This is a nice book. It is well written.
The chapters are devided into areas of New Mexico. In each chapter there is a little bit about the history of that area, places to visit and more information about other nearby areas.

Having been to many of the areas that are discussed in this book, I found the description on target and the suggestions of places to visit good. I particularly liked the history of the area with directions to see some of the historical spots in each area.

Very nice. Well worth the money. This book will join me in the car as we go on our trips. It will join the RoadSide History of New Mexico as one of our invaluable, must keep in the car resources.

Enjoy.

My family and I planned a trip last summer (2000) using this book. Our original plan was to spend most of our time in Santa Fe and Taos. After we read this book, however, we found several far more interesting trips that cost us about half what it would have cost in Santa Fe. Sure, we did a night in Santa Fe and Taos, but this book showed us the hidden spots in town that really were known only to locals. This book is so good that we even had a wonderful time in Farmington! Yes, that's right, Farmington. In fact, we plan to return their and once again enjoy the hidden restaurants and trading posts in which we found some of the most unique indian jewelry ever (and at about 1/3 of Santa Fe prices). Kudos to Ms. Moore! I just wish I could talk her into writing a similar book about Wisconsin.

This small but fact-filled book explores the richness of New Mexico beyond the Albuequerque-Santa Fe-Taos axis. The author really knows her stuff--giving equal weight to the Native American, Hispanic and Anglo influences that make New Mexico such an interesting state. It's in the car beside me every time I head there.

I enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of mysteries, especially mysteries like this one. Steve Brewer is a fine story teller, and he captures the multicultural aspects of the American southwest perfectly. Crazy Love is an excellent book.

It is such a pleasure to read a mystery where the protagonist isn't a super hero. In fact, Bubba Mabry is probably the antithesis of a super hero. Steve Brewer's characters and scenes get better and better with each story. There were occasions when I stopped and went back just to read his description of a particular character, because that description was so enjoyable. Read his description of Melvin Haywood on page 2 and you'll get the picture. Brewer's characteristic humour presents itself once again in Crazy Love. Bubba is his usual funny self, and Bubba's father, Dub, is the perfect foil to bring out the worst in his son. The scenes with Bubba and Dub are priceless. I recommend any of Brewer's books. I've read them all and it is a pleasure to see his grasp of his craft improve with each novel.

Do you like your mystery detectives to be human? Are you tired of the too tough to care detective? Bored with the detective that can tell a persons past by the lisp of their s and the limp of their leg? If so, then let me introduce you to Bubba Mabry. Bubba is the star of the novel, Crazy Love, the sixth book in a series of excellent mystery novels by Steve Brewer. Born and raised in Mississippi, transplanted to Albuquerque by the Air Force, Bubba is a private investigator working hard and usually scraping bottom. He is not the tough as nails, super confident type of PI that spits blood casually at the feet of thugs beating him, but instead takes his licks and deals with them like a real person: He bleeds, bruises, and takes aspirin to help with the swelling.

In "Crazy Love", Bubba gets into one of his typical situations. He isn't getting much work, and rather than allowing his wife to support him, he takes on an odd case, the client that wants to find out with whom his dead wife had an affair. Things seem to move toward a quick conclusion of the case when suddenly the suspected lothario is dead, Bubba's client is the key suspect, Bubba is viewed as a potential accomplice, and the client disappears. Ever faithful to his client, Bubba tries to find out who the real murderer is. Getting in his way is a happy widow, a bruising hulk, another case with a demanding client, and Bubba having to deal with his jealousy of his wife working long nights with a handsome new coworker and his parents dropping by from out of town. He is sucked further into the quagmire finding himself in jail for attempted murder, being fired from a case, and his wife angry at him for his jealous accusations. How does he resolve it all? As only Bubba can.

If you enjoy a good twisted plot mystery, a likeable detective, and hours of good reading, pick up Crazy Love by Steve Brewer. While you're at it, pick up any of the other titles by Brewer, they are all very enjoyable.

Think Elvis is dead? Then perhaps you should start with Lonely Street, the first Bubba Mabry mystery.

...We used your books for years to guide cruisers passing thru New Haven, Belize. Your guide is the most accurate and informative of it's kind on southern Belize and the Rio Dulce...

