THE MUSEUM'S NEW HANDBOOK SERIES 



THE issuing of publications of a popular nature describing the more 

 important or more interesting exhibits of the Museum, is a part 

 of the educational work of the American Museum of Natural 

 History. These publications supplement the labels by giving more detailed 

 information than can be compressed into a few lines. The time of the 

 visitor is often limited, he comes to the Museum first of all to see the objects ; 

 in a way these publications enable him to carry the exhibits home and study 

 them at leisure. 



The guide book is a sort of illustrated chart, like the maps of old, com- 

 bined with sailing directions, telling where certain things may be found, 

 with a few lines in regard to them and pictures of some things of especial 

 interest. The illustrated guide leaflet goes a step farther and describes at 

 some length a definite group of exhibits illustrating some interesting topic, 

 such as the evolution of the horse, the bird habitat groups or the meteorites. 



The recently issued Handbook of the North American Indians of the Plains, 

 by Dr. Clark Wissler, is of a different character from the leaflets and marks 

 a departure in the publications of this institution. 



Handbooks deal with subjects, or topics, that are illustrated by exhibits 

 rather than with the exhibits themselves. Thus the present handbook is 

 not merely a guide to the Southwest Indian hall, although it notices and 

 figures many of the more important pieces shown there; it describes the life 

 and customs of the Indians. It tells of their material culture, of their food 

 and how it is or was obtained, by the chase or by cultivation; describes 

 their lodges, modes of transportation, dress, weapons and games. Other 

 chapters deal with social organization, religion and ceremonies, telling of 

 marriage customs, mode of government, societies, mythology, war and 

 scalp dances, most of these being topics that cannot be shown by collections 

 alone. 



This Handbook of the North American Indians of the Plains, it is hoped, 

 is but the first of a large number to be issued by the Museum. A second 

 on the Indians of the Southwest written by Dr. Pliny E. Goddard came from 

 the press at the time of the Museum's Southwest exhibition. That on 

 Mexican Antiquities is nearly ready, and the Evolution of the Horse now in 

 press, although issued in leaflet size on account of the illustrations, is really 

 a handbook. Such handbooks may well be used as text-books on the sub- 

 jects of which they treat, the more, that being written by men thoroughly 

 conversant with the subjects, they may be looked upon as authoritative. 



F. A. L. 



