A must to read........
I felt I was there with him. I was eating the food and drinking the cold buttermilk. I could hear the heavy breathing of the mules going up the mountains of eastern Kentucky. This is a simple and straight look at a true and honest man, who taught himself and those around him that you choose your path in life. His seemed to be rewarded with an abundance of love.

If you have an interest in Hopi Katsina dolls, this is the book for
you ... at a price everyone can afford. Having been in contact with
the author several months prior to the book's publication, it was
eagerly anticipated. The "finished product" does not
disappoint. As a collector, judge at several major juried shows and
owner of a Native American Trading Company, Kent McManis knows his
stuff! I have only one complaint ... I wish the book were at least
TWICE it's size. At 56 pages .... I hope the author will consider a
second book on the subject as he has with Zuni fetishes.This is the
first book I have found which traces the katsina cycle and includes
the doll on the SAME page where it is discussed. This aspect alone
makes the book a "keeper". Robin Stancliff is to be
commended for 70 beautiful photographs of both contemporary / action
pieces and historic / traditional katsinam as well. If you have never
seen the work of MASTER carvers like Brian and Ronald Honyouti, Cecil
Calnimptewa, Ros George, Loren Phillips and Dennis Tewa ... add this
book to your library. I'm looking forward to VOLUME II, Mr
McManis. Thank you for sharing such a valuable resource with your
readers.

This is Dobie's commentary and listing of a miscellany of writings on the Southwest that he considered "good reading." The Guide's purpose, according to Dobie, was primarily: to help people of the Southwest learn more of the land to which they belong, to make their past more alive, to bring them to a realization of the values of their own cultural inheritance, and to stimulate them to observe. This is an important work, written in a witty style, and conveniently organized into almost three dozen categories that cover virtually every aspect of Southwestern culture.

Rarely does one find such a combination of gorgeous photographs, well written descriptions and useful information in one book. The book features 52 national parks, monuments, recreational areas, historical parks and historic sites. There are 170 color photos and a map of the southwest together with descriptions and access maps. George H.H. Huey's stunning photos include the magnificent vistas of the American Southwest, close up photographs of flowers and wildlife, accurate depictions of historical sites and much more. They portray the diversity and glorious landscapes of both famous and lesser-known gems of our the area. They bring life to the land and entice one to visit. Vickie J. Leach's descriptions give factual information of what to see at each site in a clear and concise manner. She gives useful information in an easy to read manner. I would heartily endorse this book. It is a joy to read and an excellent reference guide.

Since Amazon didn't post an editorial review, here's the description from the back of the book to help you decide if this book is for you: "THE HAWK. Wild and free, the sole survivor of a brutal massacre, John Cooper Baines lives by his wits as he treks across the unclaimed wilderness. Brought to manhood in an indian village, he moves on to New Mexico -- a turbulent land ravaged by bandits and stamped by the legacy of aristocratic Spain. AND THE DOVE. Headstrong and beautiful, the daughter of an exiled Spanish nobleman, Catarina is torn by warring passions, haunted by a vibrant dream. Only a man who can tame the savage land can subdue her defiant heart. Together they will live the glorious beginnings of a dynasty as proud as royal Spain, as reckless and bold as frontier America."

I have used this book, in both hardcover and paperback, until its covers are ratty. It is wittily written, as well as clear, and it covers loads of things you can do with herbs, as well as how to grow the things, and some interesting history of most of the herbs as well.

I've been an herb enthusiast for 15 years. With my personal home library of herb books reaching over 90 volumes, I've read many approaches to this topic. This particular book is large, full of quality color photos, and contains useful information for Texas herb growers (what I used to be). Latin names of herbs are given (along with proper pronunciation). Mr. Garrett includes pertinent information on planting, height and spread of plants, problems, harvest and storage, and culinary, medicinal, and landscape uses. One of my favorite portions of this book is the "insight" paragraph of each herb's profile. Did you know that there is evidence that alfalfa may trigger lupus in sensitive individuals? Also, did you know that although you can use angelica in salads, the juice of the plant should never come in contact with the eyes? I'd recommend this book for those new to herb growing or as an addition to an already diverse herb library. Mr. Garrett includes information that makes this book worth owning. My paperback copy has been a valuable resource.

Ten of Joe's favorite stories with delightful photographs of the master storyteller telling stories to a live audience of kids. In sidebars Joe gives his tips on the techniques for everybody-- kids, teachers and parents--to tell their own stories.

Patients in the hospital at Sells, Arizona, are away from what they're used to drink and eat. So they're served traditional foods. Respecting the traditional link to nature and people keeps up physical and spiritual strength. In contrast, in the 19th century, Zuni boys and girls were sent to Carlyle, Pennsylvania. They didn't feel part of a community or nature. They'd felt both in the southwest. They never made it back home. They died from loneliness.

In the southwest, life has always been about getting along with nature and people. One traditional way that southwestern cultures do this is through dance. Music sounds within the dancer. That energy joins the dancer to all creation. So the dancer becomes linked with human energy, such as ancestors and future generations.

The dancer also links to natural energy, such as rain clouds. This is why the Hopi rain dance brings rain. In fact, the Hopi say that their corn, grown unirrigated, and their way of life, in harmony with nature and people, will save the world. The Apache also got through war, reservation poverty, depression and censorship by drawing energy from community, nature, and prayers.

It should be no surprise, then, that a southwestern work of art has a link and use too. Pottery stands for the sacred earth bowl. Traditional designs keep the tie strong between past, present and future generations.

HERE, NOW, & ALWAYS comes out of an exhibition at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Along with artworks, such as beautifully useful basketry, pottery and weavings, there are also audios, videos and writings of southwesterners on ancestors, community, cycles of nature and people, and survival.

Southwesterners believe they didn't come from somewhere else. They've always been here first, right from the start, along the Colorado, Gila, Rio Grande, Salt and San Juan rivers. They'll also be the last. For example, the Hopi believe that the life of their people began at the Grand Canyon. That also will be their final spiritual home.

In the Southwest, water rights are a war zone; the film "Chinatown" (with Jack Nicholson), of course, showed that the fight could even be the background for fictional excitement. This work of legal and social history is hardly a whodunit, yet the real-life battle it surveys possesses a vivid life nevertheless, in the author's highly readable prose. Hall is a law professor, so it's not surprising that he's done plenty of homework, and has mastered the facts of the story he tells. But he also writes with a humorous touch--appropriately dry (what else?)--and knows how to keep things personal too; he weaves his own experiences (as lawyer, writer, and also gardener and weekend farmer) into the story. As I write (spring, 2002), water shortages may be turning from a regional into a national phenomenon. Even if that danger abates soon, though, we can't take any environmental issues for granted any more, so a book like this has cautionary value too. Water: Gotta have it. Maybe optimists can happily relax if a glass is half-full, but we all need to apply higher standards of worry, when it's a matter of reservoirs. And the book's a wonderful read, too.