I hardly know where to begin. I have nothing but unstinting praise for these letters and the book, except for . . . well, I'll get to that in a moment. Elinore Stewart's writing is a model to be followed by anyone of any time or place on any subject. Clear as a bell, concise yet comprehensive, replete with localisms and skillfully rendered frontier humor, it makes one want to toss the PC and reference library into the trash and move to some unspoiled wilderness. Yet, a caveat. When you finish the book you feel you know this indomitable woman. Then it suddenly strikes you that you don't. Who was Elinore Pruitt Stewart? Where was she born, grow up? Who was the railroader who fathered her daughter, and most of all, what happened to her?

Elinore Pruitt Stewart was my grandmother, my father's mother. She died before I was born; I deeply regret never getting to know her, as she was a remarkable woman. Readers who enjoyed the book might also enjoy the film made from it- "Heartland", directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Conchata Ferrill as Elinore and Rip Torn as Clyde. It is available on video. The script was originally conceived by the Wilderness Women's Project at the University of Montana. My father and mother got to play bit roles as wedding guests. Elinore also wrote "Letters On An Elk Hunt", as well as many short pieces for periodicals of the day.

At first, the thought of reading letters from nearly a hundred years ago held very little interest for me but from the second page I was hooked. Just over four hours later I was done reading, and was equipped with a whole new view of not only life in the early 20th century but of the impact woman had on it. Worth reading by both woman and man alike.

Here's an amazing accomplishment, an artistic method that's new & unique & innovative yet [isn't bad], along with several thousand words showing that the guy can shoot AND write. Who'd've thunk it? Well, maybe me, since I've seen evidence of both for awhile, but so what: the insides of this book jump off the page at you. You show me anything that entertains me even a fraction of what this here book's been doing for me lately & I'll buy you a zima. I trust you realize neither of those are gonna happen. This author is one of those people who finds fascination in decay, and he's found a way to channel that fascination & bring it to yr coffee table. And what's great here is that it's hard to say whether it's his technique, his subjects, or his words that are most striking. Can you imagine a more interesting road trip with anyone else? I just wish he could lug his gear out east to a place called Coney Island one of these days.

Troy Paiva has been photographing abandoned buildings for over ten years. But unlike David Plowden, who favors the industrial rust-belt buildings under overcast skies, Paiva centers on the small, roadside buildings of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico; the mom-and-pop grocery stores, gas stations, and drive-in theaters that have been left in the desert to decay a slow, dry death. Although this book is interesting to anyone who's a fan of either Route 66 memorabilia or the history of roadside America, the most stunning aspect of this book is that all of the photographs were taken at night, usually under a full moon with the aid of well-placed color strobes. And while a Hollywood production company would flood these buildings with enough light to make it look like daytime, Troy Paiva selectively adds just enough colored light to draw the buildings out of the darkness and render some sense of mystery to the scenes.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in abandonded buildings, roadside America and night photography.

Speaking as a published photographer, this book of unusual night photography is very, very impressive, and highly recommended. On first look, this appears to be portfolio of artsy night photographs of rusty junk that's been abandoned in the desert and photographed by a roving lost soul. But it's much more than that. It's a diary of Lost America, and an ode to the innovation and creativity of The American Spirit.

Paiva will take you on a strange journey that he's been traveling for more than 10 years, through the graveyards of a world that no longer exists, except in our memories, and in these photographs, which are unlike anything you've ever seen. Yes, these are photographs of long-abandoned leading-edge technological innovations of their time - which we now call junk -- but they are also pictures of places, long ago abandoned by people who had bigger hopes and dreams. What we don't know is whether their dreams ended in tragedy, or whether they abandoned what they saw as worthless baubles of an industrial America in constant state of creative destruction and transition, to move onward and upward to better things. And thus these photographs become palettes for our imaginations.

Behind every picture, there is a story, and Paiva's five outstanding essays provide some of that story by providing insight to the transitions of American culture over the past 50 years or so, as well as adding his uniquely humorous, sentimental - and sometimes scary - outlook on his photo subjects.

He also weaves enough autobiographical information into his poetic prose to provide us with glimpses into the soul of a man who enjoys taking 3,000 mile road trips in four days under a full moon, and barreling down Interstate highways with the stereo pounding, while sleepy, punchy, and covered with sweat and desert grit. My favorite is this: "Salvage yards are some of my favorite places to haunt. You get the feeling that these objects are all staring at you, imploring you to put them out of their misery. If machines have souls, then junkyards are filled with their ghosts, confused and trapped in the purgatory between useful life and their ultimate demise in the smelter."

