Sassafras

by Jack Matthews

Thad Burke, a young phrenologist, travels from town to town and encounters a myriad of adventures on the American frontier of the 1840s.

Hardcover

First published December 9, 1983

About the author

Jack Matthews was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and former professor. He published 7 novels, 7 collections of short stories, a novella, and
8 volumes of essays. He was an avid book collector, and many of his book finds served as a basis for his essays and the historical topics he explored in his fiction. His 1972 novel The Charisma Campaigns was nominated for the National Book Award.

Here's a long interview with Jack Matthews from 2010 .