While recently completing a remodel of an adobe house in Tucson, Arizona, I searched for just such a book. Now in the final stages, I stumbled across it. This would have made my life a whole lot easier had I found it months ago. It defines this style, and gives hundreds of examples that can be emulated. It is beautifully done, and having purchased it several hours ago, I can attest that I have not been able to put it down. I have it marked with sticky notes now, 11 in all, of ideas that will really enhance the remaining aspects of our remodeling project. I can't wait for my husband to get home, so that I can show him this book.

This book just arrived yesterday, and before I even got 2 chapters into it, I KNEW it was my NEW FAVORITE THING that I own!! Up until now, "Mexicolor" and "Mexican Tiles" by Masako Takahashi have been my 2 favorite, pour-over-for-hours, someday-dream-about books (no offense, Masako!!). Even still, for exploring different categories and wonderful photos of artesanias I ADORE "Mexicolor"; and for the history and definition of Talavera tiles, as well as photos SPECIFICALLY of tiled interiors, "Mexican Tiles" can't be beat. But THIS book....!!![.] What can I say??!! All around, as far as Mexican interior design goes....Donna McMenamin ROCKS!!![.]

More sedately, now: I REALLY appreciated the opening interview with Mexican-architect-turned-Arizona-resident Rafael Rios-Ghinis where he lays out and defines very succinctly what a "Mexican Style Home" IS. I have know for ages WHAT I love when I see it, but had never been able to DEFINE it, even to myself. Reading Mr. Rios-Ghinis' words was like a crystalization of all my unfocused and unconscious favored design elements..."Oh, yes, I like THAT!!", "No, no, that's not quite it". Amazing! I suddenly have a STYLE!!![.] And all this time, I thought I was just......"colorful"!!![.]

So...for all those of you who don't get QUITE so excited over interior design....I don't know what to tell you. And for those of you who find what you need/want/like in all of the traditional "House Beautiful", "Home and Garden", run-of-the-mill decoration books you can find all over and anywhere....I don't know what to tell you either. But for you kindred souls, whose hearts about stop beating for joy if you make an awesome flea market find of a "retablo", "jarra de talavera", "máscara de Michoacan", or "batea de madera" (and YOU know who you are!!![.])...those of you who NEVER, EVER, EVER find YOUR design taste reflected in ANY of those other design books....any of you who may have heard the comment more than once, "Gee, your house sure is....COLORFUL...", all I can say is: "Go Donna, go Donna...!!![.]"

If, someday, I am fortunate enough to realize my fondest little private dream, I will live in a house designed by el maestro Rafael Rios-Ghinis and decorated with the help of this FABULOUS designer, Donna McMenamin. Siempre se puede soñar ¿verdad?

This is the most comprehensive and beautifully written and photographed book on Mexican Interiors to date. Living in San Miguel de Allende personally, I have seen many, many books on our incredible homes here in Central Mexico, but none have even come close to scratching the surface as has the work produced by Donna McMenamin and Richard Loper. They discovered homes previously never shown in books or magazines, and have produced glorious dialogue and outstanding photography in this stunning tour de force. It should be an absolute must to all lovers of Mexican architecture and interior design. I cannot praise this book enough, and have never seen anything as brilliantly gorgeous as this outstandingly superb work of art.

This is an enchanting book, about a miraculous world, made accessible to the rest of us because of the author's delightful, cultured and very refined style. Her life is inspiring but also disquieting. She seems to find magic in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary and this is a challence to all of us.

If you are planning to visit Mexico,and would like to understand the unique Mexican Temperament....this book is a must read..well written by a gutsy lady

A wistful book, an exciting book, very revealing of Mexico, with adventures known to few. A "poppy hunt" to track opium dealers in the mountains, the JFK Assassination, a coming of age in a unique country. Beautifully written, different, readable, thought-provoking. Here is someone who is not only concerned for the future of mankind and the planet but who is willing to commit to a code of conduct. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

This book may turn out to be my all-time favorite book of bilingual poetry. The frosting on the cake, so to speak, turns out to be the art work accompanying the poetry. Each time I read one of the poems I like it better than the last time. And these are carefully selected, excellent quality poems: with writers such as Octavio Paz, Alberto Blanco, Rosario Castellanos (and many more) how could they not be terrific? A lasting gift for any occasion, especially for someone interested in bilingual stories from Mexico.

