I just returned from an 18-day private trip and found the "Blue Bible" worth packing in my day box for the whole trip. However, some storms have come through and many of the rapids are now misclassified. Anyone with a moderate interest in life around them should tote the latest version of this book along with them down the canyon; I was able to ID snakes, bugs and landmarks. But find a companion who has run the river more recently than Larry to tell you whether to scout the next rapid.

P.S. Hey Larry, if you need some help...

This is THE book to have for anyone taking a private river trip through the Grand Canyon. It's the only guide book that shows all of the camp sites and their relative size. It also rates the difficulty of all of the rapids. There should be one on every raft.

For those quiet moments in camp the book contains a lot of information about the history and geology of the Grand Canyon as well as a lot of other information.

This sequel to Slaughter is a good story, but it wraps up too many loose ends too quickly. There is good action, but it happens too fast and is too predictable. It is very well written, like all of Kelton's novels, and is an accurate description of the climate and environment of South-Central and West Texas. It is also an accurate description of the hard work needed to survive on the high plains and panhandle of Texas and in the post-Civil War South. Poor plot but good description of Texas at that time an the environment of West Texas.

Personally, I liked the Far Canyon. Anything Kelton writes is ahead of the game. It far outweighs most writers in the genre, and in my opinion most writers in ANY genre. The only person who can rival Kelton is Kirby Jonas, The New Louis L'Amour, but they both have their niche. Jonas is best at description, but Kelton just has such a real, experienced feel. The only way for full satisfaction is to read them both. Great book!

How did ancient peoples accurately depict the arrival of solar eclipses? They didn't have a NASA website, the concept that the earth was round, or the benefit of Copernicus' earth is not the center of the universe concept (not published until the 1500's). The author looks from Stonehenge to the walls of the Grand Canyon to the ancient Mayans to try to think how the ancients thought. It's a sort of how did we know what we knew before we should have known it puzzle. There's a lot about the degrees of the horizon, but it's still an interesting look at our past. If you're interested in native American culture then you'll enjoy the book more. While the author admits the difficulty in proving his ideas, he does outline 13 methods that might have been used and makes many interesting observations about the way things could have been.

As a trained astronomer and someone who has both taught the subject at the college level and been published in the sub-field of native american astronomy, I was amazed that someone from outside the field could make such a valuable contribution as this book is. It's both technically sound and entertaining to read. The explanations and arguments should be easily graspable by the educated layperson or novice at astronomy. They're plausible without being outlandish.

The book is especially good at giving an appreciation for how difficult it was for early scientists to acquire the basic understandings we now take for granted. Highly recommended to those interested in either prehistoric southwest peoples or the arcane area of the development of non-western timekeeping, calendars, and observational astronomy.

This was the second Louis L'Armour I read, and it disappointed me a bit. There is too much action on too little pages, and it spoils the story. So I am glad that Mr. L'Armour later converted these stories to complete books.I am looking forward to reading them.

All the short stories written by L'amour are actually better than some of the long ones. Trent, sometimes a name used for Lance Kilkenny is one of the most interesting heroes created by L'amour, perhaps the ultimate warrior-like person who could ever be created by one of the greatest authors ever lived and contributed. There is one thing that Bantam Book and L'amour's offsprings didn't do yet. They should line up the whole works of L'amour and mark the 1, 2, 3 numbers for the readers to follow. Like Sackett saga, they should tell the reader to start reading from "To The Far Blue Mountain", then, "Jubal Sackett", then which one should be read first about Tell Sackett, Orrion, or Tyrel Sackett. Readers picking up and finising a book and found out that should come later after the other ones is so annoying and frustrated. If there is a character who would appear again and again as a certain series, the publisher and the heir of L'amour should mark them clearly. Like I've read Tell finally lost his wife, Angee, and then the next one I've picked up was Angee was still alive, because this is the one I should have read first, but without knowing it is such an annoying mixup.

