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Rating: 
Summary: Not easy reading, but worth the effort.
Review: John Myers Myers is a wordy, self-indulgent writer, with a tendency to editorialize excessively and to include far too many side-trips for the purpose of turning a clever phrase. That said, when he has a good story, and really turns loose, you are in for a ride! The first part of this book is more about research than anything else. Myers tells us about the different tellings of the Hugh Glass tale, and how his true story can be discerned from the rural legends that surround him. The second part of the book is Glass' tale, and it's a wild one. He starts off as a sailor, is captured by pirates, becomes a pirate, escapes, is caught by the Pawnee tribe, escapes the tribe, becomes a hunter, is (almost) mortally wounded by a bear and abandoned by his party, and then somehow survives it all. Somebody needs to make a movie of this story. If you are up for a good, somewhat professorial read, then this book will satisfy.
Rating:
Summary: A Legend Revived
Review: Mountain man Hugh Glass was a legend to his peers, many of them legends themselves. His fame spread to the East, where his incredible story was told in the newspapers of Philadelphia. His legend entered the lore of Indian tribes as well, where it was still being told many decades after his passing. But with the coming of the 20th century, Hugh's legend faded into obscurity. John Myers Myers' The Saga of Hugh Glass is an excellent attempt to rescue Hugh from the obscurity that he had faded into and restore him to his rightful place among American frontier legends.
The central tale of Hugh's legend is almost too fantastic to be believed. Attacked and mauled to the point of death by a grizzly bear, he was left in the wilderness to die by companions who robbed him of his rifle, knife, tomahawk, flint, and nearly all the tools necessary for survival in the wild. Yet Hugh, though horribly wounded, near death and weaponless, navigated over 300 miles of virgin wilderness back to a frontier outpost. Then, after refitting with weapons and equipment, and before his wounds were fully healed, he set out into the wilderness alone once more to make an incredible solo winter journey to retrieve his precious rifle and take vengeance on the companions who had robbed and abandoned him.
Many historians had discounted this story as balderdash - nothing more than the outlandish boasting of a blowhard's self-aggrandizement. Myers addresses this in the first section of his book, carefully assembling the remaining evidence, and building a powerful case for the veracity of the legend. Before launching into Hugh's story, he has already reasonably established that though fantastic, the story you are about to read is true, not just another tall tale.
John Myers Myers is a favorite author of mine. Though he thoroughly researched his histories, he had nothing of the academic about him when telling a tale. He was a pure folk historian, and his writing style is utterly idiosyncratic, and resembles nothing more than a grizzled old story teller telling tales around the fire. His prose is loaded throughout with colorful phrases - "pickled in print", "throwing lead", and "not a bet on which Lloyds of London would risk a confederate dollar". These are just a small sampling of Myers' unique voice. For ears accustomed to more traditional forms of history, his rambling and folksy style may be off-putting. I, however, find it perfectly suited to his subject matter and a charming and refreshing change of pace from the ordinary.
This book should be of great interest for those who study the period of the mountain men and fur trade. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone who loves tales of great American legends. And it is highly recommended reading for anyone who loves stories of amazing true adventure told well.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This is an enjoyable read of an early day fur trapper and his adventures (misadventures) in the uncharted wilderness. I must agree with some reviewers that the author can be quite quirky in his writing style with offbeat, way-out puns and phraseology, but nevertheless a good read. Myers justifies the many hardships of Hugh Glass through several second hand sources for those unbelievers of this somewhat, but not, fictional character. Glass was captured by pirates, escaped, then was captured by the Pawnees and later lived with them for some years. He then left the Pawnees and joined Ashley's fur expeditions to the Rockies. Many a narrow escape with Indians, but probably the most celebrated adventure of his life was the mauling by a grizzly and the ensuing tales thereof. One reviewer mentioned how they should make a movie out of this book. Well, they did, many years ago. "Man in the Wilderness" starring Richard Harris is based on Hugh Glass and his heroic adventure with the grizzly.
Rating:
Summary: A self-indulgent stomp through western history
Review: Well, I warn you, I really like John Myers Myers. He is self indulgent, humorous, and likes to take his time getting to the topic of a story. Frankly, don't read this book if you are looking for a hell-bent-for-leather, in your face kind of adventure. This is not it. It is intead two stories - the search for details about a man who history did not leave a clear record of, and then the history of that man. It can be a difficult read, but there is much to enjoy here, and you will be glad you read it when you are done. That said, try finding a copy of this used. Pretty difficult, eh? Why is that....
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