After reading the essays and viewing the pictures, Paiva's success in capturing his vision of Lost America may change the way you view the world of junk, forevermore.

The 100 plus color pictures, all shot on 35mm film and presented without digital or darkroom enhancements, are each captioned with flair and personality. For example, when was the last time you saw the work "gimpy" in print, as in : "A gimpy starburst light fixture rises above the other battered and faded signs in the blistering desert sun of Las Vegas' sign graveyard" (p.101).

In addition to the photos and essays and personal observations and biography, there is an Introduction by Stan Ridgway, former Wall of Voodoo performing who's recent CD Holiday In Dirt is adorned with a Paiva-shot photo. He captures the essence of Paiva's photo essays magnificently in just a few words: "Can a person be compassionate about a broken-down, abandoned motel or a rotting, rusty trailer? Meet Troy Paiva.... And if every picture tells a story, then Troy is a master storyteller. But he's also an explorer.... Some kind of archaeologist or desert astronaut, uncovering an ancient civilization - our own."

Not only has Paiva captured the junk heap at the side of the road that is America's journey of progress, but throughout his work he has also succeeded in tugging at the heartstrings of each of us who are now travelers on a similar journey, knowing that one day our worn-out consumer goods will be tokens of our worn-out, discarded, or lost dreams - and our own personal contribution to someone else's Lost America.

I would make one small addition to the other reviews. Lunchtime Walks in San Francisco, Gail Todd, is as useful for tourists as is it for residents! It became a permanent addition to our library after we were able to flip through a copy at the Rand McNally Store in San Francisco. For those not having the opportunity to peek first, this is a wonderful resource for trip planning. The walks aren't too long (about an hour for most), are centrally located, and a handy map is included with each. Information is provided on the history and the architecture of the area, shops, restaurants, picnic areas (yes, even in San Francisco there are areas for relaxing and enjoying your lunch in the great outdoors), and gorgeous views. Perfect for the visitor wanting to take some delightful jaunts including the 'must see' sites in a city that is made for walking. We've already book marked several of the 33 walks for our next visit to the city by the bay.

Now that Spring is here, Gail Todd's walking guide to San Francisco is indispensible for anyone living in the City and looking for a new way to explore it. Beautiful pictures, detailed maps, tons of great ideas for lunchtime walks -- this guide has it all.

As a 20-year resident of San Francisco, I'm pretty jaded when it comes to guidebooks about my city, but this book is a real treat! The author's fresh approach and clear, concise information makes this book a pleasure to read. Buy two and give one to a friend.

The McDuff stories are so much fun. The illustrations are so unique and rich. My 6 year old daughter really loves to read these books. Not only are they about a really adorable dog, but they are fun to read, too. After your second or 3rd McDuff story, you really get attached to this dog! We're on a mission to collect all the McDuff stories, so this is a great book to start with!

As the owner of an adorable Westie puppy, I couldn't resist this book. Even tho' I'm an adult, I enjoyed this book immensely, because of the cute little stories and the incredibly cute Westie drawings. I could be a little biased (that could be my little Katie!), but I think it's the cutest children's book I've ever seen! It's quite obvious the author & artist are Westie owners, and they've put their experiences to good use!

Being the owner of a Scottie, Westie and a Cairn, I am so impressed with how the expressions and nuances of the Westie are so realistic and well captured. This is a story/picture book for children of all ages. I am a 39 year old child and I just love the pictures as I have seen the expressions in my own real life "McDuff" - actually his name is Bentley.

I purchased this book for parents of one of my students, as a present; and then apologized to them for reading it before they got to see it. I opened it, just to take a quick peek, and found it so interesting I didn't want to set it down.

The excerpts from the Qu'ran, the insights into the values of American Muslim families, the balance of heart and head, make this a wonderful book. This book has nothing to do with politics - it is purely about parenting and the priorities Muslim families place on providing guidelines/boundaries with love, for their children.It has a very good section on the affects of television on all families,and the importance of both setting limits and talking with children about what they see and hear in the media.

The book gives non-Muslims a rare glimpse into the parenting messages of the Qu'ran and to see the similarities in families of ALL faiths when it comes to child rearing.This book is definitely worthwhile reading for teachers who want to be more sensitive and supportive to Muslim students and their parents.

