This book was of great assistance in my tours of the grand canyon, mt zio, bryce canyon, utah, arizona, new mexico and Nevada. If your stuck on where to go next, the book easily gives you options. THere has never been a better travel guide than Lonely Planet. I swear by them. Most people like to sell back their books when they are done, but by the end of your trip, this book becomes a souvenir of its own, and demands to be placed proudly upon your bookshelf.

I have recently encountered poor Lonely Planet books, but this was not one of them. It is the good old LP at work.
The coverage of Las Vegas, however, was extremely poor. I spent there 24 hours and this book didn't have enough info for even that short of a trip. The rest is great.
The California LP had twice as much info on Las Vegas.

I relied exclusively upon the 3rd edition of Southwest to guide me through a recent, quite extensive road trip of the high desert regions discussed in this exceptionally well-produced Lonely Planet publication. I had a wonderful, adventure-filled time of it in no small part due to the creative suggestions for travel routes offered in this volume. If a road was not on the maps printed in this edition, then it was impassable for all intents and purposes to non- 4-wheel drive traffic. And I found hotel, B & B, country inn, and youth hostel selections to be uniformly accurate and helpful throughout the book. Suggestions for restaurants were diverse, cost sensitive, and often inspired as well. I enjoyed many superb meals at very reasonable prices as a direct result of explicitly following the directions in the pages of Southwest.

One problem I had with this travel guide was what I came to consider insufficient differentiation of descriptions of historical sites. For example, Chaco Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, and Mesa Verde are all described at about the same superlative level by the authors. But I found Chaco disappointing, if for no other reason than there is little left of the architecture that once graced the arid, remote site. And the ENDLESS dirt road going in should have been re-graded years ago. The site is a pain to reach! For me, the best thing about Chaco was the movie narrated by Robert Redford (which was available for viewing at the Guest Center). But you would never get this from the book. Aside from this minor criticism, I cannot recommend Southwest too highly for those seeking the warm, friendly welcome and indescribable landscapes that come in abundance when touring this remarkable, magical region of the USA.

Eric Newby's account of his trip to the Hindu Kush is a book both daunting and delightful. He makes light of the incompetence and ignorance of both himself and his companion in the realm of climbing and exploring. Yet what they achieve is nothing short of remarkable, given their level of ignorance. Perhaps a more experienced team would have sensibly given up in the face of hunger, illness and cold. Messrs. Newby and Carless soldier on and the account, understandably slightly incoherent, is both funny, self-deprecating and very, very readable. Their account of a chance meeting with the famous explorer Wilfred Thesiger is recounted, far less humorously, by the great man in one of his recent books.

They don't come sweeter than this. Facing middle age, Eric Newby abandons his chosen career as a fashion wholesaler to embark on a whimsical journey to remotest Afghanistan to attempt a mighty peak that has never been climbed. His companion, an old friend, knows as much about high-altitude (or ANY) climbing as he does: not a skerrick. They are almost parodies of a vanished England - absurdly brave, amateurish and uncomplaining; Newby's account of their scratchings up airy ice-walls will have the sweat springing from your palms. Along the way we get a rich insight into the rare mountain societies of one of the most mysterious nations on earth, but it is Newby's character itself that makes this book such a joy. Self-mocking, his courage entirely inferred, Newby's modesty holds until the final hilarious, appalling line. We may not want to go climbing with him, but we'd welcome his company on any journey. In fact, Newby's courage was always a key to his personality. His teenage years were spent as a high-rigging sailor on grain ships in the Southern Ocean. In World War Two he was a commando with the Special Boat Squadron. His capture, escape, and life on the run is memorably recounted in another of his classics "Love and War in the Appennines." But for me, "A Short Walk.." remains his most charming, exciting and extraordinary book.