I truly enjoyed all aspects of this book. My husband and I hiked the Boulder Mail Trail in October and purchased several books on the area so I could learn more about it. This book included personal hiking narratives that I could relate to and touched on important issues facing the West - such as cattle's effect on the environment and tourism. It helped fill in some blanks on my knowledge of the area. I'd also recommend the book by Jerry C. Roundy titled "Advised Them To Call The Place Escalante".

Thomas Lowe Fleischner was an Outward Bound instructor bringing city folk into the Escalante for many years before writing this book. It is well written and entertaining, and provides a wealth of information in the realm of natural history: plants, animals, ecology, geology plus the pre-historic and historic human history of the area. A very nice book that will enrich your visits to the Escalante.

Unlike some of the other readers, I cheated and checked this book out of the public library first (living in Salt Lake City, libraries are full of books about Utah).

The directions, mileage indicators, degree of difficulty and highlights are really excellent. We used this book extensively during our last trip to So. Utah and we able to find each trail of interest without any problem.

Unfortunately, the maps for each trail are adequate at best. Instead the book refers you to available published maps of a specific area. Also, all the photos are in black and white which is really a disappointment when you consider the red-rock beauty of So. Utah.

But, for the price and size of the book, you won't be disappointed.

For the price (less than tank of gas) Utah Byways is easily the best buy in the genre of off-highway exploring, by the most acclaimed author in the field. It is a thorough and well-illustrated glovebox-size guide to the state's most spectacular backcountry roads. Unlike other 4WD books, the author has personally made sure that every route is suitable to a stock 4WD sport-utility vehicle. The book provides a full range of backcountry driving experiences, from graded gravel roads to famous 4x4 trails like Elephant Hill. But the focus is really on experiencing Utah's natural wonders and human history. You will visit remote rock art sites, Anasazi ruins, trilobite fossil beds, ford rivers and streams, wind through forests and narrow, high-walled slickrock canyons. You will drive on the actual bed of the historic transcontinental railroad, and meander across the Great Basin on the old Pony Express and Overland Stage trail. The extensive geographic coverage leaves no region unexplored, from the Uinta Mountains to the Wasatch Range, from Moab to the Great Basin and the most remote reaches of canyon country, even a bit of the Mojave Desert. The photos are outstanding as well, although they're b&w. Among the best features are the detailed, full-page maps that accompany each of the 65 top-notch routes that the author describes, and the handy 5x9-inch format. It's designed to fit into an SUV's side pocket or glovebox, making it easy to take along while still including abundant content. Also included is an extensive how-to chapter, and a listing of information sources that includes Web sites. Adding still more to its value and appeal is the author's multi-activity approach. Mountain bikers, hikers and campers as well as adventurous travelers will find it an outstanding resource, too, because Utah Byways is far more than a driving guide.

I enjoyed the Idea of changing into any animal, but there were a few things that needed to go. I hated the little brother. I also didn't like the limits on changing. There should have been a different price for using the snake eyes. I thought the story line was exciting, and the different changes were fun.

It is very difficult in the field of archaeology to discern social and political relationships in the archaeological record--especially in non-literate cultures such as the prehistoric pueblo (Anasazi). This excellent collection of essays, edited by two of the very best Southwestern arcaeologists, is cautious in drawing conclusions from the record but also offers informed speculation on social and political organization. A good read for the interested layperson as well as those in archaeology. - Richard Schott, Ph.D.

Look interesting and informative for people who are planning to go to Escalante soon. Good resource. I saw Bryce and Zion Parks on my first trip to Utah- can't wait to go back The escalante looked so beautiful even though I only saw part of it on the way to Capitol Reef National Park

This book will hurt to read. The Eliot Porter photos show what has been lost to our generation by the grossly irresponsible act of damning Glen Canyon. However the book also shows what has been saved in pictures of the Grand Canyon. May we know by our failure at Glen Canyon what to protect, and why, in the future.

Powell's own narrative, of course, forms the main written portion of the book, and its direct, yet eloquent, writings should remain a strong part of the story of what it is to be an American. Equal parts dry text and awed wonder, it is a must read.

A spiffy book, in the same vein as the acclaimed Sierra Club format series, of which I suspect this book may have been intended to be part. Enjoy this essential part of any Western library.