We ship worldwide - see checkout for options
Exceptional customer service trusted by 100's
The Breath of a Buffalo: The Life of Mary Ann Goodnight
£23.95
Available for Pre-order. Due March 2027.
Mary Ann Goodnight (1839–1926) should be an outsized figure in Texas history. Known primarily as the wife of legendary scout and cattleman Charles Goodnight, she was an educator, a businesswoman, and the architect of the resurrection of the Southern Plains bison—in short, a force in shaping the social and environmental legacy of the Texas Panhandle. Bringing Mary out of Charles’s larger-than-life shadow, award-winning author Jane Little Botkin’s The Breath of a Buffalo restores Mary Ann Goodnight to her rightful place in the drama of frontier Texas—and for the first time tells the story of this indomitable woman’s remarkable life. Moving from Tennessee to North Texas as a young girl, Mary’s family faced many of the challenges associated with westward migration. As she entered adulthood, she became an educator, an experience that would prove indelible in shaping her personality and spirit. As a teacher, she witnessed the violence and upheaval of the Civil War and the conflicts between settlers and Native American tribes. Botkin’s biography draws an intimate picture of Mary’s life and of the dramatic changes that her storied marriage forged. The Breath of a Buffalo describes how the unlikely couple—Mary, a petite and refined schoolteacher, and Charles, a prickly, near-illiterate, and foul-mouthed trail driver—built ranching empires in Colorado and Texas and endured financial booms and busts alongside the relentless hardships of life in the Panhandle. Living as close to the land as they did, Mary saw the mass slaughter of buffalo, especially within the Palo Duro Canyon, and was deeply disturbed. Botkin recounts how Mary insisted on rescuing and nurturing orphaned calves and thus established a foundational herd that directly contributed to the survival of the species. Long overdue, Botkin’s biography situates Mary’s story within the broader context of westward resettlement and Native American displacement while offering a nuanced portrait of a woman whose conservation and determination left a lasting mark on Texas history. The Breath of a Buffalo ultimately restores Mary Ann Goodnight to the history of the American West, in all its dramatic sweep and singular experience.
| Weight | 0.7588144 kg |
|---|---|
| Author | |
| Editor | |
| Photographer | |
| Format | |
| Illustrators | |
| Publisher |
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
"Mary Ann Goodnight has been rescued from historical oblivion in this gracefully written and insightful biography. An added bonus is her crucial role in the salvation of the Southern Plains buffalo from the brink of extinction. An excellent biography, set against an epic background, and written with the flair of a fine novelist."—Paul Andrew Hutton, author of The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West "The Breath of a Buffalo tells an important story. In a time in history when women and Native Americans didn't have much of a voice, Mary Ann Goodnight's work along with Quanah Parker changed the course of history and the survival of the bison."—Nocona Burgess (Comanche Nation), artist and great-great-grandson of Comanche leader, Chief Quanah Parker. "This outstanding narrative of a woman adds immeasurably to ranching, conservation, women's, western, Panhandle, and Texas history. Enticingly written and meticulously researched, The Breath of a Buffalo will leave a reader with a fresh and long-overdue perspective." —Deborah M. Liles, coeditor of Texas Women and Ranching: On the Range, at the Rodeo, and in Their Communities "Jane Little Botkin is clearly one of our nation's finest biographers writing today. The Breath of a Buffalo brings to life the story of an American woman of grit and grace who changed the course of history--and America--with her conservation of the last herd of American bison on the Southern Plains. A must read for anyone who loves the West." —Stuart Rosebrook, co-author of Junior Bonner: The Making of a Classic with Steve McQueen and Sam Peckinpah in the Summer of 1971 "Comprehensive and detailed but wonderfully engaging, this is one smart life story of Mary Ann Goodnight, the fascinating Panhandle woman who helped save the majestic, but once-threatened, Southern Plains bison. Absorbing!"—Paul H. Carlson, author of Heaven's Harsh Tableland: A New History of the Llano Estacado "Buffalo are very intelligent animals. They can be difficult and dangerous. Mary Ann Goodnight's efforts to save them from extinction--which have largely been attributed to her husband--took courage and compassion. This excellent book is an instant classic in the field of bison studies."—W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, authors of Buffalo Justice
Author Biography
Award-winning author Jane Little Botkin served as a public school teacher for thirty years before turning to historical investigation and writing. As a high school teacher, she supervised the compilation of fifteen volumes of the student publication A History of Dripping Springs and Hays County (1993–2008), a valuable resource for Texas researchers. In 2008 the Texas state legislature honored her career in education by formal resolution. Botkin continues to contribute to local historic preservation in the Texas Hill Country and New Mexico’s White Mountain Wilderness. Her book Frank Little and the IWW has won two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, the Caroline Bancroft History Prize from the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library, and the Best Historical Nonfiction Award from the Texas Association of Authors. She is currently working on a biography of labor organizer Jane Street.Related products
Sale!
Paperback
Original price was: £16.95.£13.95Current price is: £13.95.
Paperback
£19.95
Hardback
£13.95
Paperback / softback
£26.00 Hardback
£35.00
Paperback / softback
£30.00
Paperback / softback
£29.00
Paperback
£12.95
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.