A Cycle of the West

*A Cycle of the West* rewards its readers with a sweeping saga of the American West and John G. Neihardt's exhilarating vision of frontier history. Infused with wonder, nostalgia, and a keen appreciation of epic history, A Cycle of the West provides an ideal introduction to the world of *Black Elk Speaks*. Unquestionably the masterpiece of the poet who has been called the "American Homer," *A Cycle of the West* celebrates the land and legends of the Old West in five narrative poems: *The Song of Three Friends* (1919), The *Song of Hugh Glass* (1915), *The Song of Jed Smith* (1941), *The Song of the Indian Wars* (1925), and *The Song of the Messiah* (1935). This unforgettable epic of discovery, conquest, courage, and tragedy speaks movingly and resoundingly of a unique American experience.