In his book From Coronado To Escalante:The Explorers of The Spanish Southwest Dr. J.M. Morris told the story about Don Francisco Vazquez de Coronado's journey of 1540 to the present-day Southwest, and skillfully depicted the origins of this expedition. He used the accounts of the previous Spanish conquistadores like Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro who before Coronado organized their "entradas" and subjugated the mighty Aztec and Inca empires. The author has also drawn the images of the people who participated in these adventures by portraying their ethnic and social status, and what motivated them to endure hardships such as fatigue, thirst, cold, and heat in the terras incognitas. As Dr. Morris followed every footstep of the Coronado conquistadores across the vast territories of Northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas, he educated the reader about the types of landscape they encountered. The author not only pointed out the geographical terms of the landscape such as the Continental Divide, the Great Canyon or the rivers of Sonora, Pecos and Rio Grande, but he also linguistically enhanced the characteristics of that environment by providing the terms used by the Spanish explorers themselves like despoblados,"desolate, cactus-strewn wastelands", and the Llano Estacado, "Staked Plains",a part of the plateau streching across Northern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle, to name just a few. The author introduced the reader to a variety of Indian cultures that the Coronado expedition encountered in its way. "The Zunis, the Opatas, the Hopis, the dwellers of the pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley, the Querechos of the buffalo plains, the Teyas of the barrancas and the Wichitas of Kansas" provide evidence of a diverse world of the America's indigenous population. Besides this ethnic diversity, Dr.Morris exhibited various attitudes of how Europeans were perceived by the Indians. The title From Coronado To Escalante is a timeline during which the power of the Spanish conquistadores declined (since gold was not found to be abundant) and the ascent of the Catholic Church missionaries began. Where the magic and attraction of the riches were gone, the abundance of the Indian pagan souls prevailed. Friar Silvestre Velez de Escalante and his small group in 1776 opened a new era in mapping the landscape of the Southwest that resulted in creation of more missions in that area, the monuments to the legacy of the Catholic Church of Spain. Dr. J. M. Morris book provides a focused, comprehensive narrative that makes the reader open the map of Mexico and the present-day Southwest in order to plot Coronado's trail as he or she reads about the Spanish explorers' adventures in search of gold, glory, and fame.

A truly insightful look into Mexican politics and life

Keefer has gone to a great deal of work in publishing this work. It is a little known history of world war II. He has interviewed many of the men and women that served in the CAP during the war. It is evident that they gave their all in this important time in our nations history. I would recommend it as easy and interesting to read.

"From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems" is an excellent collaboration between two artists: poet Francisco X. Alarcon and illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez. Although marketed as a children's book, this bilingual collection should appeal to readers of all ages.

Each of Alarcon's poems is presented both in English and Spanish versions, making this book an added bonus for English speakers who are learning Spanish (or the other way around). The poetry in this book is a populist literature in the tradition of Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda, and some of Alarcon's whimsical reflections on the natural world also reminded me of Emily Dickinson. And while being part of a great tradition, Alarcon has his own strong poetic voice which stands apart.

Alarcon is a United States poet, and, as he explains in the afterword (which also appears in both English and Spanish), these poems were inspired by childhood trips to visit his rural relatives in Mexico. This book is thus a multicultural celebration of family, of ethnic roots, of childhood memories, and of the beauty of nature. Alarcon writes of being taught the alphabet by his grandfather, of walking barefoot on the grass, of befriending a cow name Mariposa ("butterfly" in Spanish), and of other delightful things.

Gonzalez' illustrations, which grace every page, perfectly complement Alarcon's celebratory verses. Bursting with color and energy, Gonzalez' work is a stunning blend of realistic and fantastic images. Her best illustrations are rich in details that invite the eye to linger in pleasure.

In the poem "We Are Trees," Alarcon compares human beings to trees, and notes that while "our roots / connect," our branches also "reach out / to other branches." And this philosophy seems to be at the heart of Alarcon's work. While celebrating a particular family and culture, "From the Bellybutton of the Moon" also explores universal ideas which are relevant to all families and all cultures. And thus should this book be enjoyed by children--and adults--of all cultures.

This book was our Bible for our recent road trip through the four states covered. Accurate listings, in-depth coverage and helpful tips abound in this guide. We would have been lost without it!

I have been in Costa Rica for 2 months now and have one more month to go. I have been using this guide to find hotels, great places to eat, shop, and hang out at night. His recommendations are awesome and, of course, accurate. The only discrepancy has been some of the hotel prices. They seem to be quoted lower in the book by a few dollars even though I am traveling during the low season. His bus schedule times are pretty accurate although with so many fluctuations with scheduling it is best to call ahead. If you want more history on any particular region it would be best to do outside reading as this guide book is more to the point step by step instructions on how to get there and where to stay.

I browsed many guidebooks in bookstores and read several from the library before settling on this book to take with me to the Southwest.

The writer writes well and she is not afraid to offer candid opinions of hotels and tourist sites. She's a New Mexico native and shares her passion for the state with the reader.

** I especially liked the lists of top attractions by type in the front of the book: Best of Natural New Mexico, Best Scenic and Historic Drives, Best Outdoor Activities, Best Family Experiences, Best Historic Hotels, etc. (there are 12 of these lists).

These lists helped my companion (my 13 year old son) and I get our hands around the diversity of this state and plan just what we most wanted to do during our one week in the Southwest.

Once we narrowed down what we wanted to do, the book was arranged by region, listing all the other things we could do while in that area.

Other good companion books for this trip were Tony Hillerman's novels set in Navajo country and the book, Roadside Geology of New Mexico.

The Frommers book for Arizona has the same organization and is very good, but not quite as good as this book.

This book contains selections from Nicholas Callaway's other O'Keefe books- One Hundred Flowers, In the West, and New York Years. If you own only one of them, this is the one to own. There are some surprising paintings in here, especially if you've only seen the flower paintings before. The book is quite large, and the color reproductions seem pretty accurate from the few paintings I've actually been able to compare. Wonderful book!

Convenient size. You can take it with you when you travel to New Mexico and see the lands that inspired a truly remarkable woman. The black and white photographs and the simple design of the book would please Ms. Okeeffe, I feel. I have been to Ghost Ranch and it really is amazing to see some of the changes and similarities that the pictures present. The photographer John Loengard has produced a compelling insight into the private life of a very intriguing woman.

An absolutely gorgeous book of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of the southwestern United States. It's large size and fine reproductions make it one of my most treasured possessions!