From El Planeta Platica Lawrence Taylor and Maeve Hickey's The Road to Mexico (University of Arizona Press, 1997) offers a delicious narrative and evocative photos on the blue highways stretching from Tucson, Arizona to Magdalena de Kino, Sonora. "The Old Nogales Highway is a road, like the fabled Route 66, shares in an American romance different from that of that of the interstate. Here, the up-to-date sits awkwardly, unstylishly cheek by jowl with the embarrassingly eccentric and the downright ugly." (p. 58) Proving that travel is best enjoyed when it's not rushed, the authors take time to talk to the people who live in the Sonoran Desert. Anthropologist Taylor quotes a wide range of people from American Automobile Association clerks "Lots of cars get stolen down there" to muralists to cattle ranchers. The book finds its voice in this regional chorus and turns its focus on picturesque characters, such as the U.S.-borne mariachi who won't cross the borderline: "Fernando was not about to risk the Mexico of his imagination, of his mariachi, by penetrating that border. He would consider flying over it, landing in the center of the nation, in the Guadalajara of Mariachi Vargas, but Fernando Sanchez was not going to take the road to Mexico." (p. 9)

An especially well written,comprehensive book on Native American petroglyphs, pictographs and geoglyphs. Detailed sections in clear, uncluttered language explain what Rock-art is and how and by whom it was created. A fine collection of illustrations show the variety of subject matter and the skill of Rock-art artists. Included are helpful listings of special resources and Wed sites. This slim volume is loaded with information. The authors admire Native American Rock-art and express their concern that it be respected and protected. Sensitivity to this art form will be heightened with the reading of this book.

Romance of Waterfalls is a unique book on the magnificent waterfalls within day-trip range of Portland, Oregon. The 252 page work combines the best of a hiking book, coffee table book, nature book, art book, and a work of poetry and literature.For each of its 100 featured waterfalls, it provides a photograph-like pencil drawing, complete directions, time and distance, map, description, nearby attractions, hazards, accessibility to the physically challenged, view and kissing spots, picnic areas, restrooms, historical trivia, and a poem. Introductory and reference sections offer advice on weather, children, pets, and safety, and information on local wildlife and plants, the Chinook language, and phone numbers for reservations, information, and emergencies. It contains 165 illustrations and 111 poems, all original works by the authors.This one of a kind book can be enjoyed year around by all families, couples, and individuals, it should be in the library of every resident and visitor to the Pacific Northwest.

This is the first book I have read in a long while that literally had me laughing out loud! My husband can hardly wait to read it, after listening to me giggling and laughing loudly until tears came to my eyes. This book is only 96 pages, but it is filled with hilarious slap stick humor, based on believable everyday experiences!

You can't help but visualize the events as you read them. Curt Brummett is a true story teller. If you want a real laugh, read this book.

I'm disappointed that his other books are out of print, as I was looking forward to obtaining them to have a few more laughs!

Please write more!!!

Nice book to know about wild Life in Nepal before visiting to that place.By reading this book i love to visit that place

James Snead's Ruins And Rivals: The Making Of Southwest Archaeology presents the story of archaeology in the Southwest from the 1890s to the 1920s. Two major research traditions are scrutinized and compared - expeditions sent from major eastern museums, and those supported by archaeological societies based in the Southwest. Ruins And Rivals reveals how competition between institutions and those who espouse them has shaped modern Southwest archaeology. Eastern "museum men" and Western boosters all used archaeology for the approval of wealthy patrons, the advancement of their careers, and even their own personal glory sometimes at the expense of others. Ruins And Rivals is fascinating as a look into the foibles of the human psyche, as well as into the history of the Southwest. Highly recommended.

A society under stress must change or be destroyed. A pre-columbian Native American village in the Southwest has endured many years of drought and has reached its breaking point. Will the external forces of nature or the internal strife of the people be the hammer that shatters the village? This question is explored through the eyes of a boy, named Salt in the language of his people. Salt survives the machinations of a powerful member of his tribe, then begins a quest to find salvation for his people. Ostensibly a novel for young adults, Runner in the Sun presents a complex metaphor to explore the forces of societal change within a familiar hero-quest plot. The story seems simple but has rich soil in which anthropological and linguistic fruit may grow. Even the boy's name, Salt, carries metaphorical depth. As the village's water evaporates in drought, what is left is the people's true essence--the minerals the water carried. D'Arcy McNickle's lifelong focus on the shape of Indian society and its relationship to its surrounding world are expressed in the mythic context of Runner in the Sun (which is also a plain good read, too).

I found this book in the small gift shop attached to the New Camoldolese Hermitage high above the town of Lucia on California's Big Sur Coast. For those looking for a place to retreat from the interruptions of everyday life, a monastery, hermitage, abbey, retreat center or sanctuary can't be beat. Whether you're seeking a quiet place to finish The Great American Novel or a place to find spiritual renewal, you'll surely find many good suggestions in this book. More than 200 centers are listed within Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, including location, history, prices, accommodations, and spiritual activities.

This is a beautiful book, full of color photos of old and new (mostly new) Santa Fe style homes. If you are looking for how-to advice, historical description, or much text at all, this book is not for you. However, it was a perfect choice for me, since I was (still am) designing a new home and wanted a wide variety of examples of southwest homes. There are chapters on entrances, courtyards, and individual rooms, each page filled with wonderful views of both traditional and more contemporary details. The last section of the book (about 75 pages) focuses on Santa Fe arts, and features baskets, pottery, kachina dolls, furniture, sculpture, paintings and more. A friend loaned this book to me nine months ago, and after turning pages dozens of times and marking favorites with sticky notes, I finally decided to break down and give myself the gift of my own personal copy.