The information in this book on many of the plants listed in it is incorrect. If you try to use the names given you will not be able to find them. Cross referece is a must if you intend to use this book in the buisness.

Lots of useful detail about native habitats of hundreds of plants. Many, many photographs. Suggestions for landscape use.

Living in the higher elevations of the Western Mojave Desert presents unique opportunities (read: problems)in landscaping. The full color photos, the environmental requirements, and, especially, the cold tolerance of each plant helped us choose plants which would not only survive, but prosper in our area. Many thanks to the author.

Work on the Tibet TAG was one of the most interesting projects I've done. Because there's NO source material available on Tibet, Michael gave me hand-drawn notes to construct the maps. Often we sat together and discussed for hours about site locations, distance relationships, graphic-cartographic definitions, ... The result is impressing: the by far best detail maps of Tibet.

This is one of the best of the four different guidebooks that I've used on my visits to Tibet. The text provides an excellent introduction to the many fascinating aspects of Tibet culture and valuable practical information for a visit. Michael Buckley also gives easy-to-follow descriptions of temples and other sights. The superb maps had clarity and accuracy unmatched in the other guidebooks or even other publisher's fold-out maps. I was also on the bicycle trip with Chris Sandvig and we all carried dog-eared maps photocopied out of Buckley's guide!

Michael Buckley is no newcomer to the field of Tibetan guidebooks. He was joint author of the first edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Tibet, published in early 1986.

His new book is undoubtedly the one I would recommend first for reading before a visit to Tibet. For a visit to central or western Tibet it may also be the best single book to take.

The qualifications I have for commenting on guidebooks to Tibet are just that I have travelled to Tibet a number of times, always independently, that I have visited many of the regions of Tibet, that as a travel advisor for a major Tibet-support organization I have consulted with hundreds of western travellers to Tibet, and that I have read just about every guidebook to Tibet published in recent years.

Michael has a most attractive, easy style, speaking (he seems to be speaking) as one traveller to another. He is never patronising or pompous, he does not pretend to know what he doesn't know, and he does not flaunt his knowledge; among writers of guidebooks, those are rare achievements. Despite them, Michael is knowledgeable (there are many quite surprising bits of information) and is forthright in expressing his own considered opinions about cultural and political matters; but he seems to be sharing those opinions and his reasons for holding them, rather than preaching.

"What think ye of Tibet?" is a profound and important moral question, and it is one that any serious visitor should work on, and continue working on. Tibet is not the fantasy land that it was so often (by way of a kind of intellectual rape) supposed to be. But it is a country whose long isolation and whose unique approach to national priorities and polity have made it a priceless pearl, analogous to a genetic pool, whose destruction is occurring at the world's peril. Michael's book understands this, and includes an eloquent summary of the moral issues with which Tibetan politics confront and challenge the world. They are clearly matters on which Michael has thought long and deeply.

Some guidebooks use a fair amount of hearsay and guesswork for the sake of appearing complete in their description of places and travelling conditions. Michael seems to avoid that. If his information is sometimes incomplete, perhaps it is more reliable.

Every Tibet guidebook must answer the question, What are the boundaries of Tibet? Some guidebooks do not admit to asking it, but give their answers furtively, by what regions they speak about. Tibet is assuredly larger than the "Tibetan Autonomous Region" (of China), which alone the People's Republic means when it speaks of Tibet (Xizang). The territorial claims of the exile Tibetan government are, to say the least, ambitious; but it is a curious fact that they do not include a great deal of territory outside the "T.A.R." which China does not also classify as "Tibetan Autonomous" prefectures or counties in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu or Yunnan provinces.

Michael does acknowledge a Tibet wider than the "T.A.R.": he includes a twenty-page chapter on "The Tibetan World outside the TAR, Tibet in exile, former kingdoms". Within that chapter, only a very few pages deal with Tibet outside the "T.A.R." but inside the People's Republic. But the chapter also includes welcome, if brief, sections on Tibetan regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan, as well as on Outer Mongolia - historically within the Tibetan cultural and religious sphere. Perhaps almost of necessity all the detailed travel information in the book concerns the "T.A.R.", and there is scope in future editions for more extensive information about the rest of Tibet.

Michael understands the importance of good maps, and this is reflected by the quality of the maps in his book. The inclusion is very welcome of town maps of Sakya, Nyalam, Ali, Zanda (Tholing) and Tsaparang, among others.