I used this guide for pre-cruise planning and while on a 2 week charter in Belize last month. The book is well-written with good information. We cruised from Ambergris Cay to Placencia and found enough accuracy and detail to keep out of trouble (assuming you pay attention to your other sources of navigational information) and to make decisions about what to see and do. The sketch charts and regional maps provided were very helpful. Some of the assesments of the holding ground offered in various locations were a little more dire than we experienced. (We had a Delta, the author used a Bruce). Overall, the guide is well worth the money.

Just checked here for the availability of this guide and was suprized to see no review. Having recently returned from cruising with friends in Belize I can say that this guide is often the only chart info available inside the reef. If you intend to cruise Belize obtain all available charts of course but be sure to get this book. Capt. Rauscher has obviously spent countless hours charting Belizean waters and although they are really no more than sketches (and do not purport to be more) they are invaluable for piloting within the 10 fath. curve. The guide also includes sailing directions and commentary on the various destinations.

Good reference book. Full of designs that can be reproduced. If one is trying to teach a unit on Aztec designs this is the perfect book to get. Students can reproduce the designs and have fun. If the purpose is to create graphics, there are several great designs to choose from.

This book is a bargain and especially useful for artists working in various mediums that want to include the ancient designs of Mexico. All of the motiffs are authentic and come from extensive research with such collaborators as Mexico's National Museum and it's diretors and associated profesors. Numerous individual contributors, such as artists like Diego Rivera and Miguel Covarrubias have contributed their own personal collections for reproduction. The author, Jorge Enciso, first published this book in 1947 and it has been out of print for quite awhile, that is until Dover Press came out with a paperback edition. The designs are all magnificent reproductions of stamps used in various parts of ancient Mexico. Many of the designs you've probably seen before in artwork where a Mexican motiff is used but there are countless others that are unique and rarely seen. Intricate, geometric designs abound as well as drawings that feature the natural world and the use of animal figures both real and imagined. The decorative patterns are eloborate manifestations of the cultures of pre-Columbian Oaxaca, Veracruz, Azcapotzalco, Yucatan, Puebla and Teotihuacan amongst others. Many of these designs are still used in the arts and crafts that are produced in these areas.There are more designs than any one artist could ever use. These designs are useful as well as springboards for other ideas inspired by the ancient designs. Dover Press has given permission to use up to ten designs for any project without permission so any artist can use them without copyright infringement. A very handy book for people interested in preserving the artistic traditions of Mexico.

I love this book! There are images in various shapes and sizes from very detailed to very simple. All designs have been reproduced in sharp black-and-white so they are easy see, copy, enlarge, etc. I reproduce the images in artwork and crafts and this book has proven to be EXACTLY what I need for my work. Also, each design is labeled with a brief description of it's use and where it was found. The designs are put in helpful categories by subject so if you are looking for a certain animal, that particular design is easy to find. Anyone even slightly interested in ancient Mexican designs will find this to be a beautiful book.

For its type, this one is a classic. The author's father, also Frank, is the main protagonist. As a smitten young Austrian educated in Berlin of the late 19th Century, Frank falls in love with a faithfully married woman whom he impregnates because of her husband's infertility. Then, seeing no alternative, he enters a Roman Catholic monastary to become a priest and is promptly thrown out and cursed for disobeying orders when he takes Church property to feed the poor. He becomes an artillery officer in the Austrian Army, receiving the Iron Cross for bravery, and subsequent honors to include a position, at age 22, as military liason on behalf of Austria to the Belgium government. From this point, our hero joins the multitude of those seeking fortune and honor in the new world, embarking as a ship's electrician on a German registry vessel from Bremerhave to Alcapulco, where he almost immediately survives yet another attempt on his life, killing a Mexican desperado in a bar fight. This is the setting for "Drums In The Hills," the ancient communication medium of that day in Old Mexico, a time of elegant chivilry of the landed European aristocracy and repressive rule over their indentured serfs, banditry, wild lawlessness and disorder, little regard for human life, Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution of 1910, ... and Frank is centrally located in the epicenter of it all. Before the first World War, Frank rides a German submarine from Mexico to attend German military intelligence school in Berlin! This is an important story on so many levels, religious, historical, military, hazards of the day, courtship in Old Mexico, bullfighting (yes, Frank is even gored and survives), and Native American order and justice in the seized lands. The only real suggestion I have for the author is to use a spelling and grammar checking program on the next edition.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I is a wonderful story that both entertained me and taught me a great deal about Mexico before and during the revolution. I was amused at how Frank entered the bull ring to impress his love, and amazed that he survived a firing squad of determined professional soldiers. It is a story that should be made into a movie! It would be very exciting and involve many colorful character actors. It has plenty of action, enough information for the intellectual and romance for the heart. It is easy to read and has convenient chapters. I fully recommend this book for any one to read!

