The critically acclaimed and widely popular Black Elk Speaks has now sold over one million copies. This cements the book as the number one bestseller on the University of Nebraska Press backlist.

Since its original publication, there have been numerous formats and editions published. The most recent edition, Black Elk Speaks: The Complete Edition (Nebraska, 2014) includes a new introduction by historian Philip J. Deloria and annotations of Black Elk’s story by renowned Lakota scholar Raymond J. DeMallie. Three essays by John G. Neihardt provide background on this landmark work along with pieces by Vine Deloria Jr., Raymond J. DeMallie, Alexis Petri, and Lori Utecht.

This sales milestone includes all University of Nebraska Press editions in print and digital formats. The University of Nebraska Press is honored to continue to preserve and promote Black Elk Speaks.

“I never tire of Black Elk Speaks, and even after countless readings, I never fail to find something that gets me thinking in new ways. More than a history or memoir, the book is at once a philosophical treatise, a profoundly theological account, a challenge to those who care about literary production and oral narrative, and constant reminder of the mystical, mysterious, magnificent connections we have to our world and to each other,” said Philip J. Deloria, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History at Harvard University. “The book is a challenge and a resolution, a question and an answer. I am clearly not alone in my fascination with Black Elk Speaks. Not many books of its genre sell a million copies—but this one has, and its popularity is a testament to its power, and to the care, craft, and intelligence of those who brought it to being.”