Being a beginning self-taught student in Spanish with a special interest in Mexican Spanish by way of my residency in Texas, I took a chance on purchasing this bilingual book and was more than delighted by what I found inside. The convenient side-by-side text of the poems and short stories makes it easy to follow the translations and improve language skills. However, the real treasures in this book are discovered slowly, as one peruses the glowing artwork by various Mexican artists in conjunction with the inspiring words that seem to interweave themselves into the pictures. This is a book to sit back and savor during personal quiet time, or to read to your children. The melodic rhythms of both the Spanish and English texts rock the heart and sooth the soul.

This was a wonderful book with not only great poems but beautiful illustrations. It is a nice book for anyone who wants to get the feel for Mexican folk writing and art. The poems are simple enough that you can read them without having to know too much Spanish.

I don't think I could add more than the Julian Barham review except to say, I love this book! This is the fourth book of the jungle series. I would recommend that one read the jungle series in order (i.e., Government, Carreta, March to the Monteria, Trozas, Rebellion of the Hanged, General from the Jungle). It is not absolutely necessary to read them in order but some characters show up in the later books (e.g., Don Gabriel from "Goverment" is referred to quite often, and Andres from "the Carreta" is present in the March to the Monteria and Trozas, amongst others). The characters from previous books are not necessarily covered in detail, so having this background of info about them sort of solidifies the story. The path of the characters is intertwined throughout the series.

I usually don't assign myself to such reading, like it's some sort of required reading for a class but in my opinion this is some of the most insightful and compelling writing I have ever read. Go Traven!

I trully enjoyed the book, once I picked it up I could not put it down. I never realized the hard work and effort taken to bring us the mahogony. And the life of the indians under the rule of the "Patrones", conquistadores. Slavery was not legal in Mexico, instead a life long debt was incurred to keep the peasants supressed and deprived of their freedom.

Trozas, Spanish for logs, is the fourth of six "Jungle Novels" by B. Traven, about the birth of the Mexican Revolution. The story centers around the exploitation of slave-laborers on a mahogany plantation, known as a monteria. There is little in the way of a conventional plot. Traven assumes the role of anthropologist as he explains the layout of a monteria, its power structure, the brutal methods used to exploit the Mexican Indians, and details of the daily grind they suffer as they cut down the trees, haul them with the aid of oxen through dense humid jungle which is infested with mosquitoes and biting flies, poisonous snakes, scorpions, panthers, and the cutting whips of the overseers. Though Traven's focus is on the corruption of the Diaz regime (1876-1910), the events that brought about his downfall, the social structure which places the illiterate dark-skinned Indians at the mercy of exploitive light-skinned Spaniards, the scheming-as-matter-of-policy among the local officials - from the police chiefs, judges, and tax assessors to the doctors, priests, monteria contractors and fincerias (the powerful landowners)- ultimately the book powerfully illustrates man's inhumanity to man. I was shocked and outraged - as I turned the pages - at the social structure which allowed this injustice to exist. (It is clear if one watches Mexican television programs - with light-skinned European looking men and women holding political office and on the soap operas and news, as well as the vast numbers of dark-skinned Indians migrating north to the U.S. in search of opportunity, that sadly little has changed since the Mexican Revolution). Trozas is also about human dignity in the face overwhelming suffering. Trozas is a grim book in a grim series of books, but an important one that needs to be read, for it enlightens the reader not only about Mexican history and the rise of the Mexican Revolution, but about the politics of evil and one aspect of the human condition. Traven has an easy, flowing style. He creates vivid characters and memorable scenes. He has an excellent ear for dialogue. Long after reading the book one can see and feel and hear the jungle and the pitiless human struggle for existence within it. This is a truly classic series of books which are gaining in popularity, especially on college campuses in Latino and ethnic studies classes. Traven for years languished in semi-obscurity, though he was once nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature. As the wave of class, race, ethnic, and gender studies has grown over the past two decades, Traven is being re-evaluated by critics and readers and is justly gaining in popularity and prestige.

