I have enjoyed western histories and movies since I was a teenager. I used to hunt for arrowheads with my dad while growing up in West Virginia. I believe this activity solidified my interest in native american history and culture, and especially conflicts arising from cultural interactions between indigenous and non-native peoples. I have been reading and collecting Western Americana for over 30 years. I am a retired high school foreign language teacher, so as a language learner and teacher, and following my interests as noted above, I have dabbled in teaching myself the rudiments of Lakota as presented in the Lakota Language Consortium's SPEAK LAKOTA! series. I will continue with my readings and studies, and plan to publish subsequent volumes of WESTERN FRONTIER FACES .