For anyone who loves to travel to strange and distant lands - or wishes they could - this may be the quintessential travel book. Vita Sackville-West was a great friend of Virginia Woolf, and shared her gift for superb storytelling as well as her love of the language.

From the opening page, where she describes and beckons to fellow travelers, through the wild ride across the Yemeni sands and the drive over the mountains of Persia, the reader is enthralled.

She opens the door to travel in the 'teens, when a journey like this was truly arduous - and yet you are quite certain she always looked fabulous and was witty - at least after she'd had her tea.

It is a great regret that this book is out of print, as it is such a treasure.

If you are fascinated by English travelers accounts of exotic journeys undertaken in the Golden age of Travel, then V. Sackville-West's record of her journey by rail and road from London to Iran in the 1920s will delight you. Her sensibility as a novelist and poet enrich this book of impressions and her strong personality shines through every comment on her adventures. Ms. West follows a meandering and leisurely land route to the Near East from England and, later, returns via Mother Russia, using all means available at the time: automobile, train, donkey, camel, and her own two feet. She braves bandits in the mountain passes of Iran; street beggars in Baghdad, English travelers who dismay and bore her at every turn. She conveys the pageantry of Iranian royalty during a Coronation; surveys the ancient landscape and ruins of Persian gardens on her tramps through the mountainsides of Tehran. She takes the reader on as a fellow passenger and you feel at once you are in the company of an exceptional, if eccentric, traveling companion. After reading this book, you would gladly follow her anywhere

This is a good novel about the relationship between Sam Houston and Eliza Allen, who Houston married in 1829. The marriage lasted only a few months, at which time Allen fled Houston to return home to her parents. Neither she nor Houston ever revealed the reason for their breakup, but it destroyed Houston's political career in Tennessee and eventually led to his going to Texas, where he became commander-in-chief of the Texas army when Texas won its independence from Mexico, first president of the Republic of Texas, and governor of Texas when it became a state.

There have been a number of theories advanced as to why Allen fled Houston, but since neither one revealed the reason and the historical record is slim, the event will be forever shrouded in mystery. Crook's novel suggests a very plausible theory, and grows out of an academic research article Crook published in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, reprinted in its entirety as an appendix to the novel. To Crook, the reason was not a simple one, and it cannot be fully appreciated without reading her book. To anyone interested in the mystery of their relationship, or in the character of Sam Houston, this is a very good read.

A very good historical novel

This lovely little book is packed with beautiful photos. every page reminds me why, when i build a house, i'll build it adobe-style. you learn a little bit about the history of adobe, its evolution as new architectural ideas moved west, and crucial bits of vocabulary pertinent to adobe homes, such as vigas (celing beams), latillas, canelas & more. this is a lovely book, and excellent for fantasizing about the future.

Robert Reck's photography is beautiful (as always). It was a wonderful surprise to see MY OWN Santa Fe work in the book!

The book gives a great feel for the beauty of the Adobe Home and the time tested vernacular of the details.

I read this book that I borrowed from a friend 3 years ago. I am a Sonoran native, and I found most of the author's comments accurate. Although I found it a bit pessimistic and cynical at times, I really enjoyed his observations on the present conditions in the state, since most of them are true.

Arturo Wagner Navojoa, Sonora

This is a delightful read, a vivid description of the land, the people, and the culture of Sonora, written by a person who loves it.

A research scientist at the University of Arizona, David Yetman creates a nice balance among history/geography; the human stories of people he meets; and his personal relationship to the land and indigenous people .

The esteem in which Yetman is held, both by Sonoran natives and gringo colleagues, is awesome. He moves easily from intimate conversations with native families willing to share their last tortilla, to sophisticated discussions of politics, agriculture, and drugs with officials in the highest of places. While acknowledging the challenges facing Sonora in light of ecological and social changes, he goes easy when questioning reluctant locals about the drug culture, presumably to avoid putting them, and himself, in harm's way.

