Humorously written -- maybe designed to discourage people from climbing on the notoriously bad Sedona rock -- this guidebook is the only detailed guide to the region. It includes detailed topos with confidence-inspiring notations -- "DON'T TRUST NUTS HERE", "MANKY BOLTS" and the like. You may not want to climb in Sedona after reading it, but you'll know how and where to do so.

The title SOUTHERN ARIZONA TRAILS is misleading. Only half the hikes are in Southern Arizona. It also covers hikes in the Superstitions (Central Arizona) and some of the hikes in the Mazatzal Range, the Blue Range, and the White Mountains edge into Northern Arizona.

The book is pretty good describing trailheads plus trailhead and near trailhead ammenities and is up to date with much of the trail descriptions but not all.

For the novice to Tombstone history and the diaries of George Parsons, this is an informative book. There are many good illustrations, with good footnotes on some of the characters mentioned in the diaries. However, there are many mistakes as well, and the informed scholar would be made cautious to take everything at face value, and would be urged to further check any facts. For example, on the very first page it is mentioned that George had one brother, Sam, and two sisters, Alice and Strallus. "Strallus" was a nickname for Alice, thus Alice and Strallus are the same person. The other sister's name was Emeline. A very basic fact such as this should not have been missed and unfortunately makes much of what follows suspect to any scholars looking for pertinent information. The book also states that George began his diary in March of 1879, after arriving in San Francisco. This is also inaccurate - the diary was begun in June of 1869, following the death of his mother, which had a profound effect on George and was the impetus for the journal. Every year on the anniversary of his mother's death, George would note it in his diary, even a half-century later. There are also grammatical errors and misspelled words in those sections coming directly from the author, and poor editing is to blame rather than the author of this volume. It is unfortunate that small things can cast doubt upon an entire volume, but still, the vast majority is in good order and the book is a very good snapshot of Tombstone and the mining district during those years. For someone desiring such, it is chock full of information, although the diary isn't always clear itself on who George is talking about, as he often uses abbreviations when discussing people. There are other versions of the diary in print that eliminate the abbreviations and spell out who is being discussed, although they may lack the extra footnotes or illustrations. For serious scholars, this book is a good companion volume to others in print, while for the novice this book can stand alone as a good primer on the Tombstone mining era.

During the brief few years it flourished in the 1880's, when it suddenly became one of the largest cities in the West (in 1881, it was larger than San Francisco), Tombstone was the predecessor of today's high-flying dot com companies.

In only eight years, Tombstone produced $1.5 billion in bullion. It was relatively peaceful, and as one of the most cultured cities in the West it attracted some of the world's best actors and musicians. It was a tough law and order town, as proven by the "Gunfight in the Alley Near the O.K. Corral." Badmen stayed away, they whooped it up in Charlestone and Galeyville. Ever hear the old song, "She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage'? It came out of Tombstone's most famous brothel, and was a lament for one of the working girls. It was a town of almost unimaginable riches that crashed and burned within a few years.

In this setting, Champlin crafted a story of a defeated Confederate officer who'd ridden with Mosby's guerilla raiders. Capt. Brady Cox Brandau returned home after the war to find his home had been treated as badly as the northern homes he used to plunder. Instead of rebuilding, like Scarlett O'Hara, he set out to prolong the war -- like the James brothers in Missouri. In the 1880's, when Tombstone was probably the richest city per capita in North America, it became his target.

Plausible? Of course. Keep in mind that Geronimo, accompanied by about 60 men, women and children, keep half of the entire U.S. Army busy during much of the 1880's without losing a single person. Meanwhile, the army sustained at least 1,500 casualties and even then didn't catch him until he was old enough to collect Social Security. Champlin's story centers on one Confederate officer, with about 10 followers, who was interested mainly in obtaining gold and banknotes. Compared to Geronimo, the fascinating element is that it could all be true. If the "bad guys" got away in real life (most of them don't in this book), it would explain where all the stolen loot disappeared to. In modern times, Arizona is known for Charlie Keating (nobody found much of his funds); in times past, it's possible that even cleverer operators got clean away with their gains.

It's got all the usual characters for a typical Tombstone tale of the West: a clever bad man, a beautiful female spy, a lone Secret Service agent, Virgil and Morgan Earp brothers, plus a drunken Indian. Every time Champlin writes himself into a corner, one or more Apaches suddenly pop up to rescue our heroes.

It's the type of escapist tourism literature that keeps Tombstone alive to this day. Tourists don't want the real thing, they want to remember the Old West as their imagination portrays it. This book does a good job in reinforcing old myths, with an interesting and ingenious new twist, that makes it an easy and pleasant evening read.

A very interesting read. This book focuses on the tragic end of Swilling's life and the events that resulted in his being jailed for a crime that he did not commit. The author carefully examines the evidence and goes to great length to exonerate Swilling, who may have been given a bad rap by other historians in the past. In this book we not only see Swilling as a significant individual in Arizona history, we also see him as all too human, with the frailties and personal problems that eventually lead to his downfall. A good book for anyone interested learning more about the history of Arizona and its pioneers.

Rich, beautiful photographs are a trademark of Arizona Highways travel guides and Stocker's book is no exception. It will not disappoint. The photographic tours give you a real feel for the land and will help you focus (or perhaps expand) your trip. And if you can't find the time or money to actually get down to Arizona for a while this is almost as good as being there.

This was a great guide to the Arizona scenic highways. there were alot of choices and depending on which part of Arizona you were traveling, this book gives you a less "touristic" option. I myself did the Apache trail. This book gave an accurate description on how "hazardous" this trip would be. I wish I would've paid more attention to the recommended time for travel. As usual, I assumed I could travel "faster" and missed some sights by minutes. Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Wish they would come up with others. Arizona is a beautiful state and has plenty to offer in rgs to scenic highways.

This book was really good in helping to plan my trip to the southwest. I really liked the suggested schedules listed in the back. It gave a rough idea of just how much time one should allow. The descriptions were accurate and that helped a lot. I only found 1 thing that didn't match up and that was only a difference in a few miles. Overall this book was really good and I would use it again.

I've been intrigued by Tucson my whole life: a bowl of desert, a place of wonder and novelty to one who grew up in swamp country. My father, from Arizona, loved the desert, but my experience was always fleeting. This book is a delight. The pictures are beautiful, and the descriptive text is excellent. I've enjoyed it immensely and am glad to have it for reference and imagination. It gives one a feeling of "being there."

This book is an excellent resource for the Early Arizona. When Mrs Summerhayes published it (at the urging of her family), she called it "Vanished Arizona" because a good portion (well over half) of the book deals with her time in Arizona before there were paved roads (or much of any roads in particular), air conditioning, or even ice (other than what formed naturally in the winter).

(Would Mrs Summerhayes be surprised at what has happened in the 90 years since she wrote this!)

An excellent first-hand account of life as an "army bride", Mrs Summerhayes takes you on a journey through Arizona as it used to be - army posts, mule teams, hot summer nights (those are still around), and wild, untamed country.