Letters to Robert A. Griffen of Reno, Nev., from Mari Sandoz. In Sandoz' letter of June 28, 1959, she discusses her book Hostiles and Friendlies and other literature about the American West. Letter of Aug. 28, 1961, discusses the publication of her book, Ram in the Thicket by Readers Digest, a re-issue of Cheyenne Autumn, and her desire to obtain some of Griffen's Indian bead work and photos of his paintings. Letter of Dec. 27, 1961, thanks Griffen for his gift of a sketch of a bar.

Mari Sandoz came out of the Sandhills of Nebraska to write at least three enduring books: Old Jules, Cheyenne Autumn, and Crazy Horse, the Strange Man of the Oglalas. She was a tireless researcher, a true storyteller, an artist passionately dedicated to a place little known and a people largely misunderstood. Blasted by some critics, revered by others for her vivid detail and depth of feeling, Sandoz has achieved a secure place in American literature. Her letters, edited by Helen Winter Stauffer, reveal extraordinary courage and zest for life. Included here are letters written by Sandoz over nearly forty years?from 1928, the year of her father's death and a critical one for her creative development, to 1966, the year of her own death. They allow memorable flimpses of the professional and private person: her struggles to learn her craft in spite of an unsupportive family and hard-won formal education, her experiences in gathering material, her relationships with editors and publishers, her work with fledgling writers, and her commitment to art and to various social concerns.

As a historian and as a novelist Mari Sandoz (1896?1966) stands in the front rank of western writers: in the words of John K. Hutchens, "no one in our time wrote better than the late Mari Sandoz did, or with more authority and grace, about as many aspects of the old West." This first full-length biography is particularly concerned to show the relationship between Sandoz's life and experiences and her writing. Drawing heavily on materials in the Mari Sandoz Collection at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?correspondence to and from Sandoz, her research notes, and manuscripts?and on interviews with dozens of Sandoz's friends and acquaintances, the author not only establishes the facts of Sandoz's life but confirms her standing as a writer and historian.

Includes four letters and a postcard between Wells and Sandoz. Topics include pioneers in Nebraska, Sandoz's book OLD JULES and her other writing, as well as the behavior of wolves. She sent a note to Wells, stating, "It's nice to add your name to a brisk little poke to the jaw of McCarthyism." Includes two copies of an excerpt from OLD JULES, and a mimeographed page of publicity for Sandoz following her novel, CAPITOL CITY.

"The collected correspondence of Mari Sandoz focusing on her political activism in behalf of American Indians in the mid-twentieth century. Introduced and edited by Kimberli Lee, the letters document Sandoz's role as a non-Native chronicler and advocate for Plains Indian cultures"--Provided by publisher.