That dreaded day will soon be here -- when I' done with this book! I have loved it from page 1 to now, almost 400 pages later. Things I will keep from riding along with Mr. Preston: the incredible amount of research done around the multitude of places, people and events. The masterful retelling of all of the above. The intricate inter-weaving of past and present, and how 'the twain always meet'. Would have been appreciated: some of Walter's photographs as illustrations. Reading this book makes me yearn for the next Douglas Preston, and many more with the same combination of author/place/subject. Thanks, Douglas!

Fantastic use of history and modern day adventure. History written as it happens. Similar to Michener in the range of history covered, but done in a way that brings it more to life. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. It is a terrific introduction to the Spanish Conquest. I now live in the West, but was raised in the East. It's true - the winners get to write history. I never knew much about Coronado or the Spanish in shaping our country, but Coronado was here in what is now the US long before Jamestown or Plymouth Rock. Preston moves back in forth between the history of the Southwest and his experience retracing Coronado's trail in the present. He was both incredibly foolish to make the trip and incredibly lucky to have survived it. It is a fascinating book.

The author, a premier folklorist from Texas, writes about the Southwest and the type of treasure with which nature consoles the seeker -- "shadows for want of substantials." Unlike Coronado, the author seeks the treasure that emanates from the heart and mind. This is a fine book written seven decades ago and improves with each reading.

Dobie talks about this land of shadows where we meet Alice Henderson, who faced down fifty cow thieves; Don Milton Favor, who built his own fort while making treaties with hostile Indians; and Cheetwah, a mystic Indian chief who vanished into the mountains to keep vigil over hidden treasures. These and other characters spring from the pages of Dobie's book with a vigor and purpose that makes the heart sing.

The Texas of the Big Bend country is where Dobie's prose satisfies, "Outlandish pictures painted down the sides of caves by aborigines which no white man can now decipher...a jagged and gashed land where legend has placed a lost canyon, its broad floor carpeted with grass that is always green and watered by gushing springs, its palisaded walls imprisoning a herd of buffalo...somewhere in this land credulity has fixed a petrified forest with tree trunks seven hundred feet long."

The author claims, "After I hear a tale I do all I can to improve it," and this is an understatement. Readers who possess a sense of wonder will enjoy this book. History often cloaks personages with dusty trappings, stuffy sayings, and mixed motives so time has faded the awe that Drake, Cortez, Raleigh, and Coronado experienced. Dobie illuminates the wonder of the children of Coronado as they chase their dreams and draws us into their world of enchantment.

Francisco Coronado never found his golden riches or the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola during his time in the Southwest. When he returned in 1542, and told the truth about his barren search, he wasn't believed. One person who did believe said, "Granted he did not find the riches of which he had been told -- he found instead a place in which to search for them."

And the search continues. For centuries Coronado's vision of wealth has lured countless thousnads to the Southwest where tradition and myth have marked mountains, rivers, and ancient ruins with boundless treasures. This book follows long forgotten Spanihs trails, buffalo trails, cow trails, and areas where there are no trails as searchers dig for riches which eludes their grasp. Others, rather than searching, have sat and told stories of lost mines, buried treasure and of ghostly patrones who guard the treasures -- adding layers to the myths that abound in the land of Coronado.

This book lovingly describes Spanish influence and tradition on the Sountwest and combines a terrific cast of characters, interesting situations, and Dobie's unmatched skill at weaving a tale. The author's footnotes are at the end of the text and are filled with tales and legends of lost mines and treasures. There's an interesting section on the elaborate Code of Treasure Symbols used by the Spaniards. An excellent glossary of idioms used in the Southwest follows that section.

There is more to the American West than gunfighters, farmers, bankers, cowboys, and miners. The author has given us the realm of the dreamers.

Perhaps the best folklore book ever written about lost mines and buried treasure, caves full of gold bars, and Spanish silver. As in most of Dobie's writings, this is not straight history but Dobie's version of other people stories with a large dose of Dobie in all of them. A Texas classic.

I read this book 30 years ago. I am now 75, and I rank it as one of the most fascinating books of my lifetime. It opened up a whole world of places and things that are long gone, but which deserve to be remembered. I believe that I have since read almost everything that Frank Dobie has written, but believe this is still the best.

