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Walter D. Edmunds was an historical novelist..best-known, perhaps, for his Drums Along the Mohawk...when he won the Newbery Medal for The Matchlock Gun in 1942. The strong narrative is set near Albany, NY, in pre-Revolutionary times. A Dutch family is threatened by Indians and a young son, in his father's absence, uses an ancient rifle to save his mother and sister during an attack. With full color and black and white illustrations by Paul Lantz, this may well be historically accurate, but raises red flags in 21st century America. Native Americans are portrayed as savages and barely human. The real hero of the story is not the young boy but the eponymous matchlock gun (a book that the N.R.A. would love!). Still, skillfully told with striking illustrations. In Fine condition in a VG+ dj with a closed tear on the front cover and a chip at the head of the dj.