Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $8.87, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published by The World Publishing Company.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $8.87, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by The World Publishing Company.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $8.87, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published by The World Publishing Company.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $15.00, very good condition, Sold by Kubik Fine Books Ltd rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dayton, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by The World Publishing Company.
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Seller's Description:
957p. A navy blue cloth hardcover book in very good condition without a dustjacket. The spine is slightly cockeyed, but the binding is still secure and the text unmarked.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $15.00, good condition, Sold by Avalon Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Stockton, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1962 by Signet.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $20.00, very good condition, Sold by Glover's Bookery, ABAA rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lexington, KY, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by World Publishing Company.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good+ in Very Good dust jacket. 8vo 8"-9" tall 957 pp; 1st edition. Minimal shelf wear, shows small bend mark inside top front hinge apparently from manufacturing. Hinges clean, binding solid. Pages very lightly age toned. In orig DJ showing some edge wear and faint scuffing on covers, a couple of tiny tears and some faint bend marks along folds and spine edges. Clean, solid copy.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $20.00, very good condition, Sold by nelsonsbooks rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chazy, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by World Pub. Co..
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Seller's Description:
Very good in good dust jacket. 957 p. : map; 22 cm. Includes Maps. Includes bibliography. First edition stated, book is clean and tight with a gift inscription on the ffep, jacket has some edge wear and 2 snall 1.2 inch tears, price clipped.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $22.92, good condition, Sold by Stephen White Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bradford, WEST YORKSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1973 by TBS The Book Service Ltd.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $25.00, good condition, Sold by Austin Book Shop LLC rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Richmond Hill, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by World.
Add this copy of Spirit Lake to cart. $35.00, good condition, Sold by Deja Vu Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Poplar Grove, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1961 by World Publishing.
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Seller's Description:
Good+ in Near Very Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾-9¾" tall. Signed by Author(s) Dark blue hardcover cloth binding with gilt title clean, square and tight. Interior shows light wear-there are a few ink marks on outside of text block, red stain top of text block is a bit faded. DJ not price-clipped, clean and crisp with just minimal shelfwear. Displays nicely in clean Brodart jacket. 957 pages with notes and bibliography. Author's epic novel of the American Frontier.
In 1962 when I was 14 I was an avid reader of the New York Times Book Review. I remember being fascinated by the advertisements for "Spirit Lake", but I never got the book. Recently I decided to see if Alibris had it in stock and of course they did. The novel was not what I expected, but that is not always a bad thing. Instead of giving a fictionalized account of a tragic but now forgotten event on the Iowa frontier( yes Iowa was once the American frontier) MacKinlay Kantor decided to write an historical epic similar in length to "Don Quixote" or "The Brothers Karamazov". Now Kantor is not Dostoevsky of Cervantes", but he is a careful chronicler of a particular time and place. The two most sharply drawn characters are the savage Dakota/Sioux Chief Inkpaduta and his saintly wife Corn Sucker, two fascinating and contrasting portraits of Native Americans. In my opinion the whites characters are not as well drawn, but on the positive side every aspect of pioneer life is explored through them. The characters, or most of them, are actual historical figures, and are represented in extensive detail. We learn a great deal about their occupations, their games, courtship rituals, and their religion.
Now this book is not for everyone. It can drag a bit, and I must admit that I skimmed through a good part of it, but the advantage of Kantor's method is that the reader can either immerse himself in various of the detailed accounts or skim through what doesn't find interesting. We do get a sense of the reality of the time, place and characters involved. If you're interested in the American Frontier as it probably was, and you have the patience for a long read, I believe you will enjoy this book.
Barbara K
Jul 1, 2010
Masterpiece
Though long out of print, it's worth your effort to read this book. Kantor is a master of character development and intricate plot lines. He is capable of bringing together many disparate people and creating meaningful interactions among them.