The book includes good descriptions of the main tourist routes in the T.A.R., including the route from Lhasa to Kathmandu with the main detours, an excellent section on trekking near Everest, and the western Tibet circuit. Welcome additions would include the circuit to the Kongpo east of Lhasa (through Bayi and Tsedang) with detours to Basum Tso and down the Tsangpo to Pe, the circuit through Nagchu to Chamdo and Bayi, and the route from Tsedang south of Yamdrok Tso to Gyantse. An index is needed.

All this means that this is a most valuable book, but that I hope Michael will persevere in making it even better, and considerably larger, in future editions.

The only value to this [poor] attempt at giving the reader a true navajo experience, are the parts on building your own tapestry loom. There are better books!

What a life saver! It's difficult to get information on the Texas Gulf Coast about Navajo weaving. As an art major I had no trouble locating weaving classes (fiber arts) but no one seems to be into the Navajo style. This book singlehandedly taught me how to not only make a Navajo loom but also how to weave a rug (that turned out beautifully!). It has very easy to understand instructions that utilize contemporary easy to find materials. It also gives good resources for weaving fibers and/or tools that may not be available in your area. I haven't tried the Navajo spindle yet (to spin my own yarn) but the spindle is on order and I can't wait. Wonderful book!

An excellent book. I used it to build a loom and learned much about the Navajo and Native American Spirituality.

Contested Territory purports to be an examination of the interactions between whites, blacks and Native Americans in the Indian and Oklahoma Territories prior to statehood. Instead, it offers an old-fashioned, well-worn tale of white oppression and Native American and black reaction. That story might need to be told, but Wickett's attempt is a frustrating failure on many levels. First is Wickett's race-relations model. Wickett seems content to write a history that ignores much of the last three decades of scholarship on race, gender, identity, cultural formation, community building, acts of resistance, etc. (Since I am most familiar with the historiography of African American scholarship, I will use examples from that literature). Wickett shows no familiarity with the body of work produced by Joe Trotter Jr., Darlene Clark Hine, Robin D.G. Kelley, Quintard Taylor (and others of their generation) who have produced masterful, critical analyses of the lived worlds of African American men and women. Black Oklahomans, in Wickett's world, are one amorphous class, reduced for the most part to reacting to whites and, on occasion, Native Americans. Too often Wickett relies on scholarship that is thirty to forty years old. In fact, when I finished the first two chapters, I was certain that Contested Territory was the work of a venerable professor who finally had gotten around to turning 30-year-old lecture notes into a monograph. Instead, we have a scholar who unstintingly relies on the work and subtle biases of historians writing in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He even quotes some of these works at length. Wickett also relies uncritically on the reminisces of early white settlers. He does not challenge any of these recollections of life in early Oklahoma nor consider that the memories of these settlers, most of which cast Native Americans and African Americans in a negative light and were collected by the WPA more than four decades later, might be based more in the settlers' biases than in fact. Contested Territory does offer some new information and Wickett is to be commended for his work in the archives. But the shortcomings of this work more than outweigh its value. I had considered using this as a text in a course that I teach, but I can't in good conscious require that my students purchase such a flawed work. Nor would I want to spend the time trying to erase the negative images that Contested Territory would leave with them.

As a resident of Oklahoma, I found this book to be particularly fascinating. While we are often taught about the history of America as a nation, we are many times left with somewhat of a void as far as history of individual states are concerned. This book demonstrates excellent research skills as told by the many many primary sources. Wickett quite obviously has done his RESEARCH. While many historans today choose to rely on other historians research, Wickett has decided to sift through the abundant primary sources in order to break new ground. His information was thorough, well documented and completely enjoyable to read. My only complaint of the book is that it was not longer; I wanted to read more. Wickett's book would be an asset to the education of history students in Oklahoma as well as anyone interested in our unique history.

I feel this book has great importance and significance in the turbulent field of race relations. While reading this book I was continually struck by the extensive amount of research this historian has completed. I found Wickett's comparison and analysis of African Americans and Native Americans in white society to be fascinating. He clearly points out that while Native Americans were being invited into white society, African Americans were being segregated and pushed to the periphery of American society. The irony of course is that Native Americans did not wish to join white society, while African Americans were more than willing to do so. I feel this book has made an important contribution in the field of race relations.

I learned about this book from a review in the "Lands End" catalogue, of all places, and was thrilled by the quality and depth of the prints. I thereupon decided that I had to have the book. However, I was really disappointed. In my opinion, the prints reproduced in the book do not come anywhere close to the quality of the prints in the Lands End catalogue. The prints in the book look washed out and blurred, whereas Lands End prints were sharp, with plenty of detail.