Yetman's academic credentials are revealed in the wealth of information about the varied landscapes within Sonora. That he truly enjoys and respects the people he has encountered over thirty years and hundreds of visits shines through and gives the book its personality.

Just briefly, I am an historian so perhaps I am not the general reader. But I found Rebecca Kugel's account of the Ojibwe (Chippewa) struggle to adapt to the rush of Euro-American settlement utterly absorbing. It makes the choices faced by Native Americans, and the factional divisions among themselves, clearer than anything else I've read.

I am impressed enough with the book that I intend to use it as a textbook in my college class next semester. We'll see if my Minnesota students are equally impressed.

This is one of the most compelling stories that I have read on the Indians experience with the Europeans. My son brought this home, it was one of his college books, and I could not put it down after I picked it up.

A good book at debunking some of the unfounded nonsense that has grown up around certain events in NM history, like the myth that Billy the Kid was not killed by Pat Garrett, who murdered the Fountains and who shot Pat Garrett.

This book is easy to read, and fascinating. The author backs up the old timers stories with facts and adds to the history where appropriate. I found this book to be extremely interesting.

A fascinating read, especially for people with ties to Utah and for members of the LDS Church. How unfortunate that this story has remained largely untold until now. There were sections that could have used more solid references. I am a direct descendant of James Andrus who is mentioned several times in the book, and some of what was written in this volume contradicts some fairly well-documented family history, but overall this book is wonderfully presented. This is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of the American West.

Dr. Peterson has done a brilliant job of writing and teaching in this work. This book is a must for anyone interested in Mormon, Utah, Western or U.S. history. You will see Utah and the Mormon Church in a whole new light. Dr. Peterson is magnificant in his research, historical honesty, writing method and using original sources. this is a book I treasure. Thank you Dr. Peterson

Appalachia has gotten a bad rap...hillbillies, poor, ignorant, etc. Those who have lived there, or know people who have, know this is false. After all, Appalachians formed the bedrock of the union movement in this country (think United Mine Workers), fought much of the Civil War, and ran our steel miils.

Ms. Slone does a powerful job of exposing the powerful inner strength developed by residents of these mountains over the generations. She makes you believe that "hillbilly" is not an epithet, but--as she says--an adaptation of the Shakesperean Wiiliam ("Billy") to the mountains--hence, hill billy's.

A great book for anyone who wants to understand (or who already admires) this very important region in our country.

Simple and truthful. If you love the Appalachian South, you'll enjoy this one.

Donald and Mary Grant, two well paid journalists living in New York City, decide to do a career change in their late 50's. They purchase a cottage sitting on three or four acres, later to become 11 acres, and live off the land. They visit the local Irish Pub on Saturday nights, chat about farm animals, and throughout the year entertain friends from their previous life who thought them totally "bunkers". Donald for added income writes a column for an American newspaper describing their new life. At a time when Americans have had to make career changes late in life, I would highly recommend this book. I think they added to the success of their endeavor by choosing Ireland, for it is definitely a country where nature has it's way. Untamed, perhaps, but also unspoiled. I believe in my heart that the troubles in Ireland should not be and Great Britian should give Northern Ireland it's freedom just as Donald Grant felt after living there. The Irish are unique, pleasantly unique, and should remain so

I may be guilty of a little bit of nepetism (Mary Grant being an aunt, a bit removed and seldom seen), but this book has been a family treasure around the house for years. Anyone looking for an inspiring story about a simpler life should look into this one for sure.

I loved this book. A wonderful example of personal travel writing--a very personal memoir. In addition to beautifully describing the countryside, some of her insights were quite interesting--the lack of privacy in the culture, the obedience to authority. Her appreciation of and eventual conversion to Buddhism helped me really understand in a very different way the nature of this most un-western form of spirituality. I too was a little disappointed in the second half of the book where her falling in love interferes with the very compelling story of ethnic tensions, and I did think the ending was a bit of a cop out--"oh,well--cultural differences"--unexplained reason for her separation. Still, having been to Nepal and seeing just a glimpse of the things she writes about, a must read for people visiting that part of the world.