This book is a wonderfully informative and historical book that blends in romance, humor, excitement and tragedy amid the road to the Mexican revolution. The chapters are short, bitesize installments that lend themselves well to reading sessions. The vocabulary is simple enough to read without a dictionary and there is a great deal of dialogue which enlivens the characters' personalities. The auxillary characters are richly developed and I came away with a much greater understanding on what went on during this fascinating period of history.

We were going on a trip to see the Llano Estacado and the canyon in west Texas.This book gave the trip so much dimension and understanding at how hard the life was for the explorers and the pioneers in this harsh land.Very cleverly written,holds one attention. Wonderful

Using historical writings of early explorers, the author captures the mystery and magic of the great Llano Estacado or "Staked Plains" that begin in West Texas and extend north and west. Particularly amusing is the efforts of early railroad surveyors to find underground water at the edge of the Llano (aka the caprock) only to miss one of North America's largest aquifers (the Ogalla) by a matter of miles and in some cases yards.

[Review by Larry Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld & Aswsociates, Post Office Box 2831, 660 Circulo Nomada, Tubac, AZ 85646-2831, (520) 398-3371, published in COUNCIL FIRES, The Publication for Western Americana Enthusiasts, Vol. 8, Issue #1, January, 1998, p. 16-17.] E1 Llano Estacado: Exploration and Imagination on the High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, 1536-1860. Written by John Miller Morris. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, First Edition ($39.95). El Llano Estacado is an extremely well written new work of Southwestern History, brilliantly revealing the historical core and heart of one of America's most history-packed regions--the mesaland of the Southern High Plains in Texas and New Mexico. From the Canadian River in the north to the Edwards Plateau in the south, from the Pecos River in the west to the awesome canyonlands of the Red, Pease, Brazos, and Colorado Rivers in the east, these 50,000-square miles of what is commonly referred to as "the Llano" are here chronicled over a period of 300 years, revealing the history, cultural grandeur, and mythic wonders of this special ruggedly beautiful land. A knockout read for both historians and buffs alike, Morris's new book is his song to this unique environment, revealing, melding, and analyzing a diversified series of Spanish, French, Mexican, and Anglo-American explorers and adventurers and how they made their mark on this remarkable land. The book opens with an examination of what is known as the Lost Coronado Trail, pursuing the question of where did the Coronado Expedition go in 1541. What follows is nothing short of a breakthrough analysis of what they saw and how they remembered it as revealed through their personal accounts and journals. The second part of the book, which deals with the Llano Frontier, continues its unique approach to the study of the three centuries of Spanish exploration and imagination following Coronado. Here we revisit this extraordinary land through the eyes and imaginations of the conqueror, Juan de Onate, the accounts of the French explorers, Pierre Mallet and Paul Mallet, and the travel diaries of trailblazers Pedro Vial, Jose Mares, and Francisco Amangual. Part Three then explores and analyzes "the invention or discovery of the Llano through the Anglo imagination," including the "prose of the poet Albert Pike, the grand deceits of Alexander Le Grand, the reasoning of Josiah Gregg, and the legendary collapse of the Texan-Santa Fe Expedition" as chronicled by George Wilkins Kendall and Thomas Falconer. Together the author analyzes what he calls the "American rhetoric of romantic discovery." The Great Zahara, the last of four parts, deliciously delves into the "perceptual approaches of classic U. S. Explorers James W. Abert, Randolph B. Marcy, A. W. Whipple, Andrew Gray, and John Pope...." Powerful, unusual, stimulating, and nothing short of brilliant, El Llano Estacado is one of the finest works of cultural and mythic history of a region I have ever read. Morris has penned a great work of both history and imagination, pushing the boundaries on historical scholarship to limits that I would have never thought possible. This book should change the way history is not only written but perceived. You must read this mmagnificent book!!

