Books published by publisher Bigwig Books

Captain John G. Bourke was one of the preeminent scholars of Native-American life in the 19th century. He was a soldier, a Medal of Honor recipient, an ethnographer, aide to General George Crook, and a friend of Indians. Like Crook, Bourke was outspoken and felt the "system" set up to deal with native peoples was not much of a system at all.Yet like most of his contemporaries in the military, he was an instrument of the policy he felt was broken. In this lively and fascinating account of the pursuit of Geronimo and others in 1883, Bourke drew on his diary of the campaign.Bourke has long been cited as a source on Native-American studies and none other than Sigmund Freud wrote the preface for the 1913 edition of Bourke's "Scatalogic Rites of All Nations."A prolific writer, Bourke died a young man but left an astonishing legacy of scholarship.Every memoir of the American West provides us with another view of the movement that changed the country forever.For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

Scoundrel, comedian, conman, or healer? Dr. Albert Adams was a real bigger-than-life character whose unconventional treatment methods in the early 20th century got him and some of his practitioners into hot water.Abrams (1863–1924) was an American doctor, well known during his life for inventing machines which he claimed could diagnose and cure any disease. Challenged from the very beginning about his claims, it was conclusively demonstrated at the end of his life, and again shortly after his death, that his claims were false and deceptive by design.In 1900 he penned this supposed account of some of his medical adventures. It is both ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. It's difficult to know if Abrams meant this to be comical but one look at the self-satisfied expression on the cover of this book makes one believe he was in on the joke.Be sure to LOOK INSIDE or download a sample.

From service in the Civil War to presiding over the trial of Wild Bill Hickok's killer to fighting Indians, Judge W.L. Kuykendall lived a frontier life full of real adventure and close calls.When elected judge by the citizens of Deadwood for the trial of Hickok's killer, Kuykendall told the town..."While willing to assume the responsibility, I refused to serve unless all those present agreed to be present with their revolvers when the court convened to see that a proper jury committee was selected and to remain through the trial and see the proceedings through to the end. Officers and everybody except the prisoner were armed, and the theater was packed with men."That's frontier justice for you.He went on to preside over the trials of other desperadoes and has a fascinating collection of stories of frontier days.For the first time, this long-out-of-print book is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE or download a sample.

They told him his world was destroyed. And they were the last to escape. They thought he was safe. They were wrong. Jim Wales can communicate with animals, but that's not why he lives with a traveling carnival. Turns out his family's been hiding him there since he was little, since someone started hunting all the scholars. Jim is a scholar--someone who can manipulate energy using magic--and he has no idea. When a message arrives from Jim's father--who supposedly died twelve years ago--Jim's whereabouts are discovered, their carnival is attacked, and his mother is kidnapped. On the run with a strange glass map and a single coin, Jim finds himself racing to reclaim the father he thought he'd lost, plotting to save his mother, and discovering the truth about who he is. But going home isn't the same as being safe, and trust is everything.

"The wittiest woman in America is dead. There are others who say many brilliant things; but I doubt if there is another so spontaneously and pointedly witty, in the sense that Sidney Smith was witty."So wrote famed writer, Mary Clemmer Ames, about her friend, Phoebe Cary.Brilliant, witty, iconoclastic, Alice and Phoebe Cary were much beloved writers and poets of the Victorian period. Praised by influential critics including Edgar Allan Poe, Rufus Wilmot Griswold, and Horace Greeley, their work today seems very modern.Their famous salon in New York hosted many of the intellectual and literary luminaries of their day.Here they are brought to life in a lively and beautiful rendering that will put you into their parlor and make you wish you'd been part of their salon. Alice was the poet, Phoebe the lyricist (and poet), both of them advocates for women's rights.Who better to bring forth this memory of the wonderful Cary sisters than Mary Ames. Writing with great sensitivity, wit, and a thorough appreciation for her subjects, Ames' writing will also read as very much "today" to the modern reader.For less than you'd spend on gas going to the library, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones.Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

By the age of 90, when he wrote this memoir, Charles Peters had lived an extraordinary life. Born in the Azores, an immigrant to America at 10, he caught the Gold Fever in 1849 and headed to California. He spent the rest of his long life there, prospecting for gold and ranching.As you'll see in his book, he became something of an encyclopedia on California mining. He packed this book full of wonderful tales as well as a great many fun facts about gold, mining, and the luck of the Chinese. If it hadn't been for an accidental drowning at 96, he may well have made it to a much greater age. He had the genes for it.Every memoir of the American West provides us with another view of the movement that changed the country forever.For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

More than one woman ventured alone to the great Alaskan north during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s. Sarah Fell was one them. She did not find gold but nevertheless made a good living for herself through perseverance and resourcefulness. Lucky for us, she left us this volume full of stories, facts about prices in the gold rush, and how she made her way."I have seen strong men in middle life sit down and cry as the loneliness and desolation of it all swept over their souls; women are more enduring than men and with equal hardships kept in better cheer."Shipping out of Seattle with a year's supply of goods, Sarah was admittedly caught up in the "gold fever" of the day and looking for a way out of debt. Like most prospectors, she would not realize her dreams of striking it rich.But she did gain a wealth of experiences that she shares with us in this slim volume. Available for the first time in an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers, you can find out how Sarah met with the obstacles and opportunities thrown her way in 1897.Be sure to LOOK INSIDE or download a sample.

John Singleton Mosby's Rangers bedeviled the Union army for four long years. The Rangers were what we would today call guerillas; units that could make fast raids and get away before the enemy could react.This highly-successful unit became legendary during the war and continues to be an object of fascination by scholars and enthusiasts of the period into the 21st century.This is the official memoir of Mosby's command, written with his cooperation after the war. The author of this work, John Scott, wrote the Partisan Ranger Law in 1862.John Singleton Mosby was a remarkable individual. Highly intelligent, educated, and modest, he held the respect of many on both sides of the war. After the Civil War, he became a Republican and a supporter of Ulysses S. Grant.Every memoir of the American Civil War provides us with another view of the catastrophe that changed the country forever.For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.