This book is geared more toward an educational reference tool for elementary and high school teachers. However, it works just as well as a self-teaching guide for beginners. I look forward to trying some of the exercises myself.

As an admirer of native art and a novice carver, I have found new appreciation for this beautiful art form. This book (and it's companion, Learning by Designing) have provided a means for me to advance my skills as well as become more familiar with some of the features making northwest native art geographically unique. It provides ample and readily usable information. After only a short time, I am applying design concepts to my own work. The two books complement each other very well, and I eagerly await the next volume.

I would like to recommend this book to anyone working with native art themes as well as those who appreciate or collect it.

Thank You for the wonderful material!

While visiting the Northwest Coast of British Columbia we wanted to learn more about the art styles and methods of drawing NW Native Indian art. This book, along with Learning by Designing (from Raven Publishing) were our favourites. Because of its step by step methods and sample drawings we were able to easily re-create and paint our own authentic designs. We highly recommend these books.

An interesting book that uses wide horizons. Gysin filled it with allusion, hints and tricks. It's words seem to be carefully placed. It was designed, apparently, to read the reader. It might be more than a novel or it might not. The Process is stylish, clever and possibly very important. I felt that the haze created was frustrating and entertaining, I wanted more details.

Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle, Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch heaven, It was my hint to speak, such was the process... -Shakespeare.

This quote (partial) above is by way of Gysin's introduction to THE PROCESS---like all Gysin's works, greatly underrated, unacknowledged, and ignored, perhaps because of their metaphysical Occult ("hidden and rejected knowledge") origins periously perched as they are on the edge of an exquisitely unique literary absurdity difficult to comprehend without submitting to detailed, in-depth investigation. In other words, he deceptively appears an only half-sincere, sarcastic author writing pulp aimed at comic entertainment alone, when in fact his works (entire) upon further investigation reveal profound esoteric depths much like a Franz Kafka or Philip K. Dick. For a long while I have hoped for what will really be a first time proper evaluation of his masterful works; I can think of no author more deserving of a much-needed critical biography, and probably many will soon be produced. Of the brilliant novel THE PROCESS: The protagonist is Gysin himself, who appears in different colored skin due to the fact Brion suffered from what he called: "bad packaging!" It takes a lifetime to cross the desert and a childhood to do so at its narrowest point, explains one of the many mystical charcaters inhabiting the novel, whose names, like the lady "MAYA" ( literally sanskrit for "illusion") oftentimes reveal their signifigance. Gysin knew the sahara well, spending a good deal of his life in it, centered around expatriate Tangiers, where he owned and operated a resturant well reputed called "The 1001 Nights". The house musicians were none other than THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA, whom Brion discovered in the "land of the little people" tucked far into the hills, and whom WSB called a "2000year old rock-n-roll band!" The 1001 Nights closed down directly due, Gysin feels (with firm evidence/proof) of Black Magic of a typically North African cursive.

Celebrated in THE PROCESS in a masterful narrative sequence is the yearly Ritual celebration involving the Great God Pan in the form of a man placed inside the actual skin of a recently sacraficed goat, who chases the Moroccan women about in a rite dating back to antiquity recalling the bacchanalia and Dionysian Rites and all Pagan fertility rites, still practised yearly with great festivity in Morocco.

