"[Melvoin] writes with both grace and precision. . . . A terrific tale of frontier adventure." —William Pencak, American Historical Review

"[An] accessible, readable, and appealing study of New England's most famous frontier town. . . . One of the clearest, most persuasive analyses to date of how the relations between Indian tribes (and particularly inter-Indian warfare) influenced the processes of settlement in colonial America. . . . What this splendid book does is enable us to understand, in detail, the harrowing, extraordinary processes by which Deerfield—and by extension Lancaster, Haverhill, and many other places like it—became an 'ordinary' New England town at last. . . . Melvoin's narrative achieves the kind of compelling quality that Parkman managed in A Half-Century of Conflict; yet, it is in every sense analytically superior to that classic account." —Fred Anderson, Western Historical Quarterly

"An outstanding study that carefully examines the impact of religion, social class, and intertribal and international rivalry on a frontier community." —Choice

"In its frontier phase Deerfild was multicultural, decidedly nonindividualistic, and a creative blend of tradition and innovation. Throughout this provocative reinterpretation, Melvoin maintains a lively, dramatic, highly readable narrative. . . . [Points] the way toward a more dynamic view of both community and frontier." —Neal Salisbury, William and Mary Quarterly