Catlin's book is an adventure of the painter who was called "the great white medicine man" for his ability to paint. It is an adventure of a self-taught painter who "...nothing short of the loss of my life, shall prevent me visiting their country, and of becoming their historian." It is a story of the great mysteries of the many tribes of Indians he visited - the mysteries of costume, posture and myth, the mystery of weapons, hunt and many games, the mystery of a life still close in connection with the Great Spirit, with the buffalo and with the traditions of thousands of years, all which would soon be destroyed. "Art may mourn," said Catlin, "when these people are swept from the earth." Most importantly, his book is a book of direct, fresh and accurate illustrations that keep the best in Indian life alive.