The Last Stand Audiobook By Nathaniel Philbrick cover art

The Last Stand

Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

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The Last Stand

By: Nathaniel Philbrick
Narrated by: George Guidall
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About this listen

The best-selling author of Mayflower sheds new light on one of the iconic stories of the American West.

Little Bighorn and Custer are names synonymous in the American imagination with unmatched bravery and spectacular defeat. Mythologized as Custer's Last Stand, the June 1876 battle has been equated with other famous last stands, from the Spartans' defeat at Thermopylae to Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

In his tightly structured narrative, Nathaniel Philbrick brilliantly sketches the two larger-than-life antagonists: Sitting Bull, whose charisma and political savvy earned him the position of leader of the Plains Indians, and George Armstrong Custer, one of the Union's greatest cavalry officers and a man with a reputation for fearless and often reckless courage.

Philbrick reminds listeners that the Battle of the Little Bighorn was also, even in victory, the last stand for the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian nations. Increasingly outraged by the government's Indian policies, the Plains tribes allied themselves and held their ground in southern Montana. Within a few years of Little Bighorn, however, all the major tribal leaders would be confined to Indian reservations.

Throughout, Philbrick beautifully evokes the history and geography of the Great Plains with his characteristic grace and sense of drama. The Last Stand is a mesmerizing account of the archetypal story of the American West, one that continues to haunt our collective imagination.

©2010 Nathaniel Philbrick (P)2010 Penguin
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Editorial reviews

Nathaniel Philbrick’s brilliant book concludes with an epilogue surveying the historiographical pendulum-swing undergone by the reputation of Colonel Custer and received wisdom surrounding his fate and the battle of Little Bighorn. The Last Stand is as much an investigation into myth-making as it is a straightforward history, and Philbrick charts a course between different extremes of opinion, allowing for a three dimensional portrayal of both sides. Philbrick compares several historical accounts and while not dismissing any nor presenting a definitive revision, he clearly describes the ambiguity around different points in the story, and leaves the decision-making up to the listener’s informed imagination.

Philbrick has achieved one of two great things with this book. The first is his masterful handling of the material at his disposal, and his ability to spin the narrative thread through the build-up to Little Bighorn and the chaos and confusion of the climactic battle. With the help of George Guidall’s assured delivery, the listener never loses sight of the battle’s development, even though the author has a habit of suddenly shifting the narrative back and forth in time and pausing the action to delve into the back stories of even the most minor character.

His other achievement is to bring nuance to the experience of the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian nations – this is, of course, as much their story as it is of western expansionism. His depictions of Sitting Bull, as well as the trackers, warriors, wives, and daughters are all embraced into the main storyline. Hand in hand with this approach is Philbrick’s evocation of the landscape; the nautical theme of his previous books means that he can here write of the Great Plains as if he’s describing the shifting moods of the sea. Again, Guidall delivers these passages beautifully, highlighting the timelessness of the setting, and reinforcing our continued fascination with this epochal page in history.

“Hindsight makes Custer look like an egomaniacal fool,” Philbrick writes with understatement, “but...he came frighteningly close to winning the most spectacular victory of his career.” Note the use of “frighteningly” it’s that ambiguity towards Custer’s story that gives depth to this book, a trait shared by most great histories, of which this is certainly one. Dafydd Phillips

Critic reviews

"An evocative and cinematic narrative." (The New York Times)

"A carefully historical account that is also a ripping good yarn." (The Wall Street Journal)

What listeners say about The Last Stand

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Great book

If you could sum up The Last Stand in three words, what would they be?

Loved the book

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Stand?

This was one of the best books I have read. A great historical read.

Have you listened to any of George Guidall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

George is one of the best!

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Enjoyable

I was curious about the last stand after reading a few other period books and I thought this filled in the details nicely.

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last stand review

It seemed like the narrator read pretty fast or the narration was itself speeded up.

I got more information from the book by listening to it twice.

Lots of historical information. I was traveling through the general area of North Dakota and Montana while I was listening to parts of the book which made both the story and the drive more interesting.

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Good Account Of Custer and the American West

I was looking for a book to fill the period between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, and also something that discussed the later portion of American westward expansion. This book did just that by giving a broad view of what was going on during this period of time instead of being a focus on the battle of Little Bighorn. What I like is that gave a very informative account of Custer himself, romantic battle details, and how the situation between the U.S. and Sioux Indians had developed and eventually led to the battle of Little Bighorn.

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Dusters last stand brilliantly done

True to history, and well done in every regard no disappointment, captivating. A must book to read prior to a visit to little big horn battlefield.

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good study, a bit dull

the book was informative but a bit dull. would have liked more accounts from the Indian side.

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Great read - really enjoyed it; englightening

This book taught me a lot about "Custer's Last Stand." From previous accounts and less than complimentary movies, I always assumed Custer was an arrogant showboater who put his men in danger because of his hubris and recklessness-that was definitely part of it but there were so many more aspects to this tragedy-stupid decisions made from the beginning of the campaign and poor implementation by less than stellar officers. The fingerpointing after the battle was pathetic; no one wanted to take responsibility for their part in the failure. I have not changed my opinion about Custer but this book makes it clear that he was not the sole architect of this debacle.

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6 people found this helpful

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The Custer Myth explained: somewhat

The single most proponent to the Custer Myth was Elizabeth Custer: to the extent that she filed an injunction against the publishing of W.A. Graham's book "The Custer Myth." I wish Philbrick had used Graham's book as a source. Graham, a retired colonel and historian, includes primary source material (depositions, autopsy reports and copies of orders written by Terry and Crook). The book demonstrated that Custer, universally despised by his men, was an egomaniacally incompetent leader whose abandonment of some of his company at the Washita massacre finaly caught up with him at the battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer, a graduate of West Point (last in his class), should never be held up as an American hero but rather, an example of the worst commander that West Point has to offer.

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custer

Where does The Last Stand rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

very good modern balanced treatment of events with insight into characters relationships and how this affected history

Would you be willing to try another book from Nathaniel Philbrick? Why or why not?

yes

Which scene was your favorite?

description of charaters and relationships

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

no

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BATTLE BUDDIES PODCAST

Great listen. This book is the basis of an episode for our show Battle Buddies Podcast. if you want a shorter listen, check out our show!

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