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Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

Step back in time and learn how to relive the American frontier. First published in 1981, this bestseller is the standard against which other frontier living history books are judged! Ten authors bring their expertise to the subjects of: The Philosophy of Buckskinning, How to Get Started, Rendezvous & Shoots, The Lodge, The Guns, The Clothing, Accoutrements & Equipment, The Skills, Women in Buckskinning, and The Crafts. Timeless information and inspiration for modern-day frontiersmen and women!

Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

In-depth information on recreating life on the American frontier. Expand your enjoyment of living history with chapters including: Horseback Travel, Powder Horns, Canoeing, Camp Gear, Leather Clothing and Gun Tune-Up & Care. Each chapter was written by an experienced and knowledgeable participant in frontier reenacting. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and line drawings.

Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

Explore recreating life on the American frontier. Solid information shared by knowledgeable and experienced reenactors help modern-day frontiersmen get started in the sport known as buckskinning. Subjects include: Historic Guns & Today's Makers, Quillworking, Trade Beads, 18th & 19th Century Cooking, The Hunting Pouch, Beadworking, Techniques for Making Footwear, and Period Shelters. Special color section of beadwork, quillwork, authentic frontier clothing, and trade bead photos

Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

Enhance your frontier skills and knowledge. Each chapter was written by a knowledgeable and experienced participant in the sport known as buckskinning and lavishly illustrated with photos and drawings. Chapters include: Traditional Blacksmithing, Blankets in Early America, From Raw Hides to Rawhide, Styles of the Southwest, Smoothbores on the Frontier, Trade Silver, Backwoods Knives, Lighting the Primitive Camp, and Historic Sites & Museums. Emphasis is on demonstrating skills and how-to information.

Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

Practical frontier American skills and knowledge are the focus in part five of this series on the sport known as buckskinning. Each chapter was written by a different author with in-depth knowledge of his or her topic. Chapters include: Fur Trade Indian Dresses; Old-Time Music & Instruments; Trade Goods for Rendezvous; Tipi Know-How; Engraving & Carving; Historic Sites & Museums II; Games, Sports & Other Amusements; and Pack Saddles & Panniers. Special color section features the dress of fur trade Indian women and horseback photos. Each chapter is abundantly illustrated with photos and drawings.

Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

Hands-on frontier skills and in-depth historical information. Part six in this bestselling series on the pastime of recreating the American frontier, known as buckskinning, features more first-rate historical information and clear, hands-on instructions in the skills and crafts of the American pioneers. Chapters include: The Traditional Hunting Pouch, Horse Gear-East & West, Making a Wooden Bow, American Powder Horns, Frontier Trail Foods, Old-Time Shooting Matches, Period Trekking, and Finger Weaving. Special color section features photos of period horseback trips, powder horns, hunting pouches, and finger-woven sashes.

Author: William H. Scurlock (Author, Editor)

Best-selling guide to skills and crafts of frontier America. This book on the pastime of recreating the American frontier, known as buckskinning, continues the tradition of passing along accurate, practical information for the modern-day historian and reenactor. First-rate historical research and hands-on crafts include: Clothing of the Rocky Mountain Trapper, 1820-1840; Indian-Influenced Woodsmen of the Cane; Tools & Techniques of Bark Tanning; A Wardrobe for the Frontier Woman, 1780-1840; A Typical Day's Journey in Winter; Goods of the Trunk Maker & His Trade; Art & Writing on the Frontier; and Great Lakes & Eastern Woodlands Knife Sheaths. Includes a special color section featuring original art and artifacts plus reproductions. Each chapter was written by a knowledgeable participant in his field and is fully illustrated with photos and drawings.

Author: Ian Knight
Illustrator: Angus McBride
Osprey (Elite)

Zulu military organisation was extremely sophisticated. Warriors were organised into regiments with some form of basic uniform and shields were state-manufactured and owned. Yet, in spite of this sophistication, much of the Zulu's military outlook was extremely primitive: firearms were ill understood, and between 1816 and 1906 the Zulus maintained their primary reliance on hand-to-hand fighting. In this book Ian Knight investigates Zulu weaponry in detail, and also their society, beliefs and rituals, particularly with regard to ceremonies conducted before and after battles. Tactics, costume and customs are carefully examined, as are various battles, such as the war between the Zulus and Boers (1838) and the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), which brought about the end of the Zulu kingdom, making this a thorough account of the Zulu warrior.

