About the author
Mari Sandoz (Mary Susette Sandoz,1896–1966) was an American author whose upbringing informed her writing career. Born in Nebraska, the eldest of six, she often had to look after her siblings, as well as dodging her father’s fearsome temper. Her father was not all bad; he and Mari shared much in their life on the Northwest frontier. He was a claim locator, trader, and pioneered food growing techniques. Her education was erratic; she did not speak English until late childhood, and the tendency of her father to use her like hired help meant she attended school irregularly. She studied as an adult at the University of Nebraska.
Her father did not approve of her efforts to write, so her writing career only gained steam after his death. Her books reflected the joys and difficulties of life in one of America’s last frontiers, and include at least one horse book, The Horsecatcher (1957). Her last book, Foal of Heaven (1993) was published posthumously. I’ve been unable to track down a summary of the book’s contents – if you can help by letting me know whether or not it’s a horse story, I’d be very grateful.
Finding the book
Findable, and appears to be still in print.
Links and sources
The Mari Sandoz Heritage Society – an excellent website for anyone who wants to know more about the author
Mari Sandoz at the Nebraska State
Terri Wear: Horse Stories: An Annotated Bibliography
Bibliography (horse books only)
The Horsecatcher
Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1957, 192 pp.
Brockhampton Press, Leicester, 1958, 186 pp
University of Nebraska Press, 1986