In A Short Walk, Eric Newby and companions manage to do everything wrong in order to climb a remote mountain in the Hindu Kush, which happens to be located in Afghanistan. But that's only the best part. The trip starts with a climbing trip to Ben Nevis where the would be climbers are given a pamphlet on how to climb in ice and snow, which is their only introduction to high climbing. They drive a car from Britain to Afghanistan and manage to do everything wrong in a very earnest and english way. Their death defying attempt to climb the mountain has the best of intentions, the worst training and some rather dodgy gear. A brilliant travel story and a excellent guide on how not to climb mountains!!!

I picked this book up in preparation for a recent trip to the Four corners region, and found it to be a highly readable account of one man's search for answers as to what did happen to the Anasazi. While Roberts raises more questions than he answers, this is still an entertaining way to learn more about the area and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in the cliff dwellings and general aura of the area.

An extremely readable, even exciting, account of the Anasazi presented from a personal point of view. I found it excellent - - I even gave my father a copy for father's day. Even though I can't agree with Robert's in his disdain for Lake Powell, I can't argue with his passion and knowledge of his subject. After reading several books on the Anasazi for a project I found this book to be the best source for my needs. It is full of interesting facts and lore. As an example, I have visited Moki Canyon on Lake Powell by boat many times, but Robert's chapter on the canyon opened up my views considerably ( I had always wondered what lay along its dry, barren stretches, far from the lake) and I when I go back this summer it will be with an entirely different attitude

In Search of the Old Ones is one of the best books I have ever read about the Anasazi in the Southwest. David Roberts does a wonderful job and made me want to go to the deserts of Utah and Arizona and track them down myself. I have read many books about this area and I have backpacked several of the canyons he describes. This book can be used as a guide if you decide to search for the 'Old Ones' yourself. I'm waiting for the sequel.

Far more than another "rise and fall" recounting of The Chaco Phenomenon--which has become commonplace--this book dispassionately weaves the archeological record into a literate, albeit highly readable 12-century story of the Anasazi, from their Paleo forebearers to their present-day Pueblo descendants. Nothing is especially new about that, either; what truly distinguishes this narrative from all the rest is its examination of the mistakes, the blind alleys taken along the way--and of the very real parallels that exist in 21st century America. For instance: the Chacoan system, as has ours, evolved into a precipitous divide between the very wealthy and very poor. The stabilizing ballast of a middle class fell to the wayside, unnoticed. A period of violent upheavel erupted--not unlike the French Revolution--or for that matter, whatever the Watts and Rodney King riots, and the Oklahoma City bombing might be foreshadowing--after which such architectural marvels as Pueblo Bonito and White House stood quiet and abandoned for centuries. Someday, so might The World Trade Center, to become yet another warning to succeeding generations.

The Anasazi America is a book which answers the request for *more detail* about the Anasazi of the Chaco Canyon region. Dr. Stuart writes with an engaging style while satisfying the thirst for knowledge and understanding about these not-so-ancient people. The book is full of referenced details. This material may be too much if this is your first book on the Anasazi unless you have already visited the ruins or share genetics with the Anasazi. If you have been lit on fire with a desire to know more, and if that fire is burning in your soul, then while you read this book you will thank Dr. Stuart and Susan Moczygema-McKinsey for their efforts in bringing so much research about the Anasazi into your hands!

At the height of their power in the late 11th Century, the Chaco Anasazi dominated a territory in the American Southwest that was larger than any European nation at the time. The Anasazi enjoyed a vast and powerful alliance of thousands of farming hamlets and nearly one hundred major towns integrated through economic and religious ties, with the whole system being interconnected with hundreds of miles of roads. It took the Anasazi more than seven centuries to lay the agricultural, organizational, and technological groundwork for the creation of classic Chacoan civilization. Only to have it last a mere two hundred years and completely collapse in 40 years. Anasazi America explains what such a great society collapsed, who survived the collapse, how they survived, and what useful lessons modern societies can draw from the Anasazi experience. Anasazi America is a superb written contribution to Native American studies and reading lists.

the secret knowledge of water is tempting, sensual, humbling and even frightning. having recently moved into the area which childs so reverently describes, i was moved by the passion and understanding in his writing. the desert is ruthless. that much is clear from living here and reading this book. however, the desert also holds amazing beauty and power; all fluidly shared by the author. i highly reccomend this read to anyone who has experienced water in any form. i guarantee you will come away with a new respect for mother nature.

