The Comanches

A History, 1706–1875

by Thomas W Kavanagh

“This is a persuasive and comprehensive work, impressive in its detail and scope. . . . [It is] not likely to be superseded any time soon.”—Journal of the West. “This book is a historical encyclopedia of Comanche diplomacy. . . . No student of Southwest Native American history should overlook this book for its facts, figures, and the contribution toward making Comanche history more three-dimensional.”—Southwestern Historical Quarterly. “Soundly researched and solidly documented, this book includes painstaking analysis and comparisons of the sources. When speculation proves necessary, Kavanagh carefully explains his reasoning. Of interest to students of southwestern as well as Comanche history.”—Choice. “A stunning scholarly achievement. . . . This is a book that belongs on any Western historian’s or writer’s shelf if he or she is interested in painting the most feared and famous of the tribes of the Southern Plains with accurate and precise strokes.”—Southwestern American Literature. “A significant and extensive exploration of the history of an adaptable people who defy description.”—Western Historical Quarterly.

The Comanche Indians are one of the most widely known yet least understood Native peoples of the Plains. Although much has been published on Comanche history and culture, this is the first in-depth historical study of Comanche social and political groups. Using the ethnohistorical method, Thomas W. Kavanagh traces the changes and continuities in Comanche politics from their earliest interactions with Europeans to their settlement on a reservation in present-day Oklahoma.

Thomas W. Kavanagh is curator of collections at the William Hammond Mathers Museum at Indiana University. He has published articles in such journals as Visual Anthropology and Plains Anthropologist.

— ©1996