The novel is, as WSB said of his own work, and's wholly applicable also to Gysin's ( whose influence and sway over WSB is immense, as WSB enthusiastically acknowledges)one where: "EVERY LINE IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FACT AND EVERY LINE IS BULLS**T!" "WRITING IS SUCCESSFUL WHEN IT MAKES THINGS HAPPEN!"---According to both Brion Gysin and William Seward Burroughs, this is the The supreme definition of "successful writing" as well as of "Magick". THE PROCESS, Brion Gysin's novel published first in 1969 was long involved in the "great work" of "writing itself"; for according to Gysin it's: A NOVEL IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING AND READING ITSELF! To a miraculous degree this cannot be properly communicated except by reading the novel yourself, which most of its readers agree they have done so several times; WSBurroughs rightly states besides being an esoteric masterpiece it is also "first-class entertainment", and like all Gysin's completely original works is absolutely hilarious! Noone, and I mean noone writes like he does, nor paints---for he was an early practitioner of surrealist techniques developed by Max Ernst, and Gysin exhibited his works with the surrealists, but was kicked out by Breton at his first exhibition, no doubt due more to his eccentric personality than to his artistic stylizations...he would go on to establish his own unique painterly style consisting of calligraphical overlain symbols resembling magical sigils and Chinese characters placed in grids reminiscent of the likewise magical origins found in the "Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin The Mage" which so influenced other Artists and Mages like Crowley and Mathers and Pessoa. And Like his painting, Gysin's literary origins likewise have their genesis and inspiration in Occultism, so permeating Gysin's life as to be essential in any contemplation aimed at an understanding of his works and life. His experiments and investigations are now legendary, especially those taken place at the Beat Hotel in Paris circa 1960 with Burroughs, Norse, Corso, sommerville, and a host of others where Gysin Established a quite scientific system for all literary history to applaude as the "Cut-Up technique", coined by WSBurroughs.

Brion Gysin will show you how THE PROCESS works, in the very process of "MAKING IT HAPPEN"! Such a magical feat before your very eyes without recourse to simply deeming such astounding miracles an "illusion" will if nothing else boggle your mind a good long while, and make you question the very fabric of the absolutely magical universe we live in. For the literary thrill-seeker as much as the mystically-minded, for the occult practitioner as for the philosophical scholar, THE PROCESS is one that is already a classic, and Gysin's works I feel are destined to outlive many other more famous works of its time; their endurance is miraculous in itself and they are essentially timeless. Aleister Crowley was correct in delineating a classic as defined by its ability to adapt and survive, and is in a sense: "a living being". THE PROCESS shows how such phenonema operate, as well as how it can also be, as everything is, Manipulated---whether to the writer's or the occultist's advantage; and regardless whether such things are called "Black Magick" or "Literature" is besides the point. Gysin often makes his point with a joke at humanity's expense, and it should be borne in mind that he is a great misanthrope; and as for his reputed misongyny goes, he truly believed women were a biological mistake---the irony is that a good many of his closest friend were women!

Brion Gysin is an enigma representative of NO race, religion, color, or creed. He truly is one of the Originals of the human species!

Mektoub - It is written, and written well.

a journey - thee desert thee initiation of thee soul are one • • • thru thee long dry desert ov this that some would call life and others a death, and yet others still would say is just a rotten place to pass right on through. I came with nothing, and that is how I will leave. (except for maybe my clay pipe)

thee beauty in these words is enough to inspire a soul...enough to not dip hir fingers into thee river lethe..at least, for a while. Let's not be tooooo hopeful.

This is a rarity on many levels...even delving into personal information about cult-addict and famous dietician from Theta - L. Ron Hubbard...not to mention •secrets• of thee Dietician Church magickal system. A veritable treasure trove of History & thee Present mixing into a psychedelic cocktail.

buy it!

93 93/93

Andrew Garcia was a "woolly Texan from Spanish America" who found himself on the Montana frontier in 1876, at the age of 23. These are his colorful reminiscences of his Nez Perce and Pend'Oreille wives, and hardships undergone among dubious characters.

I don't know that I agree with Ms Garrett that every word in it is true. Garcia wrote it towards the end of a long life, when he was nicknamed "the Squaw Kid" and dined out on these stories.

However the essence of the book rings true. It will strike a chord with anyone whose heart has been by the lonely beauty of the High Plains and by longing for what once was, not so long ago, and is now out of reach forever.

I read this book in the early 1970's when I was the author's age, and have never forgotten it. Andrew Garcia writes with bittersweet longing for a time when adventure was freely available for those foolhardy enough to risk all. He writes in imperfect, but colorful prose about simpler times. Villains humorously drawl, "I'll plug ya if ya move." His self-depracating wit sounds like a real Huckleberry Finn in the wild west. The center piece of the tale is the massacre of the Nez Perce tribe by the U.S. Army; which Garcia relates from the first hand account of his beloved first wife (a Nez Perce herself). Fireside desire for beautiful native women in isolated wilderness, tempered by his Catholic background make for great romantic tension. Whether exactly true or not does not matter. It is a wonderful story of adventure, love,and sadness. I look forward to re-reading it to escape back to paradise.