Author: Winfred Blevins

Blevins portrays the incredible lives of such men as Jed Smith, Jim Bridger, Tom Fitzpatrick, and Bill Williams, while he looks for the greater story, the story of their experiences, rather than the political realities of their era.

Author: Eugene C. Stevens

In the spring of 1832, 275 Illinois militiamen under the command of Major Isaiah Stillman were sent on a mission to capture or destroy the infamous Chief Black Hawk and subdue the warriors that followed him into Illinois to reclaim their homeland. Stillman’s expedition earned the title of the “Forlorn Hope,” as they found themselves up against superior numbers of warriors with the very real possibility of being completely wiped out. A small contingent of Rangers held their ground and covered the retreat of their fellow Rangers. Many lost their lives, but many others lived to tell the truth about what had really occurred on that day. Last Stand at Old Man’s Creek is the true and correct story of what occurred and the aftermath of the battle that would smear the names of the men who were there. This finally answers the questions that have lingered for nearly two centuries about the circumstances surrounding the surprising defeat of the militia on that fatal day.

Author: Carl P. Russell

This encyclopedic guide to the equipment of the trappers and fur traders who opened the Old West is a unique reference work that can be classified either as history or as archaeology. It describes and discusses hundreds of iron artifacts—rifles, shotguns, hatchets, axes, knives, traps, and miscellaneous tools—used by the mountain men from the early 1800s to the mid 1840s.

Thirty years’ research went into the writing of this book. In addition to examining the diaries and letters of the trappers themselves, and the business records of fur-trading companies, the author also tracked down the records and catalogs of the gunsmiths, ironmongers, and other manufacturers who supplied the early traders. He observed most of the surviving artifacts, identified their makers, and traced the evolution of the styles and designs of the weapons and tools, usually from European origins.

Illustrated with over 400 drawings, the book begins with a useful background history of the western fur trade. Among the sections that will appeal to special groups of readers are chapters on firearms and blacksmithing and an appendix on the “Historic Objects as Sources of History.”

Author: Ron Field
Illustrator: Richard Hook
Osprey (Elite)

The role of the Frontier scout in the US Army during the period of westward expansion, was often far more important than that of the commanding officer. They possessed a priceless knowledge of the geography, people and characteristics of the great, unknown American hinterland and from the earliest days of exploration, the US Army depended on its scouts to guide troops across the plains and through the mountains as they guarded the nation's frontier settlements. This book tells the colourful story of these frontier men, covering many famous scouts such as 'Wild Bill' Hickok and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody.

Author: Ron Field
Illustrator: Adam Hook
Osprey (Fortress)

A major period of westward expansion took place in the United States during the first half of the 19th century. Fur trading, the coast-to-coast railroad, the California gold rush and the removal of Native American tribes both facilitated and encouraged America's "manifest destiny" to become a transcontinental nation. The task of protecting the settlers from the tribes that inhabited the Great Plains fell to the US Army, and to do this an extensive network of permanent forts was created via construction and acquisition. This title examines why the forts were built, as well as their design, defensive features and the role they played in the settlement of the American West. The daily lives of the garrison soldiers and fort inhabitants are also covered, together with the fighting witnessed at key sites.

Author: Richard N. Pawling

This book is an indispensable guide to the often misunderstood field of living history. It presents the actuality that there is a great deal more involved in this discipline than merely “wearing old clothes and going back to the past.” This volume succinctly captures the perspectives that Richard Pawling has gained from over thirty-five years of experience in the interpretive profession (in county, state and national parks and as entrepreneur and owner of Rich Pawling’s History Alive!). Here, Pawling shares his observations and advice about everything from designing a living history persona to his successful use of this provocative teaching technique in the college classroom, to the role of research in helping you to learn about your own genealogical past. Though written for a broad audience, this book should be of particular interest to those employed as an interpretive park ranger or a naturalist, a museum or tour guide, or those who volunteer as a military reenactor or as a docent at a park, museum or historic site. Old Clothes presents the important lessons Pawling has learned along the way, the most important of which is that “life is a journey and understanding our past plays an important role in helping us to continue to learn not only about life in general, but more importantly, about ourselves.”


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