Bruce & William Catton's book, Two Roads To Sumter, describe the Black Hawk War as "the last significant Indian campaign east of the Mississippi River, inevitable climax to a two-century retreat before the uncompromising advance of civilization." Cecil Eby, says it quite differently, & perhaps more accurately in the title of his excellent book, That Disgraceful Affair, The Black Hawk War. The Black Hawk War, Why? is a precis compiled from the many thousands of words that have been written about this unfortunate phase of American frontier history. The book is now in its second printing. It has found excellent acceptance from municipal libraries (" . . . the staff was most impressed with it . . . one of the most clear & concise statements . . . ."), universities (" . . . touches the life of Lincoln in a more significant way . . . . "), Black Hawk scholars, ("I have just read with wide-eyed awe, & sheer delight your magnificent precis of the Black Hawk War. The clarity which you built into the complexities of the 1832 encounter . . . .") The Congress of Illinois Historical Societies & Museums awarded the book an Honorable Mention in their 1987 annual meeting, saying that the book "is an example of the high quality programming & preservation being done . . . in Illinois." For additional information contact the author at 309-797-3987