In the sixties I was in a dentist's office in Huntsville, Alabama, with my four young daughters. I picked up one of the better magazines, Esquire or something, and started an excerpt from "Tough Trip Through Paradise." With attention drawn in several directions, you can't usually get into a magazine story. Suddenly I was so caught up in Mr. Garcia's adventures that I tried to read faster and faster before whichever child was finished in the dentist chair. I did finish the part of the book the magazine finished and very soon, perhaps before we went home, I visited the library and checked out the exact book. I have bought by special order Mr. Garcia's journal and given it to a library, my father-in-law, and many others. I have it on order now to give to a neighbor. My father-in-law, who scoffed at gifts and other books, quoted from it and re-read it until his death. For once in my marriage I pleased him! About the book itself and Andrew Garcia: He knew how to write, did he ever. I still quote passages from the book to myself -- (these aren't exact quotes, ". . . I'm not too good but I don't steal horses." "The young maidens know they will marry an older man with means to support them but first they will have a fling with the young bucks." "I notice the squaws want their dresses made with buttons down the front." It is so simply written that it is elegant. I believe every word is true, he did not need to elaborate, every day was exciting.

I knew next to nothing about the Pacific Northwest, having only spent a few days there as a kid for the Spokane World's Fair. William Dietrich's Northwest Passage: The Great Columbia River filled much of my knowledge gap with a fascinating and well-told story. Dietrich recounts the history of the Columbia, from its original creation through geologic forces and its discovery by Lewis and Clark and other explorers, to development of the river and the region by forestry, fishing, and industrial interests, harnessing of the river through multiple dams (including the huge Grand Coulee dam), decimation of the salmon population and later attempts by environmental and Native American interests to revive the salmons, and turf wars between various interest groups. Dietrich's book is extremely well researched and annotated, but reads not like laborious scholarship but like a labor of love. He clearly loves the region he writes about and is troubled by its many changes; he conveys both his enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge through this graceful book.

Really enjoyed reading the numerous stories of Columbia River history and the competing uses of the river. Towards the end the author gets a little too dramatic about wild salmon and native Americans and seems to lose the balanced views presented thoughout most of the book.

I have taught Pacific Northwest History at high school and college levels, and found this book one of the best regional histories published. Although focused on the Columbia River, it presents more of the general history of the interior Northwest (east of the Interstate 5 corridor) than any other history of the region. Of course, the Columbia River and its tributaries are central to Northwest history from the fish that archaeologists discovered to be the core of Kennewick Man's diet to the present Kaiser Steelworkers lockout and the controversy over Snake River dams.

The story of human modification of the Columbia River is one of heroism and greed, boom and bust, promotion and fraud, and the winners and losers that go along with the competition among interest groups. Dietrich tells the story with drama, fairness to competing interests, and the kind of focus that requires a point of view. His history is honest, rather than objective; committed, rather than unbiased. It is rich in details, but doesn't lose sight of the big picture. This is newspaper-style feature writing at its best.

At the core of this book is a story of a peoples' faith in progress, the achievement this faith enabled, and the blind spots this faith nurtured. Immense benefits and enormous failures have resulted from this faith. Now, as Dietrich makes clear, we must reexamine our basic assumptions and redetermine our priorities.

Not every reader will agree with Dietrich's priorities and perspectives, but few can identify critical points that he missed. His facts are sound. My only complaint is that too little accommodation is made for readers who want to track down and verify some of his statements of fact. The book has a bibliography and index, but no endnotes. It is published by a university press, but lacks the usual scholarly apparatus.

This is an interesting and attractive introductory book on animals of the Northwest for young readers. However, since it's written at about 3.5 reading level, it may be too difficult for its intended audience.

Also, it's a bit of a stretch as an alphabet book, since the alphabet is merely used as a vehicle for tying the photos and text together. It works for single words like bear, coyote, deer and eagle, however most children won't relate to fir tree as an "F" word, since the noun is actually "tree." This quirk surfaces again with listings like Haida totem pole for the letter "H," Northern spotted owl for "N," and Mt. Rainier for "R." It gets stretched further when Xerophyllum tenax appears for "X," and then the child is told it's "the scientific name for bear grass."

