Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

The vast, semi-arid grasslands of the southern Great Plains could be dominated by hunters and warriors on horseback. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the Comanches, often referred to as “lords of the Plains,” were the single most powerful military force in the region, to the frustration of both the Mexican and U.S. governments. In this engrossing chronicle, award-winning journalist Gwynne traces the rise of the Comanche people from their roots as primitive bands of hunter-gatherers to their mastery of the horse and emergence as the feared power brokers of the area. 

The Future of Power: Its Changing Nature and Use in the Twenty-first Century

In the 16th century, control of colonies and gold bullion gave Spain the edge; 17th-century Netherlands profited from trade and finance; 18th-century France gained from its larger population, while 19th-century British power rested on its primacy in the Industrial Revolution and its navy. In the era of Kennedy and Khrushchev, power resources were measured in terms of nuclear missiles, industrial capacity, and numbers of men under arms and tanks lined up ready to cross the plains of Eastern Europe. But the global information age of the 21st century is quickly rendering these traditional markers of power obsolete, remapping power relationships.

The Comanche are a fascinating people with an intriguing history. Settling on the South Plains of the United States on what would become known as the Comancheria, the Comanche trace their tribal origins to a Bering Strait migration and a union with the Shoshone. Earning a reputation as the fiercest of fighters, the greatest of horse riders, and the "Lords of the Plains," these people ruled the Comancheria for a 150-year period. Before turning themselves in to the reservation, their lives were nomadic and free. The Comanche brings readers a wealth of history, tradition, and myths of these vibrant people and culminates with information about the Comanche people in present-day society.

The Mammoth Hunters is a historical fiction novel by Jean M. Auel, releashed in 1990. It is the sequel to The Mammoth Hunters and fourth in the Earth’s Children series.

The Plains Wars 1757-1900 (Essential Histories)

The Great Plains cover the central two-thirds of the United States, and during the nineteenth century were home to some of the largest and most powerful Indian tribes on the continent. The conflict between those tribes and the newcomers from the Old World lasted about one hundred and fifty years, and required the resources of five nations - Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the United States - before fighting ended in the mid 1890s.