THE OREGON STORY is a beautifully made book. There is an illustration on at least every other page. Some pictures are are color, but most are black-and-white.

What I enjoyed most about THE OREGON STORY is its coverage of important events in my lifetime, such as the Rajneesh group that created quite a stir in Antelope when I was very young (I remember a school teacher telling our class, "There is a man here in Oregon going around telling people that he is God."), and the Tonya Harding Olympic controversy. I also enjoyed the photograph and description of the Keizer Shipyards because I have recently become acquainted with the works of an Oregon writer named Cleta Brooks Lee; in SING ABOVE THE PAIN Cleta writes about her time as an employee at the Keizer Shipyards. The photographs in THE OREGON STORY helped add a dimension to my understanding of that era of history.

Being a former Oregon resident and to this day occasional Oregon visitor, I was fascinated by this book, which is a history of the Beaver State, and one that is done quite well. From the chronology of the state, to recording historic events, and sidebars about influential people in its history, this book takes a wonderful look back over the past 150 years.

Since the book was written by staff members of the Oregonian, it reads like a "newspaper account" of the days leading from Oregon's inception to the present. But what an entertaining account. From the early days, through the "turn of the century, the roaring 20's, the Depression, wartime, the fifties, turbulent 60s, up to the year 2000, all events are well-documented.

I never knew for example that Tom McCall when he was governor in 1970 staged the only ever state-run rock concert. I only saw him years later when I lived in Oregon and saw him deliver commentary on the evening news. I knew of course about Vanport and its horrendous end. I also remembered the bad flooding in 1996, having been in Portland the weekend before it happened. And of course, who could ever forget Mt. St. Helens erupting in 1980? These of course are just a few of the events that have occured in Oregon's history

I mentioned sidebars about influential people. People like McCall, Artie Wilson (a famous Pacific Coast League baseball player now living in Portland), Beverly Cleary (who wrote the Henry books I loved as a kid), Neil Goldschmitt, and the current Portland mayor Vera Katz, among others.

I have always loved the state of Oregon and its people, even if I'm a dreaded "Californian." This book reinforces my love and admiration of the state to the north of me.

We recently moved to southern Oregon and my wife wanted a few coffee table books. I thought "How about books on Oregon?" That way, I could learn a few things about my new environment while satisfying the coffee table's needs, too. So I made an Amazon.com list of several books that looked attractive to me and then narrowed it down as best I could.

I put on hold the more expensive historical atlases and books on Indian folklore that were calling out to me, then I bought three bona fide coffee table books, the kind with plenty of obligatory photos of the beautiful northwest. But I reserved at least one spot on the table for a book with some intellectual interest in it.

I finally settled on "The Oregon Story." It seemed a central and topical enough choice to warrant it as a coffee table book, while at the same time it appeared (in the Amazon "book description") to offer a good amount of material on Oregon history.

How happy I was to discover this excellently written book on Oregon history! The layout is concise and topical enough to be a good book to lightly browse through in the presence of company (hence, coffee table book), and there are dozens of fascinating historical photographs.

The text itself is large and reader friendly, the photos include captions and there are several separate, half page descriptions of the most famous luminaries of Oregon history. The book is not too thick, further qualifying it as a coffee table book, but once opened, the reader is in for a nice selection of easily readable historical pieces, each dedicated to a decade of Oregon history.

Okay, so it's a good coffee table book - but how might it fare for the more serious reader? Well frankly, after it arrived in the mail, I couldn't wait to get right down to reading it. I found it an exceptionally engaging read from cover to back. Granted, I'm the kind of person who will pick up my children's history textbooks and read them through without hesitation (what can I say? I love history), but there's also a special reason why "The Oregon Story" is a particularly excellent historical documentation.

That is, it has been written by newspaper journalists. Such journalists know how to write concisely and entertainingly. I only wish my old school's history textbooks were written so well!

I truly believe that this team of journalists is on to something good here. In fact, I consider this one of the best history books ever conceived. There are subtle reasons for this, not the least of which is the unbiased yet in depth coverage of Oregon political and social events throughout its history.

The chapter on the controversial 60s is a case in point. It is topical, but what is covered is provocative and gave me the feeling that I'd read between the lines without actually having to sift through several paragraphs of detailed information. This is the real gift of this kind of historical reporting.

These newspaper reporters truly are talented writers. But it's also apparent that each and every column has been edited by several more journalists. In the end, one begins to understand the value of team written, thus finely edited, journalistic writing. The person who benefits from this artfulness is the reader. I truly felt as if I was getting a great bargain as I read through the set of refined articles fairly detailing, yet not dwelling in detail upon, Oregon history.

Nothing is held back, it seems, from the editorial process. This is exciting historical reporting, not boring academic facts. The journalists' opinions are often exposed, both conservative and liberal slants, and this ingratiates the reader even more to the material at hand.

Did you know that Oregon had its own home grown suffragette? Some of the most influential political figures in American history were Oregonians. I learned that Oregon has been, since its 19th century pre-state years as the Oregon Territory, a place of controversy, where people have traditionally come to "escape" the world, yet where some of the most important progressive ideas and social achievements of the 20th century have originated. Much of the environmental movement, for example, was spearheaded in Oregon due to the controversy that came as a result of the inherent problems attached to the logging industry.

