Rubén Cobos' short but monumental "Dictionary of New Mexico and Southern Colorado Spanish" (1983) was a classic the day it was printed. If you have any interest in the Spanish-speaking cultures of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, this book is a great way to learn something about the dialect without plunging into a difficult linguistic study.

Like Samuel Johnson's dictionary, Cobos's is a book you can sit down and read enjoyably. The entries are not just translations of Spanish words into English. Cobos traces their origin and (in most cases) illustrates their meaning by including them in sample sentences. For instance, "murre" (in standard Spanish, "muy"): "Esta muchita es murre gente" ('This child is very friendly'). Additionally, many words are also explained by the use of proverbs and folk-poems.

Cobos also explains the cultural signficance of about a third of the words in the dictionary. For example, "pitarrilla": "Pitarrilla, f. [Obviously, the dictionary has great value not only (nor even primarily) for the linguist, but for the anthropologist and historian, as well. It is completely free of technical linguistic terminology and accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of standard Spanish. (I might emphasize that the book is a guide to local usage only and does not include standard Spanish words.) Although the pronunciation of the New Mexico/southern Colorado dialect is relatively standard, Cobos has taken care to indicate divergences where they exist (e.g., "raices" is pronounced "rái-ces", not "ra-íces"). He includes a short historical and linguistic introduction, tracing the four-hundred year evolution of the dialect. Finally, for a kick, at the start of each alphabetical section you'll find a short proverb -- "P. 'Pa pendejo no se necesita mestro' (To be a fool one needs no school)."

A valuable book that sells for a good price. Five stars.

Slouched hat over his eyes, a pistol in his belt and a paint brush in his hand is the signature description of Diego Rivera, one of the world's greatest muralists. Young people will be enthralled over this fictionalized biography of an artist whose works were dedicated to the poor.

Born in 1886 in Mexico, frog-faced Diego was a child prodigy in the art world. His talents in drawing were far ahead of those in his age group. Diego was a rebellious one and defied the rules of priests, teachers, his family and school. "Diego was just being Deigo" was his father's refrain when given negative reports about his brilliant son.

The author covers the whole of Rivera's artistic career and shows us the best of his signature paintings and murals. Children can get the feel of the mischief of Diego, his commitment to the poor and his undying love for his painting. Diego's work as a muralist revived an art long dead and carried it to even greater heights. His work impacted many artists in the United States and all over the world who came to be taught under the feet of this great man.

Diego Rivera:Artist of the People is an excellent book for introducing children (ages 8-12) to Diego Rivera's muralist art, Mexican history and the development of Mexican art. A bibliography is provided for further reading about this great man and his work. Some of the photographs of Diego's works are in black and white. Those pictures take away the great splash and use of color that Rivera is known for in his works. Other than that minor flaw this book is a wonderful view of Mexico's greatest artist.

Why did Woodrow Wilson land troops at Veracruz? The story of murder, mayhem, revolution, and international intrigue unfolds in the compelling diary of a career diplomat's wife, Edith O'Shaughnessy. A close study of confidential state department correspondence at the time reveals numerous references to Edith, an intelligent hostess who cuts through flappery and posturing to reveal true characters. Her story centers on Mexico during Huerta's regime. Woodrow Wilson directed US forces to bombard and land troops in Veracruz. Edith's clear observations and profound musings, never intended for publication, give an insider's view to an early US attempt at intervention that ended very badly. This book is a treasure because it broke my presumption that a diplomat's wife at that time would only write outdated irrelevant tripe. Edith's story, pieced together with old state department telegrams (available now under the freedom of information act - everyone involved is long gone) makes for a real thriller. I am writing this review from memory, having read the book over ten years ago. Edith will stay with me for all of my life.

This book is like a nice walk with a good friend who has a talent for telling great stories. You go along for the pleasantness of the walk, and find yourself transported right into the middle of the story. Here you are, some forty feet above the current level of the sea, standing on a shelf of land that contains the perfectly preserved remains of a coral reef. In another area, some 260 feet above sea level you come across a fossilized seabed jammed with the shells of thousands of oysters. Ancient shark teeth litter the ground on top of a 130-foot high mesa. Your friend walks on a few yards and, with infectious enthusiasm, reads the next chapter of the story to you.

