Helen Hunt Jackson s passionate crusade for Indian rights comes to life in this collection of more than 200 letters, most of which have never been published before. With Valerie Sherer Mathes s helpful notes, the letters reveal the behind-the-scenes drama of Jackson s involvement in Indian reform, which led her to write A Century of Dishonor and her protest novel, "Ramona."

Ralph Waldo Emerson described Jackson as the "greatest American woman poet." These stirring letters will intrigue anyone interested in Indian affairs, nineteenth-century women s studies, or the social history of...