Now in a newly revised and updated edition, The Fetish Carvers Of Zuni is collaboratively written by Marian Rodee (Curator of Southwestern Ethnology, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico) and James Ostler (Pueblo of Zuni Arts and Crafts) and offers a thoughtful, fascinating, and informative look at the Zuni Native American tradition and art form of carving fetishes. 103 halftones and 94 color photographs profusely illustrate the history of fetish carving, works of art, and its practice today. Personal testimonies of modern Zuni fetish carvers as well as scholarly appraisals of this art form round out this book about a unique and fascinating Native American art form. The Fetish Carvers Of Zuni is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I don't usually review books, but I have to say: This book is worth the effort it usually takes to track down. It is well written, easy to read (lots of white space and illustrations). Now we just need for them to write another volume, it's been a while since this was written, and the Zuni fetish world is always evolving.

When collecting Native American fetish carvings, one important factor in determining a piece's value is the availability of the artist's name. This book provides the only source I've ever seen into the lives and work of modern Zuni carvers. It includes several family trees which show how the particular styles of carving were passed down through families. I have found this book to be a great resource and a fascinating view of these peoples lives

This book is perfect for anyone interested in herps in the Maya Forest. Complementary to Campbell's field guide, but also includes great line drawings, range maps, and characteristics to distinguish from similar species. Also, better photos than in Campbell's guide. If I were to buy one field guide for the area, I'd choose this over Campbell's.

A Field Guide To The Amphibians And Reptiles Of The Maya World is a comprehensive survey of the crocodiles, turtles, lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, and salamanders found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico. This exceptionally well laid out field guide allows the easy identification of all native and introduced species of amphibians and reptiles of the region; is enhanced with 180 color photographs and 180 drawings; provides valuable techniques for field identification; includes a glossary of herpetological terms; and for each species gives a full description, natural history, and geographic distribution information (complete with maps). There are suggested readings for those who want to know more about a particular species, even descriptions of the most characteristic vocalizations of the reptiles and amphibians surveyed. A Field Guide To The Amphibians And Reptiles Of The Maya World is a "must" for any personal, professional, or academic library collection of natural history and herpetology reference works.

Julian C. Lee's field guide of the amphibians and reptiles of the Maya world is excellent. The color photographs make it easy to identify the animal in question; the maps give the reader the distribution of the form; the text gives a short synopsis of the characters and natural history of the taxon; the photos, line drawings, and the PRICE make it all worth while. Any person visiting the outback of the Yucatan Peninsula needs a copy of this book. All Nature Touring Companies should have it available for their clients. A wonderful addition for any professional herpetologist bookshelf.

In Mexico, the police stop a truck driver transporting 100 barrels of sodium cyanide. They kill the driver and steal 52 barrels. Four are placed in a pick-up truck while forty were put inside a semi. They then replaced the manifold with its 100 barrels replacing it with 96 barrels. Not long afterward, the police announce that they found the stolen shipment of 48 barrels.

Agent Steve Alstead heads up the Special Circumstances Operations of the Chapter 16 counterterrorist group that was formed following the Patriot's Act. He tries desperately to regain the cherished relationship with his beloved wife and become a full time father to their two young children. However, Steve soon lacks time, as he must stop an evil terrorist attack involving 4 deadly barrels of sodium cyanide that could prove devastating to the United States.

Though references to the first novel abound (see SHAITON'S FIRE), fans will enjoy this powerful stand-alone thriller, as the bad guys prove quite clever from the start. Readers will find most interesting the debate between individual liberties vs. security as staff of the Chapter 16 group argue about surveillance. However, the key to this tale is the wholesomeness of Steve, a professional who is a religious upstanding individual struggling to balance his work and his family. His dilemma provide a superb reminder that those who try to do the right thing often do so at a high cost, and in many cases the sacrifice leads to family problems.

Harriet Klausner

This is a great book! I loved Shaitons Fire and the sequel is even better!Its a great story for anyone who likes to read military books. I read Mission Compromised by Oliver North and this book is much much better.

Firefly Blue, the sequel to the timely first novel in the Chapter 16 series, Shaiton's Fire, was even better than anticipated.

From the first chapter, it seemed as though the story was ripped right from today's headlines...
...Terrorists attempt to infiltrate the US through the vulnerable Mexican/ American border to carry out an attack with a stolen shipment of Cyanide on one of the country's most highly prized locations...

Elements of the military's recently de-classified Electronic Warfare technology, internet surveillance, Syria and Homeland Security also play major rolls in the plot.

...So realistic and prophetic are the events within Firefly Blue, it might be more accurate to say,

"Today's headlines have been ripped right from the pages of Thoene's book!"

Tim Wolf