I was also fascinated to read about the slanderous exploits of Oregon's early entrepreneurs and about details of the Ku-Klux-Klan's "legal" criminal behavior during the 1920s. There's much information concerning Oregon's roller coaster economy; particularly interesting are the chapters on the boom of the 1970s and the relative bust occurring during the most recent two decades.

On the down side, most of the more detailed material - biographical study (particularly businessmen) events and photos - is concerned with Portland and the Willamette Valley, which is understandable considering that The Oregonian newspaper is located in Portland. I was hoping that there would be more information on southern Oregon, where I now live. Strangely, the only picture of Ashland (home of the Shakespeare Festival) is one showing the Ku-Klux-Klan marching through the streets during a 1920s parade. Scary!

If journalistic reporting of the history of Oregon sounds as if it may be your cup of tea, then this book is exactly what you need. All in all, I consider it well worth its price. And I can only imagine, with relish, what such a journalistic team could create on the subject given more space and freedom of their collective pens.

I love the Oregon Trail II game and this book provided tons of useful information in helping understand what the pioneers faced on their journey west. It helped me achieve a really high score too (34,085)!! It is packed with information on which trail to take, how to load your wagon, which wagon to choose, which draft animals are best, how to care for your people, and so much more. I'm hooked on the game and the Strategy Guide helped me appreciate this bygone era for all it was worth. I think it is a great compliment to owning the game!

The Official Strategy Guide is a wonderful guide. It not only helps you through your journey, but it is very informative. I would find myself sitting down to read the guide more than using it while I was playing the game. It has a lot of historical facts about the trail, the people, towns, and diseases. I would recommend buying it, because it is two-fold, informational for the game and for yourself!

If you are playing the 2 version of the game this book is the best. I hope to see one for the newest game version. It is still helpful in your travels. Give it a try.

Jane Archer has done it again! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The two strong heroines won my heart! Fans of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS could think of this book as Xena and Gabrielle: Bounty Hunters in the Old West. The authentic Native American lore introduced by one of the main characters, raised by Shoshone, is a plus, as is the intriguing mysitical subplot. Don't miss it!

As a male I have always had a preconceived idea about Romance Novels. I was asked to read Out of the West and found I started slowly due to my ideas but soon was pulled into the story. I found it very action packed and hard to wait to find out what was going to happen next. I was amazed at how as I read I visualized the scene in my mind with clearity. I loved how I was thoroughly entertaied by the story and when finished I had learned things I never had known. I am easily becoming a Jane Archer fan.

Bounty hunters Summer and Nokoni are strong and sensitive, funny and daring, and eventually best buddies. They meet their match in Talon and Slade, two heroes good enough to take home. I found the mysticism in Out of the West of great interest, and the Black Madonna statue a compelling hook for the plot. Now I'm ready for another ride through the Old West with Jane Archer.

HAMILTON DODGE is back -- and is he ever a MAN! -
Starla Fairfax is intigued and repelled at the same time.
And now we get a better understanding of what drives Tyler, her brother. And finally the driving rage of Cole Fairfax and his infamous temper are brought to light.

We, once again, are delighted to meet Reeve Garrett and his wife, Patrice Sinclair Garrett. Starla can not understand Patrice's affection and the Garrett's comaraderie with the Yank banker, Hamilton Dodge. Over time she learns!

Starla is terrified with what she perceives as Tyler's way of life and the companions he is running with. The nasty element of Ray and Poteet Dermont is used by Tyler until they go too far. No one hurts his sister and gets away with it.

We suffer along with Starla in helplessly watching Tony's recoverys [I don't know how he survived] and his falling in love with his wife. Oh boy, and did we ever meet his mother and sister. Starla soon learns of Dodge's desire for a family and how frustrated he feels at possibly never being able to have one.

Guess what! Noble Banning is back -- Starla's teen-age love. Finally we will find out what happened to him in The Rebel.

Does Dodge get to save Deacon Sinclair's property, The Manor? from the unscrupulous Tyler.

We learn along with Dodge that everything comes to pass - one day at a time.
Highly Recommended - you will want to add this to your library collection to reread again. P.S. Love the cover.

I've read all the books in Rosalyn West's Men of Pride County series, and this one has to be my favorite. Starla Fairfax's survival through all the tragedies heaped on her is awe inspiring. Hamilton Dodge's fierce independence and strength of character is able to defeat his crippledness and prove himself as a man who can win the trust of any woman's heart. I loved the twists and turns Rosalyn West weaves throughout the plot of her story. The story is not only believable, but thouroghly enjoyable. I was unable to put the book down until I had discovered the dark secrets that guide Starla Fairfax's life. This is truly a great romance.It was even more enjoyable than the other novels in this series, if you can believe that's possible.

Hamilton Dodge was a Yankee. All he wanted was to forget the war and get on with his life, so he'd come to Pride County. But nothing blotted out the dreams of blood and killing until he met Starla Fairfax. She was lovely and sweet and Tony was smitten.