The California Outdoor Writers Association awarded the title "best book of the year." It's easy to see why. Kira pays homage to Ray Cannon, who wrote the bestseller The Sea of Cortez which documented the "Golden Age" for Baja. No one could have written a better tribute than Kira, a Baja afficionado whose enthusiasm and affection for the peninsula can be detected on every page. Rare photos and drawings complement the text. This is a beautiful book!

This magnificent book covers the life of Ray Cannon,who wrote The Sea of Cortez. It is a facinating and well organized assemblege of the man's colorful life. It took me to a simpler time and a place on earth that was unspoiled. A wonderful book.

Wonderful photos and you hold in your hand a book that can transport you, via his own words, into the inner circle of an astounding man, Ray Cannon, and the glamorous and mysterious friends he drew around him. He left Hollywood and the big-city life of the movies, where he had money and power, to take up the life of a country fisherman and a writer of essays. But he was never a country fisherman. He was an institution, living the romantic life in a wild, untamed place, among beautiful scenes and unforgettable people who did outrageous things. Great book. Wonderful company. A trip you can take over and over again.

The thread that binds cultures is stronger and more firm than most people think. Complicating beliefs in order to make them seem original has nothing to do with their essence. Underneath it all they spring from a common source, with an extraordinary parallelism. God is God, no matter by what name. All of that and more is embraced by this amazing book, beautifully written, thought-provoking, a reference source for a lifetime of consultation. Highly recommended.

This book is apparently complicated but in fact is quite simple: underneath the dogma and ceremony, all religions are the same. They have in common a need for answers but also a need for questions that lend themselves to lessons in morality, cautionary tales, structures of ethics that permit the fine fabric of law and society. And furthermore, the societies we think of as primitive are anything but that. Each culture devises a standard of values and behavior, that is essentially like every other culture. A valuable book, a fascinating and provocative one, as applicable as a textbook as a bedside reference source.

This book is a fantastic read - it's passionate, poignant and well written. The research done to write it is obviously extensive and thorough - Carol Miller certainly did her homework! even though the subject is highly intellectual, it's an easy read - great for a flight or a trip to the beach.

For a genuine traveller, ready to explore new territories, this road atlas is the best I've used during my trips all across North America. From detailed charts of major cities (the map of Washington DC helped me a lot) to comprehensive maps of practically every area of interest, this atlas has been with me through thick and thin.
I do recommend it to everyone, ready to go out there and still feel safe.

Is there anyone who is not familiar with the 'bible of the road' the AAA road guides to the US and Mexico. While not exciting or newsy, the books contain good background info for the driving traveler.

Adobe Details is a small but powerful book. It is well written and beautifully photographed by Karen Witynski and Joe Carr. This book satisfies the reader's appetite for Mexican and New Mexican decor while challenging him or her to venture out to one of the several locations featured. Ideas abound for the novice decorator. If landscape design is more your style, this book will also energize your outdoor spirits!! The vivid color and simple elegance make the book a "must have" for any library, especially those chocked full of information on the southwest.

Adobe Details by award winning Mexican design specialists Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr is an impressive survey at the culture, furnishings, and especially the architecture prevalent in the American Southwest and the mountains of Mexico. The majority of Adobe Details is devoted to breathtaking, full-color photography of grand living spaces; brief text captions and essays provide rich detail on the history, functionality, and symbolism of these inspirational edifices. Adobe Details is especially for architecture buffs and a welcome addition to academic and community library interior design reference collections.

This is an excellent state work, with detailed and accurate text, excellent photographs, precise maps, and up-to-date scientific nomenclature. Common names are those standardized nationwide since 1978, with the exception of the names used for snakes of the genus Tantilla. Purchasers of this book should go to page 307 and simply cross out the tongue-twisting "black-headed" and replace it with Blackhead (so much easier pronounced; it just rolls off the tongue -- truly a common name). Highly recommended. Certainly the best book on the subject, and a must for all herpetologists. Buy it quick before they run out of copies.