Having said that, students love to listen this book and look at the pictures. It works well as a read-aloud and a discussion starter. I used successfully as a companion book with "Northwest Animal Babies" for first grade students in our elementary school library. This should be in every school library in the Pacific Northwest.

Really nice pictures that kids can relate to, clear and self explanatory. Text gives a bit of information about the animals and other things mentioned. Good for young readers. Good lead into for animal study.

This is the alphabet the Pacific Northwest way: A is for auklet, B for black bear, C for coyote...from Alaska thru British Columbia & Washington down to Oregon, the natural world is featured in glorious photos & simple, illustrative text. Lovely full-color, full page photos of an eagle, a Haida totem pole with a glorious stag before it, a misty enchanting view of Mount Ranier, a mountainside of Xerophyllum tenax. A wonderful way to learn our ABCs. .................

Good cookbook, but the binding is bad for a cookbook. Can't lay it down and work from it without cans of vegetables on open page to hold the book open. If you press the book then you break the binding and pages fall out.

I have used this cookbook and found many wonderful recipes. The recipes are very easy to follow. The only negative to the book is that there are no pictures to go with the recipes. If that doesn't matter to you, go out and buy this book. It is great!!!

Friends, this is a fine book. I have five grills and a couple dozen barbecue books at home and this book's at the top of the pile. If you're looking for something slick, written by a "celebrity" lightweight with a ghost writer, then buy Bobby Flay. If you want an authoritative guide to grilling written by an engaging companion, this is it.

Although I have to agree that this is an inexpensively published book, the content is extensive and very strong. Kelly's discussion of technique is first rate and his essays on grilling culture are delightful. Better yet - the recipes are delicious. This book deserves a wide audience and a place on every serious griller's shelf.

In one sense, this book is great. If you want a list of plants that fit one certain criteria, just look for that list. The book is fairly easy to use in this sense, and that's why I gave it three stars; it seems like the authors spent a lot of time thinking about how to organize this book so you could find the list you were after.

The problem is that no one picks a plant based upon one single criteria. One could page back and forth to see which lists contain which plants, but that seems rather more complicated than simply reading the complete descriptions in your copy of Sunset's Western Garden Book.

Of course, you need to narrow your focus before diving into the Sunset book. And there is the dilemma. This book answers that dilemma, sort of. It offers a first step, a way to begin the process of elimination. But you'll drop this book immediately upon narrowing your focus. If, say, you're looking at the 13 trees in the "trees with fragrant blossoms" list and then proceed to the Sunset book to read complete descriptions of each tree you'll discover that one of the trees in the "fragrant blossoms" list (Southern Magnolia) is difficult or impossible to grow things underneath. You could also find this out by looking up "trees that are impossible to grow things underneath" in the Book of Lists, but you wouldn't know to do this without having already looked in the Sunset book. Confused yet?

Basically, this book offers one way to narrow the focus a little before you begin investigating specific plants. That's worth something, I guess. However, if you are expecting that you will be able to use this book to determine the right plant for a situation, it won't work for that.

Consult this book before you start your projects. As a master gardener it has been invaluable answering questions from the public. What species of tree can I plant in a wet land? What shrub can handle dark shade? Over 200 lists answering this type of question. Geared for the Puget Sound.

This book will make you an instant plant guru! Anyone who's ever needed a plant to fill a particualr spot in their garden and wished for a reliable source will love The Pacific Northwest Gardener's Book of Lists. The authors have divided the plant kingdom up by its major forms - i.e., trees, shrubs, annuals, etc - with a couple sections devoted to special groups such as roses and rhododendrons. Each section is comprised of plant lists for various conditions - for shade, dry shade, hot sun, evergreen foliage, all-year interest, etc. Both common and botanical names are listed in most cases, making this book appealing to both new and experienced plantspeople. And it's well-indexed for easy cross-referencing. Each section is also peppered with sidebars from various experts from the local horticultural community. Their comments usually expand on the topic of the nearest list and provide a fresh, first-hand perspective. The only thing this book doesn't provide is pictures an! d plant descriptions. When I sit down to down to do research with The Book of Lists, I typically grab my Encyclopedia of Garden Plants to provide more information. Add a cup of coffee and a window looking out on my yard and I'm content for hours!

