland State University and the University of Portland. While studying, she worked as a clerk (1965-1966), a circuit board designer (1966-1973), technical writer (1973-1974), and a credit manager at Tektronix (1974-1976). She earned an MBA in 1976 and has received honorary degrees from the University of Maine and Mount Vernon College for Women.

In 1977, Auel began extensive library research of the Ice Age for her first book. She joined a survival class to learn how to construct an ice cave, and learned primitive methods of making fire, tanning leather, and knapping stone from aboriginal skills expert Jim Riggs. Clan of the Cave Bear was nominated for numerous literary awards, including an American Booksellers Association nomination for best first novel.

After the success of the first book, Auel was able to travel to prehistoric sites and to meet many of the experts with whom she had been corresponding. Her research has taken her across Europe from France to Ukraine, including most of what Marija Gimbutas called Old Europe. She has developed a close friendship with Dr. Jean Clottes of France who was responsible for, among many other things, the exploration of the Cosquer Cave discovered in 1985 and the Chauvet Cave discovered in 1994.

Jean Auel’s books have been commended for their anthropological authenticity and their ethnobotanical accuracy.

Earth’s children Series:

1. The Clan of the Cave Bear, 1980
2. The Valley of Horses, 1982
3. The Mammoth Hunters, 1985
4. The Plains of Passage, 1990
5. The Shelters of Stone, 2002

She Who Remembers by Linda Lay Shuler 1988

I have to say right off the bat that this is one of my all time favorite books! I’m a real sucker for good historical fiction and Linda Lay Shuler grabbed me on the first page back in 1988. I could hardly put the book down until I had read the last page. Once I had completed the novel, I found myself almost sad that the I wouldn’t be following Kwani anymore. To me, that is the definition of a good fiction author, no matter what genre they are writing in. If they grab you in the first paragraph and you find yourself missing the main character after you have finished the book, you’ve found a good author. I’ve since read all three of Shuler’s titles and she captivated me in each one.

Published in 1988 She Who Remembers was Shuler’s first novel. The story is in the American Southwest in the 13th century with Kwani a young member of the Anasazi tribe as the main character. She is believed to be a witch by her own people and is rescued by Kokopelli and taken to the cliff dwellings of the Eagle Clan where she eventually becomes the revered woman known as She Who Remembers.

According to my research there were 50,000 copies in the first printing of this book by Macmillan. It has been reprinted a few times and can be found most commonly in paperback form.

If you are looking for a great read and you love historical fiction, I can highly recommend this book. You might find a copy to read in one of these online book stores:

Books in Rockford

The Brookings Book Company

Books by the Sea