Peoples of the Inland Sea

David Andrew Nichols is a professor of history at Indiana State University. He is the author of two previous books on Native American history, Red Gentlemen and White Savages (2008) and Engines of Diplomacy (2016). He is also the North American book review editor for the journal Ethnohistory.

"The New Approaches to Midwestern Studies is off to an auspicious start thanks to Peoples of the Inland Sea and its author David Andrew Nichols…. Peoples of the Inland Sea is foremost a synthesis, distinguished less for its historiographical contributions than for Nichols's uncommon ability to summarize the histories of the diverse peoples of the Great Lakes region over nearly three centuries in a svelte volume of just over two hundred pages…. Ideal for undergraduates, it is a perfect introduction to the topic and a welcome acknowledgment that the history of the Midwest must begin with its original—and enduring—inhabitants." (Journal of American History) "Ethnohistorian Nichols harvests broadly across the Lake Plains, gathering the sagas of colliding empires. Readers encounter Native peoples put in motion, spun into orbit by one another and then by the intruding French, British, and American imperialists.…Students will find his bibliography helpful in pursuing tribes in more detail. A valuable resource for all academic libraries. Summing up: Recommended." (CHOICE) Peoples of the Inland Sea is a timely interpretive survey that will hold the interest of anyone interested in the history of the Great Lakes, the development of the American Interior, and Native American clashes…. Nichols adds considerably to the previous scholarship of the era…. (The Michigan Historical Review) "David Nichols has achieved an accessible, authoritative, and succinct overview of the history of native peoples south of the Great Lakes through the middle of the nineteenth century. If we sometimes underestimate the scholarship in synthetic works, Peoples of the Inland Sea shows us just how wrong we are." "Peoples of the Inland Sea should be a reference tool in every genealogist's library to help understand the area that became the Northwest Territory including Ohio and the interaction of the Native Americans and countries that wanted control of their homelands. The references at the end of the book are a treasure trove of sources for those seeking information on their Native American ancestors." (Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly)