The North American Indian. The Complete Portfolios (Bibliotheca Universalis) Hardcover – April 6, 2015

I bought this for my mom, who has been interested in Native Americans all her life (she's currently 83). She is very pleased with it. Before I gave it to her, I looked through it and I found the book to be well-made and the photographs were very good.

If you are a fan or admirer of Edwin S. Curtis, this book is a MUST have. Curtis was a pioneering photographer who documented Native American culture when no one else was thinking about it. His body of work, the beauty and clarity of his images, and the scope of his accomplishment are extraordinary. This book is a catalog of his portraits, with hundreds of plates. I bought the hardbound Taschen edition for $16.99 and it was a real surprise and joy when it arrived. I would have preferred a larger size, but at this price point, the book is great value and a real gem. The 'Shadow Catcher' is one of my heroes.

Read it in one night, couldn’t put it down. I want a book that would allow me to hear the Native Americans word and the things that were most important to them, subjects of prayer and song. This book was a great example of that. I really enjoyed reading it.

The North American Indian as he appeared at the turn of the last century. Wonderful photographic prints capturing the humanity of a vanishing way of life. Edward Curtis demonstrated the skill of a master photographer. The portraits of historical members of each of the tribes brings to life what would be otherwise lost.

A worthwhile companion to Tim Eagan's book about Curtis. To be clear, each of the 20 volumes of Curtis' work include about 35 portfolio photos plus about 75 photos in the text of each volume. This book, as it states, only includes the complete portfolios from each volume plus a scattering of photos from the text of the volumes. Also, the photos are much smaller versions of the originals. Nevertheless, the quality of the published photos in this book are well done, surprisingly so considering the very inexpensive cost of the book. In short, if you would like to view a relative large collection of Curtis photos in your living room, yet don't have the ability to buy individual text photos for a minimum of $900 each, or his portfolio photos for the X x 10e4 to 10e5 dollars that I have seen for prices in shops (one Curtis original photo I saw had a price of $54,000 and my wife wouldn't buy it for me ... sad!), then this is the book for you.

I really enjoy this collection of photography, very powerful, but was disappointed to see how small it was upon reciept! I didn't think to check the dimensions in the listing as I assumed it was standard art book / coffee table sized, so shame on me, but it really doesn't do the photography justice. Still a great little book!

I enjoyed viewing the photographs some tribes I know and those I was not acquainted with at all. Obviously Curtis was not able to photograph all tribes. I, being Cherokee, was disappointed that the Five Nations in Oklahoma were pretty much ignored, but I understand the photographer did not have an automobile with modern roads upon which to travel. As an artist I wanted to find some photograph to use as starting points for drawing portraits of Native Americans. This book has helped in that effort. This book was a way to connect with my Native American roots that was never allowed to be brought up by my Cherokee Grandmother. I understand that in her time and in Oklahoma she was looked down on and even despised by white people. When the family left Oklahoma during the dust bowl in 1938 she was able to really separate herself and the family from the American Indian image she so hated in herself. It was a very different time. I understand why she did what she did but I want to know that Native American heritage I never really knew. I knew I was half Cherokee but still didn't know anything about my tribe. I moved from California 41 years ago I moved to Arizona where I am able to absorb some Navajo and Hopi culture and that fills in a few blanks. I am able to see myself and my father's family in many photographs of Curtis. I highly recommend these images and this book. I know it's not on top of the list in books but if you would like to peek into Native America it's a place to go and is rewarding.

Extremely informative regarding North American Indian Tribes. A "must" read.