An author's copy of Matthiessen's controversial and suppressed book about the confrontation between American Indian activists and the FBI in the early Seventies at Pine Ridge Reservation near Wounded Knee that left two federal agents and one Indian dead, and resulted in AIM activist Leonard Peltier being imprisoned for life, convicted of the agents' murder in a case that Matthiessen describes as rife with government malfeasance. Matthiessen, his publisher, and even some bookstores who had stocked the book were the targets of lawsuits brought by two government officials who claimed they were slandered by the hard-hitting book, which made no bones about its advocacy of the Indians' case. Until a landmark Supreme Court decision upholding Matthiessen's (and Viking's) First Amendment rights, the book was shelved with remaining copies of it being pulped; paperback publication, as well as foreign publication, were blocked for nearly a decade. A significant volume, both for the incendiary nature of its content, as well as for the First Amendment battle surrounding its publication and suppression. (President Biden commuted Peltier's life sentence in 2025.) This copy is from Matthiessen's own library. A little Long Island foxing in evidence; near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Letter of provenance available. Unless otherwise noted, our first editions are first printings. Seller Inventory # 031447

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Bibliographic Details

Title: In the Spirit of Crazy Horse [An Author's ...

Publisher: Viking, NY

Publication Date: 1983

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

Edition: First Edition.

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