"The Secret Knowledge of Water" is prose poetry, without a single word wasted. Three or four months after reading it, many of the images are still in my head: images of ancient trails to waterholes; large, unexpected swimming holes, microbes so hardy their environment can go dry and they just curl up and wait...

This book will become even more valuable and compelling as drinking water supplies diminish in quality and quantity. Childs leads us with great flair to a subject of unparalleled importance. His musings blend with touches of humor, history and fascinating naturalism. "Secret Knowledge" should be on every nightstand and in every science (and literature) classroom. It's truly a work of art!

What John McPhee did for North American geology in "Annals of the Former World", Craig Childs does for the deserts of the southwestern U.S. in "The Secret Knowledge of Water". Childs does it better, however: he writes as a son of the desert, one whose intimate knowledge and love of the land and its ways percolate up through these pages like the waters of a favorite desert spring. And he shares his admiration and respect for the desert in a lyric prose that delights as much as it informs.

Childs has worked as a guide and teacher in this area of the country. That he wrote a book based on his knowledge of the terrain is not all that surprising, but his ability to provide a guided tour on paper and to paint word pictures of desert scenes like a novelist would is extraordinary. The successive sections of the book stand on their own as introductions to the desert world and, particularly, to the nature and role of water in the desert. But they also peel away a layer at a time, revealing more and more fascinations as he leads through the book. So we are treated at the start to an account of what John Wesley Powell called the "Thousand Wells" area of the Arizona-Utah border, a collection of potholes, or "waterpockets", each containing hundreds (or thousands) of gallons of water and found sitting on the surface of the land in one of the least likely places on the planet for water to be. But from there we are treated to more delights: underground reservoirs that bubble up to the surface in springs or spout out from a rock face in a waterfall; arroyos that carve the desert into creeks and then disappear; canyons that channel even modest rainfall into floods that are as fierce as they are fickle. Childs' prose is full of wonder and an eye for detail; he can get new-agey at times, though, especially in how often and how strongly he personifies water, and the account he tells of child sacrifice to stop a flood can be either poignant or horrifying, depending on one's point of view. So the accounts hit some bumps here and there, but nothing hard enough to make the jeep he's taking us around in bend an axle.

I have been to, or near, some of the places Childs describes in Secret Knowledge and, as a lifelong resident of the well-watered east, naturally missed every single feature he wrote about. So next time I go, I will be sure to bring this book along to point the way to some of the hidden gems of the desert. It's like having the best tour guide ever lead you around personally, but on the cheap.

Sundeen's writing style is engrossing, and after two pages, I was sucked into his world, and could not put it down. I loved the descriptive way he characterizes nature and people, at the same time. He shows us many similarities between the two, offering his amazing and amusing insight. My favorite part was the last few chapters, when he was living in an old bunker that an old Nazi built. It was the funniest part, but most of all, I loved the common theme that was woven throughout the book - how some of us strive to be alone, but we never truly are. At times, we are engrossed and repulsed by human actions every day, and Sundeen paints an accurate picture of that feeling.

I can't believe some people that reviewed this book didn't like it because they thought it was a travel book like Fodor's Guide to the Desert or something like that. How did they get that idea? Just read the back flap and you know what the book is about. If you want a Fodor's guide, go somewhere else. But if you want a great novel in the vein of On the Road or Travel's With Charley, buy this book!

Wow! Talk about adventures, or should I say misadventures. I was parched until I read Car Camping. Now, I thirst no more, even though your humor is as dry as the desert. Your stories are as real as they come. This book will take you on a ride to places that will make you wish you were there getting in on the action first hand. Car Camping is a lesson in life - try and get away from it all and you'll find yourself knee deep in the hoopla anyway. Highly entertaining and part history lesson, Car Camping is a fantastic collection of short stories. Kudos to you Mark Sundeen. Keep on camping and keep on writing. I can't wait for your next book.