Alhmadu Lillahi Rabbil 'Alamin ... This beautiful book wasgiven to me as a gift, and I have found it very interesting-andinsightful. I am a Muslim-American, so this book helps me relatebetter to children who grow up in America, following Islam. I amdoing some graduate work in Elementary Education, and I find that thisbook ties in a great deal with that subject, as well. I wouldrecommend this book to a Muslim and a non-Muslim--especially a teacheror parent who's interested in relating better to Muslim children andtheir families. Overall, it is a very positive book.

This book is extremely beneficial to existing or soon-to-be parents living in any westernized society. It contains the solutions to dealing with every-day difficulties parents face in managing their familes, as well as numerous real examples that make this book all the more easy to understand. It also demonstrates how Islam provides practical and efficent ways of maintaining good family life.

This is a terrific story of a young white man's time with the Piegan Blackfeet. James Willard Schultz came west for adventure and joined an Indian trading post 45 miles north of Fort Benton, Montana.

He not only traded furs, gold, liquor, and dressmakers goods to the Indians, but became fluent in the language of the Blackfeet, sharing in their hunts and wars and even taking a young Indian wife.

It's a somewhat self-conscious story from a masculine vantagepoint during a time when warrior bravado was in vogue and the buffalo were still thriving. This book portrays a segment of Native American life and culture just before the buffalo were diminished and the people were forced to reservations.

Given that _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West_ by Dee Brown contains only 2 or 3 pages in reference to the Blackfeet, a book such as _My Life As an Indian_ is a superb addition to one's bookshelf. Recommended.

I just came online to see if it was in print. I have had a copy of this book from the 1935 paperback that my Grandfather gave me when I was a boy. Not that I was a boy in 1935, it was actually in the early 70s. . .I was captivated by the stories JW Schultz lived! Helping his friend steal his wife from under the nose of the ever watchful father. It still grips me even today. Alas, my old copy is just that, old. That is how I came to write these words. Ordering a fresh paperback.

I cannot recommend this book more highly!

I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down! I have been to the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier Park many times, and while reading this book I could just imagine how it was back then. It gave me a new perspective on Indian life. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about the old west and the Indians.

Recently we visited California for the first time. We covered San Francisco, LA and San Diego in one week. We had planned everything before-hand using the National Geographic Traveller and our experience is it turned out very useful in that respect. It exaclty tells you what is a must see and what looks good from where. So we were prepared and we expected certain things. For e.g. this book says that the views from Coit Tower are breathtaking and they really are so. We had to walk up from China Town to Coit Tower on the very steep streets of San francisco. But once we were at Coit Tower the views of the city were excellent. This book also mentions some driving tours which are very useful. One thing I would like to mention here. We had rented a mustang convertible to drive the Calif Highway One along the coast. Our friends recommended to take the 17 mile drive on our way and we were surprised why it was not mentioned in this book. But after driving through the seventeen miles we continued the drive along Highway One. And let me tell you the 17 miles drive is nothing compared to the gorgeous views on Rte One. If you ask me, please avoid the 17 miles drive it is just a rip off of 8 bucks. There is much more beauty ahead on Rte One. We should have listened to the book, the book was right by not mentioning it!

Ok, may be not the best - who judge, but very close too. Do not think, just buy and enjoy reading and traveling.

As expected, this book has some of the best photographs and illustrations available. What was more surprising in a travel guide was the quality of writing, the great social insights, and the historical contextualization. While Critser touches all the necessary points of interest, he also discovers hidden marvels from excellent cheap restaurants to the often unsung corners of L. A. If you are going to buy one guide, this is it.

Its been over ten years since I read Desert Solitaire and I've combed through a couple of his works looking for another collection of stories that hit me with the same "between-the-eyes" impact as Desert Solitaire. Well, I found it with Journey Home. To me Edward Abbey represents the second coming of John Westly Powell. He, like Major Powell, foresaw the westward expansion of the U.S. and in the case of the desert southwest instinctively knew that water would be the limiting factor. It's important to remember that Abbey saw the huge growth up tick coming some 25 years ago. And places like Phoenix, and Vegas have exploded in size ever since. Abbey puts it all in focus with "The BLOB Comes to Arizona." "Telluride Blues - A Hatchet Job" is another case in point. But for pure fun, nothing tops Abbey's "premarital honeymoon" adventure in "Disorder and Early Sorrow." If you're a fan of Abbey and you buy the book for that story alone, you won't be disappointed.

