This book is a vivid evocation of the natural setting and the folklore that shaped [Neihardt’s] career. –New York Times Book Review. His command of the language and ability to evoke emotional response from the reader stand out in this autobiography to prove again that [he] is a master craftsman. –Library Journal. Neihardt is well on his way to becoming one of the authentic legendary folk heroes of our time. This book can do nothing less than further that legend. It is a masterpiece of autobiography…[Neihardt’s] finely etched portraits of people, places, and events flow from cover to cover with a mastery that defies the reader to describe anything he set down better than he has done it. –Best Sellers. John Neihardt, celebrated for his cycle of epic poems about the American West and for Black Elk Speaks, was in his nineties when he wrote this engaging book about growing up in the Midwest. All Is But a Beginning describes the people and events instrumental in shaping his later distinguished career as a poet; historian, and authority on Indians.