Six hikes around the Punta Chivato area on Baja's Gulf coast introduce you to the fascinating story of Baja's geologic history. If you love Baja, love geology, or just love a nice hike, you'll LOVE this book!

The New Mexico Territory of the late 1860's came alive in this well-written book. The story of Ben Logan was engrossing throughout the book. He goes from being a survivor of the Civil War to a ranch owner in the New Mexico Territory with stops as a wagon driver and gold prospector in between. Real characters and events were interwoven with fictional ones in a believable way. The descriptions of the scenery make the reader want to visit the Pecos Wilderness. I had a hard time putting the book down once I started reading it. The Epilogue describes what happened to the real characters and events. I kept looking for descriptions of what happened to Ben and Myra who are fictional characters! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical or western fiction.

This is a great book for divers & snorkelers, diving along the Sea of Cortez. It covers many locations. It has quite accurate underwater descriptions of dive sites & is very informative as to the specific areas & what they have to offer.

My first reaction on taking delivery of this book was very positive. What an excellent and refreshing concept - to produce a guide book for Scuba Divers to a series of resorts owned by one company as opposed to a country or region. Perhaps the publishers will also consider something very similar for those fleets of live-board diving boats that operate under the same flag but are found dotted around the world's leading Scuba Diving destinations - such as Peter Hughes and the Aggressor Fleet. Just a thought.
Measuring 10" x 7" "Diving Club Med" comes in the well-established medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest Publishing of New York. As I know from experience, these particular publishers, set high standards and demand all contributing authors/photographers maintain those standards at all times. Little wonder they are a leading name in the USA for books such as this.
From beginning to end, the reader is treated to a well-presented format containing plenty of vital and relevant information all lavishly supported by high quality colour images and maps. Chapter One is a potted history into the Club Med concept and this is followed by the company's overall approach to Scuba Diving, their policies, procedures and regulations combined with the diving programmes and training courses generally available.
From Chapter 3 onwards we get down to cases and these include the Club Med facilities in Turks & Caicos, St. Lucia, Bahamas (Columbus Isle and Eleuthera), Mexico (Cancun, Playa Banca and Sonora Bay), French Polynesia and Martinique. The final chapter, however, is all about their very own ship "Club Med" and her sailing/diving itinerary. I didn't even know Club Med had a ship and with ports of call such as Les Saintes, St. Barthelemy, BVI, Marie Galante, Nevis & St. Kitts, St. Martin, Dominica, St. Lucia,. Bequia, Barbados, Tobago and Tortuga (to name but some) this is clearly one means of reaching some very remote diving destinations where the local diving facilities may (in some instances) be anything from lacking to non-existent.
For those people who would like to consider combining their annual diving vacation with the overall holiday atmosphere for which Club Med is world-famous, this book is a must and is thoroughly recommended.
NM

This book looks at the history and evolution of policy commitment underpinning four government's population efforts over the past half-century. The four country studies address the issue by examining population policymaking and the politics surrounding it from historical and contemporary perspectives. Each study is based on sources that reflect perceptions of population issues within the country: official documents, public statements, mass media, and religious commentaries. Issues related to the evolution of a population policy include the role of key stakeholders, the influence of internal politics and international agencies, the administrative structures guiding the program and providing coordination, and the degree of flexibility and autonomy at the local level.

Magoffin was a name familiar to the Mexicans who had trading relations with Susan's husband for years before he married her and took her with him from the states on an expedition to Chihuahua, Mexico. She kept a diary from which she drew her information for the only book I know written by a woman, young and pregnant, whose fate it was to die in her 26th year, at home. Accounts from her perspective at such a crucial time in relations between the United States and Mexico, in a venacular peculiarly her own, make her work one of considerable importance to the serious student of the time. Revealing also are individual encounters with men, some from her own country, and her opinion of Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny, commander of the U.S. Army of the West stationed in Sante Fe. Susan was a young lady of class the exercise of which makes the reader proud, and whose elegance charmed all who came to know her.