Jamie writes a beautiful account of Bhutan & it's people. And although she would like to believe that it is an ideal existence - a shangri la, she soon realises that every country has it's own unique problems. This however does not prevent Jamie from falling in love with Bhutan & the way of life. After adjusting to living with no electricity, no running water, a drastic change in diet, language problems & the local bus aptly named the 'vomit comet', Jamie's mind finally arives in Bhutan. Gradually, through letters to her boyfriend she finds a widening gap between her new life & life in Canada. So much so that on returning home for a visit, she finds her former life to be a complete culture shock & shortens her stay.

Her tales of the school children in the village of Pema Gatshel are both amusing & heartwarming. This is a society where children revere their teachers. Jamies acknoledges that that these children have taught her a lot more than she was able to teach them.

A must for anyone with an interest in Bhutan, the Himalayan region, Buddhism & teaching in a foreign country.

I just finished reading this book, and thought it was wonderful! It was especially good to read because I just recently moved to Romania and am going through some of the same experiences that the author discribed. Culture shock, language, trying to teach students without the words to communicate with them (I haven't had anyone tell me that their birthday is "It is rice and pork," yet [p. 43], but I could definitely relate to that story!), all of these are common struggles in a new land.

One of the best parts of the book for me was the way the author managed to combine a description of the history of Bhutan and her own personal experiences. I love reading history and culture books, but reading about history by experiencing it through someone else's eyes made it all come alive again. I loved how Zeppa brings the reader slowly through ever-spiraling circles deeper and deeper into the culture. The way she carefully described her arrival in the country, her original culture shock and despair, and the gradual love she gained for her new people are very well-crafted. It gives the reader the chance to experience the same gradual love of Bhutan, its culture, people, and landscape. She also managed to do so with a good sense of humor, laughing about things such as rats having a Rat Olympics while she was trying to sleep, or the reverse culture shock of having sliced bread after so many months in what originally seemed to her to be extremely spartan living conditions. I've read many travel books and memoirs, but I have to say that this is one of my all-time favorites.

I also appreciated the author's honesty, both about the good and the bad decisions she made and things she experienced. Here I have to take issue with some of the other reviewers. In fact, I have to wonder if they've ever lived in a country besides their native land (as well as wondering how they would fare with the Rat Olympics, lack of electricity, unfamiliar food, and lack of connection to their first native land). I found Zeppa's description of culture shock to be extremely accurate. As humans we have the built-in characteristic of believing on a certain fundamental level that the way we know things is "right". Living in other cultures can change that to a certain degree, but it never goes away. Some days (especially in the beginning) you wonder why you ever decided to come to this stupid country and when the next plane home is. Other days you love this wonderful new country, can't believe you ever lived anywhere else, and can't imagine why anyone would ever live life differently than people do in your new home. Most days are somewhere in-between. Through a great deal of work you can try to view both your old and new cultures objectively, but this is very hard. I felt that Zeppa did an amazing job with this; she was definitely not perfect, but she wrestled with her decisions before making them and remained constantly open to new ideas and interpretations of what she saw, which is more than most people can do. To me, this was one of this book's main strengths. I loved this book and would recommend it to people interested in learning about another culture. I would also recommend it to people who are going to be living in a new country to give them an idea of what culture shock can be like. Although most culture shock won't be as severe (Canada to Bhutan is one of the biggest cultural changes available on our planet at the moment), this is still an excellent view of what adjustment can be like. If nothing else, I know that I will remember this book so that when my culture shock gets worse ("I don't understand what she just said... This new climate is hard to get used to!... Why do they do things THAT way here?" etc.) I can know I'm in good company.