Why is Amazon selling this book at full price

If there was not one line of prose in this book, the photographs would be more than worth the price of the book. We have grown up with images from the movies and television. These photographs portray the real American Indian. I found myself with a lense studying the detail of the clothing, beads and headdresses and eventually transported by the expresses. What were these people thinking as they poised? Are we the readers the ones that are really caught in time?

Backcountry ski oregon is a nice guide. The photos are not as good as the ones in oregon descents but it offers a few more routes. Some of the routes are part of ski areas. useful book

What makes Van Tilburg's latest guidebook so good has a lot to do with why Van Tilburg was the perfect person to write it. He's not only an expert skier and snowboarder, but he's also an expert mountaineer, canyoneer, and wilderness medicine physician. When he guides you on these classic descents, you are in good hands. He not only shows you the best places to go, but makes sure you have the information to stay safe and get home in one piece. Let's face it -- if we were experts we wouldn't need a guidebook. If we need a guidebook, we need one written by someone with experience and good sense. Van Tilburg is a good man to follow.

We found Fodor's Exploring Israel to be full of pretty pictures and good history, but a bit short on practical information. Specifically, the information on various sites and events was incomplete (hours would be omitted, no helpful hints provided, etc.)

The Lonely Planet Guide is a much better resource. It really contained everything we needed to know during our week there, and we'd recommend that guide over this one if you only get one. We also loved the Knopf Guide to the Holy Land, with its rich, beautiful pages. This really conveys the grandeur of this sacred part of the world. Exploring Israel also has many pictures, however, and can help you get a feel for what you want to see, so we recommend it as a third resource.

So, we recommend the Knopf Guide for souvenir/historical guide, the Lonely Planet Guide as a carry-with-you-everyday guide, and Fodor's Exploring Israel only for planning purposes.

I am not a traveller, but now that I know there are books like this out there, I believe I have more desire to travel. I studied this book before, during and now after my trip to Israel. Customs, money, scripture, directions on even walking through Jerusalem were found in the book...I used it daily on my pilgrimege and still do read and look things up, just to remember my trip. Next time it's FODOR'S for me!!! I highly recommend this book. Pictures and maps are as great as the information on where to shop...WONDERFUL!!! GO FOR IT!!!!

The book consists of three major sections:

1) The genocide of the aboriginial inhabitants of Humboldt & Mendocino Counties. 2) The rise & fall of the Asbill brothers; two early settlers in the area. 3) The story of the infamous George E. White. Cattle King of Round Valley & the Yolla Bolly country in northwestern California from the 1850's to 1902.

The first section is difficult to read. Partly because of the content, & partly because of the format. Appears to be written in the format used for a Master's thesis. Does contain a wealth of information. Some of it repeated from various sources. Gives an overview of the Indian population decline as well as graphic descriptions of some of the murderous incidents. Horrific. Bosnia today has nothing on what a few pitiless men did in the Yolla Bolly country during the 1850's & 1860's. Easier reading covering some of the same material are "The Story of the Stolen Valley," by Rena Lynn, and "The Saga of Round Valley The Last of the West," by John E. Keller.

The second section is easier reading because it is based largely on the narrative of Frank Asbil. Son of Pierce Asbill & nephew of Frank Asbil. Follows their story from their arrival in the Yolla Bolly country as hide hunters through the rise & fall of their livestock operations. Colorful & entertaining. My favorite part of the book. If you like this section, look for the "Last of the West" by Frank Asbill & Argle Shawley

The third section relates the story of George White's livestock empire. Includes examples of the brutal methods used by his henchmen to control the rich grazing land of the Yolla Bolly country. These included threats, theft, arson, perjury, false accusations, corrupt officers of the law, & murder by various cowardly means: poisoning, shooting in the back from ambush. Over a twenty year period in a population of only a few hundred people, over fifty murders occurred FOR WHICH NO SUSPECTS WERE EVER ARRESTED. Because of the large number of crimes, the authors present selected incidents to illustrate typical methods used by these organized outlaws to keep out homesteaders for nearly fifty years. This section reaches it's climax in the murderous vendetta against the two men that ultimately stood up to George White's outlaw buckaroos, and in the accounts of the killers' trials in Weaverville. It has lighter portions too. These cover cattle ranching methods of the day as well as anecdotes illuminating the character of some individuals involved. For fictionalized adventures in the Yolla Bolly country from this era look for the book "Wylackie Jake of Covelo."

