The American artist George Catlin (1796 1872) was fascinated by the indigenous peoples of North and South America. Spending many years travelling and living among different tribes, he felt compelled by a desire to rescue from destruction 'the looks and customs of the vanishing races of native man in America'. Famed for his paintings of Native Americans, he also wrote a number of books. In the present work, first published in 1861, Catlin recounts his childhood in Pennsylvania, where he witnessed hostilities between settlers and the indigenous people. He also covers his later travels through...