There are many, even myriad, good things about this book. However, there are a few things I did not like and which, if corrected in a future revision, could turn this book into a world beater in the field of herpetology. First the "bad" things: 1. This book needs a topo and political map or several. Places and physical features are constantly mentioned but, other than the tiny range maps associated with each species account, there is only one map at the front of the book which shows the counties and major cities, that is if you consider Animas and Hobbs to be major cities. 2. The glossary needs improvement. There are many terms which are used constantly which should be defined but are not. For instance, in one species account, a lizard is described as having scales which are "imbricate and mucronate." Just for kicks, I looked in the glossary. "Mucronate" is defined - "imbricate" is not. 3. Find another way to arrange the "List of scientific and common plant names used in the text." There is no arrangement whatsoever to the list. Plants are listed alphabetically by genus under the family. However, the family names are haphazard. Thus, if one does not know the family name, one has to peruse the list from top to bottom to find the plant named in the text. Woe be unto the reader who doesn't know that Helianthus is in the family "Compositae," the last named family. Pardon me for saying this but it appears as if the authors used their college botany texts to research the family names. After years of not complying with nomenclatural convention, the botanists finally joined the world and changed family names to agree with convention. Thus, Compositae became Asteraceae and Gramineae became Poaceae, for example. Also, ALL plants mentioned should be listed, even aquatic plants. Plants are keys to finding reptiles and even subtle differences in plant denizens of a habitat may make a great deal of difference in the animals found there. NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF The standard items are all found at the beginning of the book, e.g., Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments followed by a concise Physiographic Sketch of New Mexico (Words, not pictures) which in no way can take the place of a good physical map of the state. One of the best features is a "Brief History of Herpetology in New Mexico" in which the authors give insight into the historical aspects of herpetology in the state. This theme is repeated in the text of the species accounts with interesting snippets of history intermixed with the drier facts of science. A checklist of NM herps is provided and this is where disagreements are going to arise. The authors utilize what some would consider "old" or "controversial nomenclature." However, if one reads the species accounts, all disputed uses of nomenclature are explained. Even though I disagree with some of the generic nomenclature used, the authors gave good and valid reasons for using what they did. There are good keys to all the major groups of herps in NM and they appear detailed enough to lead a novice to the right creature, as long as the scales are not imbricate. The species accounts are very well written except for the occasional typo - "then instead of than", for instance -and give loads of information. Virtually everything one would want to know about an animal is in here. The species accounts follow a format similar to the SSAR Catalogue species accounts and that is not at all bad. It might be good if a majority of this type of book were to follow a similar format. A very fine section of glossy photos is found in the midst of the species accounts. It seems that this is the way publishers are going to make books now so, take it or leave it. The photos, by the way, are arranged in the same manner as the text for fairly easy location. Degenhardt, et al, have compiled a magnificent bibliography with everything you ever wanted to know about New Mexico Herps and where to find it. The authors have years of experience in New Mexico herpetology and have used every one of those years in producing an outstanding volume. It's a little large to carry out in the field but it is worth every penny and when in New Mexico, should be at least carried in the vehicle. This book would be a bargain at twice the price.

Excerpts from a longer review by Judith Fein in HADASSAH Magazine August/September 2000: The book is sprinkled with Spanish, Hebrew, Ladino, and Yiddish. It is puctuated with love, questioning, humility, bravado, honesty, longing and anger.... At first the words seem tender and nostalgic and clever, but they begin to gain power as the diverse voices proliferate.... Of all the poems in the book, the Converso section elicits the most excitement. "I think this is because the phenomenon works both historically and metaphorically," Logghe says. "I ask,'What in your life have you kept hidden?' We all have hidden aspects of ourselves. The book is a vehicle for opening up dialoge with Jewsand non-Jews so we should find some common ground and hearts." Read the whole two page review and you will know why this book is a treasure to share.

In this diverse and masterly compilation, New Mexican Jewishpoets explore their Judaic identities as set against a backdrop ofarroyos, chili plants, and arid turquoise skies. Many of the poets are relatively recent transplants from elsewhere in the country, while a few have long made their homes in the Land of Enchantment. One of the Spanish-writing contributors is descended from the first Jews to arrive in New Mexico, fleeing persecution from the Spanish Inquisition in 1598. The theme of exile and searching permeates many of the works, with several poems inspired by the painful past-the Holocaust, the Inquisition. Other writers probe the wonder and strangeness of newly embracing their faith in this unlikely land. There are also numerous reflections on ancestors, family and religious holidays-one poem describes casting bread into the Rio Grande on Rosh Hashanah morning. Libraries serving communities with sizeable Jewish populations should consider this anthology a must purchase. Also recommended anywhere where interest is high in Western or Jewish culture, or just fine poetry.