Encyclopedia of Native Tribes of North America

Review\n[Review of previously published edition:] Revised and expanded, Johnson's Encyclopedia of Native Tribes of North America is a delight both to the eye and the pocketbook.... The fact that Firefly Books could do this exquisite volume for such a small price is to be commended. Recommended. -- Diana Shonrock ― Booklist Published On: 2008-05-01\n[Review of previously published edition:] Provides concise information about Native peoples north of the Rio Grande, including Canada... Although similar to other one-volume encyclopedias, the rich illustration and supplemental sections make this volume worthwhile. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels. -- M. Cedar Face, Southern Oregon University ― Choice Published On: 2008-04-01\n[Review of hardcover edition:] This new edition features 16 additional pages, new maps on the Arctic and the Subarctic, a section on the Metis, an expanded glossary, and updated census data. Like earlier editions, it is organized by culture area ("Northwestern Woodlands," "Southeastern Woodlands," "Plains and Prairie," "Plateau," "Great Basin," "California," "Southwest," "Northwest Coast," "Subarctic," and "Arctic"). Each culture area is introduced with a linguistic chart, an ethnohistorical essay, and a map; these help readers understand relationships between nations in the specific areas. . . The volume is enhanced with an informative introduction, an explanation of linguistic classification (language families), extensive and detailed maps, a section on native people today, detailed demographic statistics for the US and Canada, and an illustrated glossary. Though not in academia, Johnson has published about native peoples for more than 30 years. . . The maps, photographs, and beautiful illustrations by Hook, combined with concise, accurate entries, make this volume a good purchase, especially for libraries that lack the 2007 edition. Summing up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; general readers. -- M. Cedar Face ― Choice Published On: 2015-03-01\n[Review of hardcover edition:] Johnson, author of several books on Native Americans, expanded and richly illustrated this second edition, which focuses on tribes living north of the Rio Grande, including Alaska and Canada. In addition to the color plates by Richard Hook, there are numerous maps, illustrations, and black-and-white photos throughout. An overview of the classification of Indian languages serves as the basis for the organization of the subsequent sections of the encyclopedia. Each chapter concentrates on a geographic region with tribal information arranged by language. The content is concise, gathering facts on ethnology, demographics, and culture. A glossary, census data, and a bibliography are also included. Anyone interested in Native American history and culture will find this book a valuable resource. VERDICT A worthwhile addition to the reference collection at school, college, and public libraries. -- Diane Fulkerson, University of South Florida ― Library Journal Published On: 2014-11-01\n"A model of excellence in the art of reference volume publishing... Every public and school library... should acquire this treasure. It will remain the standard for many years to come."
-- Dr. James A. Clifton, Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University
"This substantial reference remains one of the most elaborately illustrated books on Native Americans now in print... Highly recommended."
-- Library Journal
This superb, fully illustrated reference offers the most up-to-date and essential facts on the identity, kinships, locations, populations and cultural characteristics of some 400 separately identifiable peoples native to the North American continent, both living and extinct, from the Canadian Arctic to the Rio Grande.
The abundance of illustrations and photographs form an especially rich store of material describing the vast range of Native American material culture. The maps are valuable pictorial repr