Mismanaged anger ruins careers, lives, and happiness but there are only a handful of books on the market for the non-sepcialist general reader which address anger problems and handling the anger of others. Managing Anger offers a range of psychological and behavioral insights on what works, what doesn't, and why, with chapters providing case history examples and a range of techniques to try. Excellent, practical advice.

Excellent and comprehensive. I found this book to be full of wisdom, warmth and wit. Many practical anger management tools, as well as many profound and helpful insights.

Some people say that anger is not the problem, that violence is the problem. But there is no violence without anger. This book showed me how to identify and manage the angers of everyday life so they don't escalate into destructive counterproductive anger against the people we love.

Very explanitory. Highly recomended for Mexican cooking.

This book is filled with many short stories, legends actually, about buried treasure and other intrigue from the Southwest. Dobie's writing style is friendly and colorful, and he has taken some care to research the stories. Although the tales are mostly unverifiable legends, he does reference whatever factual or annecdotal information is available. The stories range from short tales of a dozen or so pages, to longer ones that are maybe 50 pages, and they include everything from tales of hidden gold, to missing artifacts, to intriguing strangers. Sometimes it gets a bit bogged down in detail, but overall it is an excellent read.

As usual, Mr. Simmons takes you back in time and brings the everyday life of early New Mexico to life. He has done extensive research to enlighten us. This book covers everything from homemaking, dressing, Inidans and food. A must have for historical researchers.

My high school was overcrowded by the time it was four years old and so a new high school was build called Cibola, which meant everybody got a quick history lesson in Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's exploration for the Seven Cities of Gold, one of which was, of course, Cibola. Coronado, like Columbus, Ponce de Leon, and so many other explorers, found things they were never looking for because they never did find what they wanted, since the cities they found did not have riches. Starting from Compostela on the western shore of Mexico, Coronado and his men headed north into what are now the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Robin S. Doak details this incredible journey in fine style. This book is richly illustrated with both historic paintings and etchings, as well as contemporary color photographs of the areas of the southwest explored by Coronado. This is a nice combination of illustrations and informative text. Other titles in the Exploring the World series look at Jacques Cartier's search for the Northwest Passage, Vasco de Gama sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, and Ferdinand Magellan's first trip around the world.

Katherine Carlin, one of the authors of this book loved Coronado and was among the founding members of the Coronado Historical Association. Katherine came to Coronado in 1928, and about the time the Coronado Ferries went out of commission and our little town was reached via the Coronado / San Diego bridge, she worked very hard gathering the stories and pictures to put this book together with the help of Dr. Brandes. She was a delightful person, and I remember her very fondly. While I do not know Dr. Ray Brandes, I do believe that his father was Sgt. Brandes of the Coronado Police Dept., and he was a role model of mine when he formed the Coronado Junior Police in the mid 1950's. This book will bring back memories to anyone who has spent time in Coronado in the early years before the Coronado bridge, the Coronado Shores, and the Coronado Cays. Enjoy! Helen

Anyone who was born and grew up in Coronado as I have, will love reading every page of this book, and to remininse over all the old pictures. It will bring back many memories of times past, time when Coronado was a much smaller and quieter island. I believe that I have every book ever written about Coronado, and I especially treasure the two written by this author.

I didn't realize that this little book was published by the National Park Service until coming to the end, where there is a section of brief descriptions and photos of a few of our national parks named after early explorers. These include deSoto National Memorial in Florida, Coronado National Memorial in Arizona, Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico, and Cabrillo National Monument in California.

The first part of the book is a synopsis of the explorations of these conquistadores, all from Spain, who searched the New World for riches, in particular, gold. What they encountered were Native Americans, some friendly, some ferocious. Although the Spaniards suffered physically through hardships of difficult terrain, shortage of food, and battles with natives, they also inflicted injustices on the native peoples.

This book offers a brief but important understanding of the history behind the names of places we often take for granted. It is the history of the U.S. before the English arrived and created the colonies. The Spanish were here first, and as maps show in this book, traversed much of the land. Unfortunately for the Spanish, they were disheartened about the lack of gold, and did not pursue its other natural resources. How different the U.S. might have been if they had not given up.

This little publication deserves a 5 for fulfilling its purpose of bringing awareness to the history that created these national parks. It can serve as a springboard for other research, as well as create interest in including these sites in one's vacation plans.