Contains an epilogue and an extensive bibliography. Compliments to Lynwood Carranco & the late Estle Beard on their thorough telling of this chilling history. Should be made into a movie by someone like Robert Redford

please find me the book above

The author is an academic anthropologist. The book is a survey of a lot of information, but some emphases seem unusual. For example, there is quite a bit of speculation about what languages were spoken by prehistoric "pueblo" people but almost no information about the pueblo revolt of 1680. Details of that revolt are easily found in other books, but it was surprising to find so little about such an important event here. In contrast, there is a chapter on the Spanish conquest of Mexico. I found that material interesting, but it wasn't clear how that level of detail related to the author's main story. The author says almost nothing about the exploitation of the Pueblo people by the Church, government, and landowners before the revolt. He states that the Spanish were benevolent compared to the English in New England, but without any justification for this statement. There is an extensive list of references for readers who want to learn more. The book could also use some editing; some text is repeated in a later chapter.

"Rio Del Norte" is a very good summary and (partial) reinterpretation of the archeology and culture history of the US Southwest into the early historical period. "Southwest" is in quotation marks because during the early historical period it was Mexico's "Northwest;" but it has always belonged to the indigenous peoples who still live there. Apart from this misnomer, the perspective is not notably Anglocentric, and in fact, the work is exceptional in giving due consideration to the concerns of the Indians of the region. This is most noticeable in Riley's discussion of EL Turco ("The Turk"), a Plains Indian captive at Pecos Pueblo who led Coronado onto the Great Plains in the early 1540s. Typically portrayed as a lying traitor by the Spaniards, Riley shows him---convincingly, in my view---as an early exemplar of Pan-Indian consciousness who developed an (abortive) strategy to thwart the Spaniards' pursuit of wealth and power. In this way Riley restores historical and rational agency to this enigmatic figure, and also other indigenous historical actors from the region.

This book rates 4 stars because the level of specialized detail, especially on environment and economy, will deter some readers. But I have happily quarried it for lecture material, and both students and laypersons who appreciate clearly-written scholarship will benefit from reading it.

I bought this book while vacationing in New Mexico and found it an excellent companion to my visits to archaeological sites such as Quarai, Abo, and Gran Quivara. These former Pueblo Indian farming communities are located in the middle of nowhere and the fact they were able to exist -- and apparently thrive -- in a hostile, desert environment adds to their appeal and mystery. Riley has turned out a competent, readable survey of the Indians of the Rio Grande in pre- and early-historical times. In the first half of the book he gives a thorough account of all aspects of Pueblo Indian culture: history, language, agriculture, religion, technology, trade, etc. The second half is devoted to their contacts with Coronado and the other early Spanish explorers and settlers. He presents in brief form a lot of information, but most of what he says is jargon-free and comprehensible to non-archaeologists and non-specialists. I liked the book and it will stay on my shelves as a ready reference to the Pueblo Indians.

This book gives you information about many Arizona towns and cities. What I liked is that Mr. Trimble explains the history of the towns, even those small ones in the middle of nowhere. He explains who founded the towns, how and why, and gives you the background on the people involved. Mr. Trimble's writing style is humorous, easy to read, and fun! This book is a must for anyone traveling Arizona's roads!

This is the best book about Arizona, and I've read quite a few. You can certainly read this book straight through (you'll find some duplication of stories because of the format), but the book is best read when travelling around the state (turn to whatever highway you happen to be on - while someone else is driving!) or by just opening to any page and starting to read. You'll be amazed at all the information contained herein!

From the capital city of Phoenix to tiny state route 73 (Carrizo to McNary), something happened practically everywhere in Arizona - and this book will tell you what it was and when it did.

An excellent book by an excellent author! This book, Marshall Trimble's best, is highly recommended for anyone in Arizona who wants to learn more about his state, and for anyone outside Arizona who wants to know what all the fuss is about.

If you travel around Arizona (or even if you don't) this book is a nice resource to have. Most of Arizona's major roadways are covered and the author does a nice job of describing historical events that occurred at various locations. Before I bought this book, I passed many historic locations and was never even aware of it. Now when I travel around the state, I can point out these historic places or explain the history behind various small towns or landmarks (whether my fellow passengers like it or not). I've read several of Trimble's books and this is the one that I refer back to the most.

Another reviewer stated that there were inaccuracies in this book. Not being a historian, I can't comment on that. As someone who has read many books on Arizona history, I must admit that it is annoying to read one book about an event, then read another one that gives a very different account. Unfortunately that is the frustrating part about history - parts of it seem to become lost or reinterpreted as the years pass.