This book was prepared by Nabokov from notes from interviews between the ethnographer and collector Wildschut and the aged Crow warrior Two Leggings. Those looking for a general account of plains Indian life in the mid to late 19th century may be disappointed. This book deals almost solely with Two Leggings spirtual pursuit of 'power' or 'medicine' to give him success in horse raids. And by extension status within his tribal society. The book highlights the significance of dreams to the Plains Indian and the impact they had on the real world. The book documents Two Leggings various attempts to acquire 'power' through fasting or vision quests and also gives accounts of numerous horse raids he made against his tribal enemies. The end of the days of freedom on the plains and the reservation period are largely ignored for, as far as Two Leggings was concerned, nothing of interest happened after the buffalo disappeared and horse raiding ended.

All in all an excellent book which reveals how the spritual world and warfare were so interwoven in the mind of the Plains Indian.

This is a very good book that fills a definite need.

It is very easy to use, because it is organized like an encyclopedia (although nowhere near as large), with entries listed alphabetically. Each entry is between one paragraph and half a page in length.

The book covers a nice range of topics. It covers the standard myths and legends in a very condensed way that gives you the gist of what you need to know so when someone says "this shows the Raven stealing the Sun" you'll know why that's important.

The author also covers everyday items in a native's life, like clams and coppers, and tells why these things are important.

The third type of entry is totally mythological beings, like Sisiyutl, and tells just enough to get a good sense of who each is and why it is important.

The breadth of the book is excellent, as the author also covers things that are rarely covered in other books. For example, the Heron was not uncommonly used as a crest and in artwork, but it is almost never even mentioned in other books. This book has it.

The title is somewhat misleading, however, because it does not really explain the meaning of Northwest Coast art, per se, but rather explains the meaning of the things that are depicted in the artwork.

For example, the entry on Beaver goes for 8 paragraphs talking about why beaver is important to the people for its fur, along with some of the myths and legends and Beaver's place in the world of mythological creates. Right at the end of the entry, the author finally gives 3 sentences telling us the characteristics of a beaver as it is depicted in the art in order to help you identify a beaver carving or drawing. So you understand the meaning of the THING, but not of the ART. Some of the similar types of entries don't even tell how the thing is normally depicted.

If your primary goal is to understand how the art is created, or how to identify the various creatures by looking at the artwork, or even how to draw it yourself, this is not the book for you. the few pages in the appendix are well done, but far too brief. Instead, get "Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast" by Stewart, "Learning by Designing" by Gilbert and Clark, and "Northwest Coast Indian Art, an Analysis of Form" by Holm.

If you want more extensive descriptions of myths and legends, there are a large number of books available. Also, this book has very little in the way of artwork or pictures. It is very text-oriented.

Nonetheless, if you want a handy, easy-to-use, easy-to-read book that is more broad in its coverage than any I've found so far, and at the same time gets right to the point in each entry, this is the book for you. It is well worth having as part of your library.

A very enjoyable book covering the Union Pacific RR in the PacificNorthwest area. Well researched, and full of historic information, outstanding B&W photographic work and period track diagrams. Highly reccomended for anyone interested in the UP or northwest railroading.

This guide book is so much better than Trailer Life or Woodall's.
The campground inspections were done without the owner's knowledge and there is no advertising. You want the best camp site, and with this book, you can skip all the ads and biased write-ups
and go right to the best campground. The information given for
each campground is much more complete and easy to read, unlike
the other campground directories.

A beautiful book! Altho Kali/Durga/Shakti is a well-known Goddess to many in the West, almost all information about Her worship comes from the Tantrik cults of Southern India.
Here, Erndl introduces the reader to the Northern India Seranvali cult, in which the Goddess is worshipped as the Great Mother.

We are taken on pilgrimages to many Goddess sites, walked through a night-long ceremony in Her honor, and told Her important myths.

This book moved me deeply. Jai Mata Di (Victory to the Goddess)!

Wake Up the Smell the Coffee has filled my kitchen with such good food for breakfast and just any meal, that I'm constantly jotting down the recipes on demand. While held over for my flight in Seatle, I picked up this gem in the book/gift store at the airport and spent four hours pouring over every page. The food was just as good as it read on the page and I wanted to visit every B&B. The recipes are the favorites of B&Bs all over the Northwest and each recipe has a brief discription of the Inn and a sketch. The index gives addresses and telephone numbers for quick reservations. I have given this book as a gift many times, and for myself, ordered the successive "Wake Up" books for other parts of our country. May it NEVER go out of print.

Jackie Williams is a friend of ours, a fellow collector of spud-abilia and appreciator of the potato, who has written several cookbooks as well as a fine food history work, Wagon Wheel Kitchens, Food on the Oregon Trail. Happily we can say that her newest book is a superb sequel, looking in on the pioneers once they reached their new home bases. Jackie has researched this subject down to the last eggless cake and translates all her findings into pleasing prose.

Starting with all-essential water, then moving from early kitchens--every woman wanted a proper cookstove, but many made do with Dutch ovens over hot coals--to the perils of pickling , Jackie Williams paints an engaging picture of the improvisational skills of early settlers and their appreciation for the bounty of the land when it came their way.

It's forty below in the Northwest Territories of Canada - so cold the ravens won't fly & Richard can't go outside. He decides to ask his family & friends the question that became the title to this book. Their answers bring a whole other world into light. Brilliantly illustrated by George Littlechild from the Plains Cree Nation, this humorous quest of a youngster's mind during a long winter's day, brings out the silly & the insightful. Makes a lovely gift!

Mrs. Oke tells a wonderful tale in this conclusion of the Canadian West series. You feel as if you are right there with Elizabeth as she struggles to make friends in the Indian village.

Where Mountains Meet the Sea : Alaskas Gulf Coast, No. 1 is a very impressive presentation of Alaska's rugged and wild west coast and some of Alaska's more placid bay communities. There are some pictures here, many taken by low-flying aircraft, which allow one a rare, but very clear and close-up glimpse of some of these ends-of-the-earth regions. There is abundant text regarding specific areas, such as the Prince William Sound, Sitka, Kodiak, and an incredible section on Yakutat. And no corners are cut when focusing in on the people of the region; There are some great early and more recent pictures and literature concerning the Aleut, Russian and American traders, trappers, fishermen, and natives of the past and present (but keep in mind this book was released in the mid-eighties, I believe, so is only current as of fifteen or so years ago).

The photographs of the islands really will take you there- to those beautiful, fresh air natural places far off in another realm. And if you happen to be a surfer, there is enough in this book to stir the imagination. There are some intriguing photos of the beach areas at Yakutat- one which shows the left point break firing off in the distance. I'd liek to explore Icy Bay and along the Mt. St. Elias perimeter. But keep in mind this is surfing only for the most hardcore: Massive tides which flow in an out of flood-basins while great plains of quicksand sprawl out across tidal zones; Huge Aleutian swells and tsunamis are in the equation, as is ice-cold water, aggressive bears, aggressive prehistoric-looking sharks and salmon sharks that can swim 60 MPH. There are isolated coasts in the path of brutal storms and impossibly strong currents. Still, if one knows the right season and where to look, one may find epic, uncrowded surf (point, beach, reef, and bay-openings) in a breathtaking environment and the possibilty of finding more 100 foot waves. There are multiple Maverick's set-ups up there, and in the direct line of our biggest winter swells! Its truly a new frontier.