I've used this as a textbook for a college level history class, and I've enjoyed it quite a bit. Schwantes' writing flows, and reads more like a story rather than a textbook. I could and probably would read this book on my own time as a source of entertainment. He does not dig very deep into the subject, but as stated above, he simply gives a brief oversite of the history of the region. If you have a casual interest in the PNW, buy this book. You may find it cheaper in a book store though. I paid less in a college bookstore!!!

Mr. Schwentes has written a fine example of what an introductory survey of a region should be: broad and sympathetic in scope, with generous quotes, excerpts, and analysis. He doesn't harp on any one group's preeminance but instead shows us the region's social, political and economic fortunes from European discovery to the present, through graphs, photographs, political cartoons. Missing is only a much-needed chapter on pre-historic Native American habitation, but given his even-handed handling of the issue throughout the rest of the book, this is a quibble easily corrected in future editions.

"The Pacific Northwest" would be a valuable text in a high school or college setting, as well as for the general public.

This book was nice because it didn't just talk about "the complete Native American Experience" or "the complete African American experience" instead, it would talk about an historical event and explains how that effected the masses as well as the Native Americans, African Americans, women, Chicanos/as, Asian Americans, labor, environmentalists, etc. It was quietly inclusive. Plus it discussed all aspects of WA state and NWern history from European exploration to Microsoft and Boeing aircraft. Very complete, used as a textbook for a college class at the U of Washington.

Soldier Sahibs is an old-fashioned and unapologetically imperialist book. And writer Charles Allen makes sure you know what you are getting into by giving it the flagrantly politically incorrect subtitle: The Daring Adventurers Who Tamed India's Northwest Frontier. But imperialist does not necessarily mean inaccurate and Allen has taken a good deal of trouble to get his facts right. The book claims to tell "The astonishing story of a brotherhood of young men who together laid claim to the most notorious frontier in the world, India's North-West Frontier,
which today forms the volatile boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan."
The men in question include John Nicholson, Harry Lumsden (founder of the Guides), Herbert Edwardes, William Hodson, James Abbot and Neville Chamberlain. Protégés of Sir Henry Lawrence, these men were responsible for laying the foundations of British rule in the Punjab and the Northwest Frontier. The author's intent is to tell the story of these young men and through their adventures, give the reader an idea of how the British conquered - or, as he would prefer, "pacified" - the 'wild' Northwest Frontier of India.
But while Soldier Sahibs gives a very readable account of the adventures of these (surprisingly) young men, it is not possible to piece together the broader history of those times from his book. Why the British were here in the first place and what were the factors that made a small island in Europe more powerful than any kingdom in India do not form any part of Allen's concerns. Nor does he waste much time explaining the situation in the Punjab or of the East India Company at that time. In fact, the author does not even provide a map of the vast area over which his protagonists established their rule. If you are totally at sea about those times, then you may have to read a few other books to fully appreciate the goings-on in this one. But if you are one of those enthusiasts who cannot get enough of the Raj, the mutiny and all that jazz, then you will definitely enjoy this book. Its written in authentic 'Flashman' style, with wit and verve and loads of 'local color'.
The English heroes may appear larger than life but by all accounts some of them indeed were larger than life. And being Englishmen, they left us a veritable storehouse of laconic and understated wisecracks. These include Nicholson walking into the mess to tell his fellow officers: "I am sorry gentlemen, to have kept you waiting for your dinner, but I have been hanging your cooks." (The cooks had apparently poisoned the food but were detected and hanged, and dinner was served half an hour late).
Though Nicholson gets the most lines in the book, the stories of Edwardes of Peshawar and Bannu and Abbot of Abbotabad are also told in some detail. William Hodson, the villain who executed Bahadur Shah Zafar's sons, also gets a sympathetic hearing. We are told surprisingly little about Sir Henry Lawrence, who is supposedly the godfather of this fraternity. And it is not always clear why certain officer's lives are described in detail and others get only cursory mention. Lack or availability of sources may be the explanation for that .
In these times, it is impossible to read such a book and not look for parallels with the current efforts at "pacifying" Afghanistan. But these British adventurers and their peculiar code of life are poles apart from the westerners who are now coming to bring us into the civilised world. Occasionally, Madison Avenue will try to create a suitable heroic image for some American colonel or diplomat but the substance of this new empire is very different from the last one and so are its agents.
Nicholson and company may have been bigoted, male chauvinist psychopaths, yet they also had undoubted personal courage and their own peculiar brand of love of justice. In the Pakhtuns and the Punjabis, they found not just enemies, but also friends and fellow adventurers. It is fashionable these days to describe their local supporters as 'traitors' who took the side of a 'foreign power'. But to the Sikhs, Punjabi Muslims and Pakhtuns who fought under Nicholson to reconquer Delhi, the capital was was as much a foreign power as the British. And these British officers had always respected their honour and treated them fairly. They provided an administration that was in many ways a big improvement over the 'locals' they had replaced. In fact, it would not be remiss to say that the Punjabis and Pakhtuns who fought for the British were men of higher character and personal courage than almost any of their current detractors. Many things have improved since Nicholson rode across the plains of the Punjab blowing mutineers from canons but it is hard to avoid the suspicion that some things have also deteriorated.