That claim may seem a little rash in the face of Abbey's great prose work, Desert Solitaire, but this book in my view offers a more intimate and personal look at Abbey himself and provides some great insights into his formation as writing placed withi the context of the American west. One of the strengths of this work, as opposed to Desert Solitaire, is the broadness of subject matter covered. Abbey begins by recounting his life changing hitch-hiking, train jumping tour across america to the west in the summer of 1944. His style, however, is like Kerouac, but without the without the self consciousness and pretension. Through Abbey's it is nature that is the subject, his personal exploits are merely secondary/accidental; Abbey is just along for the ride. He tells of his first glimpse of the mesa's of Hopi country on the fringes of the Painted Desert as viewed from the side door of the Pullman as he drifted down the tracks towards New Mexico. Throughout, he describes his love of the desert and the creatures that live there with a vitality and gentleness uncommon in today's environmental discourse. This sensitivity is even more pronounced when compared with his verbal protests against what he sees as the destroyers of his desert paradise, such as, the miners, developers, dammers, trappers and, yes, even the tourists. "The Journey Home" closes with a surrealistic celebration of the desert as seen through the detached lens of an anonymous camera, which I consider some of his most beautiful and original writing. For all those who have read Desert Solitaire, read this to get a more intimate look of the man behind the ideas. Abbey's contradictions are what makes him so great as an American writer. He is at once an anarchist, environmentalist, desert rat, river-runner, essayist and novelist, but above all a man from pennsylvania who became entraptured by the mysteries of the desert and dedicated his life to celebrating its beauty.

Reading Abbey reminds me of lines from the Scottish poet, Hugh MacDiarmid:

I'll have no half-way house, but aye be where/ Extremes meet; it's the only way I ken/ To dodge the cursed conceit of bein' rich/ That damns the vast majority of men.

That's Abbey for you, and he has a helluva great time out there where extremes meet. Is there any other way to live?

Isabella Bird was an astounding woman. Adventurous, courageous and full of good humor, she traveled by horse through the Rocky Mountains when it was still virgin territory. Although she lived under difficult circumstances, especially during the winter months, and met a number of rough customers along the way, she never lost her nerve or her good nature. This is an excellent book to get a feel for Colorado in the late 19th Century and to admire a woman way ahead of her time.

A must for the reader who is searching for a first hand description of life in the Rocky's in the 1800's. It includes wonderful sketches by the author and great descriptions of characters and adventures in the untamed West. A great book for bedtime and rainy day reading.

This is a wonderful book to bring on your vacation to the Rockies. Miss Bird travels to what are now popular tourist destinations, only she does it before the convenience of a SUVs, Motels, or even plumbing. She meets overworked settlers, fascinating (and surprisingly polite) desperados, and English dandies. She revels in the mountain vistas, sunrises, sunsets and orange moonlight. Her many mile treks on horseback over frozen landscapes, alone in the wild west are an inspiration.

The battle scene in the second half of the book was worth putting up with some of the long scene-setting of the first half. Dialogue was superb. There is a fine line between showing and telling and it takes some practice for good non-fiction writers or good historical-fiction writers to get it down. In my humble opinion, the reader has a sixth sense about knowing which is which. Chiaventone is learning his craft well.

Having served with Frederick J. Chiaventone in a previous life, I was curious about his book. I have not read his first book, but I'm going to now. Moon of Bitter Cold is a tremendous work. His attention to detail and storytelling ability kept me from putting it down. This is a book that both a recreational reader and the historian will appreciate. Free of bravado, historically accurate, and characters fleshed out without bias, it's the best historical novel I've read. Congratulations Fred.

Frederick J. Chiaventone has been selected to receive the annual "Wrangler Award" for "Moon of Bitter Cold" as the Outstanding Novel of the American West 2003. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum announced the 2003 winners of the 42nd Western Heritage Awards. Other recipients of the award this year include Jeffery Katzenberg of Dreamworks SKG and actor Patrick Stewart. Past recipients of the coveted award include actors Clint Eastwood (for Unforgiven), Kevin Costner (for Dances With Wolves), Tom Selleck, and Sam Elliott, and authors A.B. Guthrie, Dr. Brian Dippie, David McCullough, Alvin M. Josephy, Thomas Berger, and James A. Michener.

Chiaventone's previous novel "A Road We Do Not Know" about the disastrous battle of the Little Bighorn won the Ambassador William Colby Award for Literature. Both novels deal with the dilemma of the clash of cultures which results in military catastrophe. Chiaventone is a retired Army officer and former Professor of International Security Affairs at the US Army Command & General Staff College where he taught guerrilla warfare and counter-terrorism operations to senior officers. He is also a member of the Colby Circle of military authors along with fellow writers Tom Clancy, Mark Bowden, WEB Griffin, and others.