Indian-captive narratives were popular reading in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They continue to be among the most widely read books we publish. This one stands out.

Captured by Apaches as a boy, Herman Lehmann spent nine years living the life of an Indian. He was later adopted into the family of famous Comanche chief, Quanah Parker. Lehmann was eventually convinced by Quanah to return to living among the whites but he never severed his ties to his Native American friends and family.

“Willie was caught right where he was sitting. Caroline ran toward the house, leaving the baby, and the Indians shot at her several times, and she fell, fainted from fright. The Indians had no time to dally with her, so they passed on thinking she was dead, and they often told me she was killed, and I believed it until I came home several years later.”

Folklorist J. Frank Dobie called it “the finest of the captive narratives of the Southwest.” Read it today and you’ll read it again.