This is an "On the Road" for the 1990's. Semi-autobiographical, Sundeen tools around the desert southwest in his beat-up Subaru having adventures and climbing on stuff. He also meets people and rolls his car onto its roof in a cataract canyon. A great ride!
(That anyone thought this was going to be a Fodor's-like guide for car camping is the funniest thing, though.)

This is an excellent book for a number of reasons. First, it is a poignant and heart-wrenching memoir of a young Marine in Vietnam. The lucid voice of a sensitive and thoughtful warrior reverberates throughout the text. Secondly, this book covers a little known aspect of the war: The Marine Corps Combined Action Platoons (CAP). Goodson gives an excellent account of his unit's objectives and operations. It is one of the few books that gives a sense of what the war was like where it was really fought - at the village level. Moreover, this book shows what could have been if only the high command had fought a true counter-insurgency campaign. One cannot help but feel that Goodson's small squad achieved more than whole battallions of regular troops. This book is a must for those who truly wish to understand the war. And for any military history buff, it is a war memoir of an exceptional caliber.

I read this book for an English project just a few weeks ago. We were required to read a non-fiction book and write a review on it. I chose CAP Mot after it was recommended to me by several people. After reading I was sincerely impressed. I would copy and paste my book review on here for all to read, but that would take up a lot of space so I'm just going to sum it up real fast. I'm not really one that is interested in war books, but this book really caught my attention. To begin, Goodson tells facts in the way of a story and makes it interesting. It isn't like reading a history book. He uses outstaniding imagry, to the point of you feeling as if you are seeing a movie play before you. Although he does use a little of military jargon, all is explained and defined in the footnotes at the end of each chapter. Also, his detail is truly magnificent. As I read the book, I felt like I was in Vietnam right along with the characters. There is so much more I could say, but I have already written a lot, so I'm just going to say that this book is the best non-fiction book I have ever read. I definately recommend this book to all who are interested in war, history, Vietnam, or anyone who is interested in a good read. This is not a joke!!! I seriously enjoyed this book, and that's a lot for me to say because I'm a girl, 15, and seriously not interested in war books of any kind. Mr. Goodson you did a GREAT job!

Barry Goodson does a superb job documenting his experiences and challenges in CAP MOT. I can confirm his description of the CAP MOT environment, because I was there in the same area at the same time serving in a US Army unit and indirectly involved in some of the dangerous events that Barry experienced. The CAP teams were elite and effective organizations This is one of only two books ( "What a soldier Gives" is the second) that I consider accurate descriptions of the basic warrior in the Vietnam war. Barry "tells it like it was"! Military historians should use it as a reference, future leaders should use it as a guide to leadership under stress(both do's and dont's), and American citizens and politicians should use it as a reminder of the sacrifice that military people experience when committed to war. The reader will understand how elite and brave Barry and his CAP MOT truly was. CAP MOT is not only a historical record but it is also intertaining reading as a result of Barry's superb writing techniques. I recommend it for all readers. I salute Barry for a job well done. Larry Beale Colonel(RET) USA

It is hard finding books that tell the stories of the old west (especially of Wyatt and gang) that are free of opinion and myths. But Stuart N. Lake does just this in his wonderful book. A must for complete information on the exciting life of this Tombstone legend. I've read many books on this subject and have even been to Tombstone and Mr. Lake is an accurate author.

I read Lake's book as a child. Wyatt Earp became a real hero to me. Later I found there was much more to the story, and much less. Lake found Earp to be uncooperative. So much so he didn't publish this book until Wyatt had been dead three years. Great portions of it were complete fiction such as the episodes in Abilene, Ks. and the arrest of Ben Thompson which never happened. But then, Wyatt Earp never claimed that it had. Lake wanted to write a tale of the old west and in the late 1920's Wyatt was about the only survivor of that breed of men who lived by their wits and survived those days. Nevertheless this book is a lot of fun. If you want a true picture of Wyatt Earp check out the latest issue of American Heritage magazine (Mar/April, 1999). He was a controversial figure and in many ways an admirable one. The story of the making of the myth is as fascinating as the man.

