[In the following review, Whisker asserts that the essays in A Sender of Words are in honor of John G. Neihardt and his importance to Amerindian studies, rather than a critique of his work.]

The title of the work comes from a letter of 1931 from a visionary Sioux Indian named Black Elk to the subject of these essays, John G. Neihardt. Black Elk was the subject of Neihardt's most significant work, Black Elk Speaks. Few, if any, Americans better understood the Americans culture, at least as its remnants existed into the first half of the 20th century. This collection of essays on the contribution, thought and meaning of Neihardt appears just after the one hundredth anniversary of Neihardt's birth.

The contributors are a veritable who's who among Amerindian apologists and spokespersons of our time. This is not a set of essays which seek to critique the subject; rather, these essays are in honor of Neihardt. The authors universally pay tribute to the man and his work. The editor of this book, and a major contributor to it, is Vine Deloria, Jr., author of Custer Died for Your Sins. Dee Brown (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) is a major contributor. The essays do cover every aspect of Neihardt's writings, and in this, the book stands far above many other sympathetic anthologies of essays.

To the reader who does not already know, Neihardt's position in Amerindian studies grows steadily. There is an influential Neihardt Foundation; and a Neihardt Day (held on the first Sunday in August); and the historical society of Nebraska makes great efforts at recognizing his work. Neihardt was a talented poet and keen observer of the western Amerindian scene.

The book certainly belongs in academic libraries and any library with holdings in western Americana and on the Amerindian. The book represents a very good value in today's market; it has been put together in an attractive and durable fashion.