This book is a good description of Indian history from about 1830 to 1857 culminating in the Indian Mutiny.

It is about the men who commanded the NW Indian territories on behalf of the East India Company and principally about one hero called John Nicholson. Despite the subtitle, this book is a great deal more than short biographic narratives about the men. It is the seam of their environment that provides half the interest consisting of geographical descriptions, the attitudes of Indians and how the British and "Indians" conducted their business.

There are some gripping accounts of bloody battles on horseback, with bits being chopped off and we can see that films like Gladiator are the tip of the iceberg when it came to hand to hand horseback combat before the 20th century. The men and horses were brave and some of them knew what they wanted and how to get it. This is particularly true in how the violent Pakhtun tribes in Pakistan were bought to heel. As aliens, the British succeeded in creating order (as they were neutral) between parties like Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus who could easily foment religious rivalry between themselves. The British had an art to how they brought about law and order and we can see it was no small accomplishment.

There is a certain amount of bigotry and imperialism in operation which is quite clear, but these were the days before the British became complacent and divorced themselves from Indian culture at the beginnings of the 20th century, which eventually created the independence movement that lead to partition.

Sikhs today feel left out of a homeland that was owed to them by the British. This is a book that shows how loyal Sikhs were to the British and the background to their territorial claims.

Charles Allen is a fine author and this book deserves praise. The war in it and many quotations make the book quite gripping and one hopes some people today are made of the same stuff as certain aspects of the men described - though not all of those aspects.

In his prologue, Charles Allen lays out the approach he will take Soldier Sahibs. This is not to be read so much as a comprehensive history examining the social issues or complexities of the expansion of British rule out of India and into the North-West Frontier (now partially in Afghanistan and partially in Pakistan), but as a true-to-life "boy's adventure" story. The tale is of John Nicholson (one of Allen's forbearers) and the other Young Men who, under the guidance of Henry Lawrence, help spread the reach of the East India Company.

And what a tale it is: culture clashes, petty bureaucrats, noble savages. Allen draws heavily upon the letters, diaries and reports of the principle heroes of the tale, leading to a history that is drenched in Victorian stereotypes and ideals. With this caveat in mind, however, Allen does a great job of bringing the modern reader into the world walked by Nicholson and his compatriots. The writing draws in the reader with fantastic tale after fantastic tale, starting with a brief biography of Nicholson and of the East India Company and ending with the lifting of the siege of Delhi during the Sepoy Rebellion. There are lots of vignettes highlighting life in the service of "John Company" and the British Empire and the inevitable culture clashes that occurred across the subcontinent.

Oh, and for those keeping track at home, the subtitle "The Daring Adventurers Who Tamed India's Northwest Frontier" appears to be the work of a copywriter at the U.S. publisher, Carroll & Graf. The original U.K. subtitle is "The Men Who Made the North-West Frontier," which doesn't have as much flash, but doesn't seem as harsh as "tamed."

(Reviewed copy was the 2001 paperback version, printed in the U.K. by Abacus.)