The Lance and the Shield: the Life and Times of Sitting Bull, by Robert M. Utley (Pimlico, £12.50 in UK)

Now that Red Indians are called "Native Americans," there is a whole literature of sympathy with the near-destruction and marginalisation…

Now that Red Indians are called "Native Americans," there is a whole literature of sympathy with the near-destruction and marginalisation of the culture they represented. Sitting Bull is an obvious focus for this, since the Sioux nation he ruled over was one of the great Indian societies, even though he had to contend with rival tribes for rights to the Western hunting grounds. Far greater, however, was the steadily growing threat from White encroachment, and though the Sioux won a victory at Little Big Horn, by doing so they made implacable enemies of American political and business interests. So the battle which should have been the apex of their power was really the beginning of their downfall. A poignant story.