I have a small library of Wyatt Earp books and Lake's book is always maligned by other Earp historians. No other book, however, seems to give us as much insight into Earp as Lake's. Sure, the facts are exaggerated and, in several instances, created out of whole cloth but more factual books also contain significant mistruths without ever giving us a feel for the man. Tefertiller's "Wyatt Earp" is indoubtedly better history but it isn't a better read. If you can only read one book about Earp, this may be the best one to read.

Dear Lectors: Black and Black Iran Revisited is the most beutiful and interesting book about Iran culture, costumes,people, geography.The writer Ana Maria Briongos try to demostrate how is Iran live from the 70's and 90's, she makes somes comparissons about her lives there and now,she describes wonderful the best cities of Iran,The Caspian,the traditional Persan New Year called Now Ruz and many many history about the beautiful country. I think she is the best writter of Iran. Iwould like to encourage people to read this book, also invite to read small review abouit her book on the Ira Journal newspaper of Northen california.Enjoy it.

It's incredible that Black on Black-Iran Revisited is the first book of Ana Briongos. She writes as an expertise, with perfect narrative control. Briongos goes and back on time with great self-confidence. She woks with years of history: since her first travel to Iran in 60's, passing 1973-74 when she studied Literature in Teheran, and 1996 when she returns. She talks about Shah's and Islamic Revolution's periods, mixing life's stories with politics informations. She never boring the reader with to much historics facts, but she puts in a pleasant way the importants events. The traveler like me, whom had a short time in Iran, never would be able to catch the beauty and contradictions of persians. Briongos doesn't give all the answers (unfortunately she didn't take the Khatami's scene), but she's arrived close. I think it's because she put herself into the book. She's not a neutral or a blasée specialist about a distant subject, for exemple, when she talks about the kurd problem. Ana Briongos is a spanish catalan woman and she knows what is a identity question. Read this book is a great travel, this kind of travel we say in the end: what a pity, is finished.

Black on Black. Iran Revisited is a charming book on Iran that makes you understand what Iran has been during the shah's rule and what it is nowadays. The Spanish author Ana Briongos has been living, studying and travelling in Iran. Her first visit was in 1969. As a woman, she is able to penetrate what is probably the most mysterious aspect of Muslim society: the role of women, which has changed significantly since the Islamic revolution. The Spanish prose has been translated by Chris Andrews. His excellent translation makes this complex people come alive, with vivid descriptions of accepted practices. Black on Black has given me a better understanding of Iran and its people. Through reading the book I was able to see the better side of Islam and feel the obvious love the author have for Iran, a contradictory and fascinating country and I shed a couple of tears at the book's end when I read the final description of Bubu, Rave and Nuri, it was so beautifully written.

This book starts off good. You get to know all the charachters and feel like you are sitting down for meals with them. Then things start to spin out of control. Too much violence and grief and no clear reason or explanation for any of it. Not one of this author's best books.

A modern day son in conflict with a father who clings to the "old ways" of the West in this gripping story of life set a small Texas town and a nearby ranch during the last days of the Old West still held only in a father's memories,now sets the mood and tone of the book. A "true-to-life" event that has occurred more than once in a changing Texas for many of us who can attest to these changes having been reared in Texas with roots and ties to such folks. A great read!
Evelyn Horan - teacher/counselor/author
Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Books One - Three

This book was my introduction to Larry McMurtry, and I intend to read many more of his books based on this classic. The book was made into the movie "Hud," starring Paul Newman and Patricia Neal. The movie was brilliant, but different from the book in several notable ways. The stars of this book are teenager Lonnie and the evocative Texas setting. However, it is not simply another sensitive coming of age story. Instead it explores such varied topics as race relations and the death of the Old West. Look for the town and some of the same characters in McMurtry's "The Last Picture Show," another beautiful novel.