After they marry, Tony begins to hear of another side to Starla, whispers and snide remarks about her reputation. He does his best to protect her from the hurt that such talk can generate. And in doing so comes to love her more than he ever thought he could love anyone. But when Starla reveals her secret, a secret so shocking that Tony can scarce believe it, neither of them is sure their fragile love can survive the legacy of shame and hatred that begins to unfold around them.

Rosalyn West, dazzling author of The Outcast, gives readers another heartwarming tale of Americana that captures the spirit and the soul of those who suffered through the Civil War. Her characters will break your heart and mend it again as she sweeps you along into the lives and souls of Hamilton and Starla.

Rickey R. Mallory

Paul West is a brilliant novelist but it wasn't easy for him to get into Oxford. When he was finally accepted at one of the less well known colleges he had, well, arrived.

This is a touching memoir full of humor and just nice experiences in a world long gone. Oxford still exists of course but the Oxford attended by Paul West exists only in memory. He has, however, put it all down for us in this wonderful book.

West is one of the most versatile writers I know, as his ever-growing list of both fiction and nonfiction titles show. He's particularly fabulous when recalling in his elegrant and playful prose those events and places he experienced first-hand. This recollection and preservation of his youth defines the moments that will eventually make the great stylist he became. He is a writer and a man extraordinaire...and this is a book to be cherished.

As a devoted reader of West's novels, I knew the prose would be stylish and witty, but I didn't anticipate how funny this memoir would be. It's a wonderful evocation of an era at Oxford, full of eccentrics, later-to-become famous writers, and West's touching memories of his life at a nearly mythic university. I found it smart, charming, and spirited.

Brutally honest, but not so cynical that it's annoying.

This is a query as to what happened to the On the Loose Series. Did the big boys (Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go swallow them up?) Any information about the demise of these student writers would be appreciated.

This is the best guidebook I've ever read. It's brutally honest, concise, and seriously funny. Offers great resources and detailed maps. Have fun !

If you are not a Sindi, Punjabi, Hazara, Tajik or other enemies of the Afghans/Pakhtoon, this is a must reading for you.

This book is an extremely useful work for historical reference, perhaps the only one in its category extant. It can be called a magnum opus. The narrative of its writer is, of course, tinted heavily with his own emotion--and he has pointed this out to the reader himself when describing the nature of his book--therefore this aspect of the book may also be taken as a "historical reference", to its VIP author's attitudes, but otherwise has no value and is sincere, but very harmfully misleading to the unacquainted reader, about the true nature of the evil Pathan society and its ways, in the present time especially. The Pathans/Pakhtuns/Afghans were always a backward, turbulent society with a criminal culture, but they have changed drastically for the worse in the 44 years since this book was first written, mostly in the last 20 years or so.

This book is the most comprhensive book on the subject of the Pathans (Pukhtoon or Pushtoon. Written by the last British Governor of the North West Frontier Province, this book traces the geneaology of this unusual race. Recently the Readers Digest (July 2000) wrote a story on the connection with Alexander the Great. This is a scholary work so if you are looking for light reading this is not for you. At one time Afghan and Pathan or Pukhtoon/Pushtoon were synonymous. It was the fear of the Pathans of Pakistan joining with the Pathans of Afghanistan that led Pakistan to deny naming the province after the people for feaar of lending legitimacy to their cause. Winston Churchill fought here. So did Sherlock Holmes friend Dr. Watson. The fascination with ths area can be gauged by the number of National Geographic articles about this area. This book brings these people to life and gives them the honorable treatment they have earned. I should know, I am a Puktoon of the Yousafzai tribe.

If you've ever wanted to just forget city life and pack up and move to the country, read this book. It's a great collection of non-fiction writing about Drake's life in rural wine country, raising sheep and making wine.

Barbara Drake has written a sweet and lovely word-picture of her life on the Oregon farm she shares with her husband and their motley group of animals. Although she writes with a tender love for her land, and all that is on it, it is never saccharine, and is actually quite informative for anyone thinking of undertaking this type of lifestyle change.The book is written as a collection of brilliant essays,each filled with pathos,tenderness,and a deep understanding of the dramatic lifestyle changes involved in delving into farming.We meet, and learn to love, her sheep, geese, the sheepherding dogs,and the colorful neighbors. And even her warm and adoring father,who has an especially hilarious relationship with the hugely protective gander who patrols the gaggle of geese on the property, becomes someone you wish you could have met in person. This is one of those truly magical reads that leaves you with an afterglow of satisfaction after it's done. This is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the beauty and the magic of nature, the relationship of animal friends, the satisfaction of self-reliance and independence, or just someone who loves simply-beautiful prose. Barbara Drake is a poet at heart.

Drake's book is warm and touching but never mushy. She uses her words with economy to create vivid images that strike the eye, and the mind. I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book. Filled with positive images, and insights that are surprising and touching, it's a great read, I couldn't put it down.

After all the fine words and 'never agains' the truth is out. Genocide will slip right in front of major organs of news and nothing happens to stop it.
This short but detailed account of the Rwanda genocide 1994 is both low-key and shocking and needs examination.

Probably, the story of Rwandan genocide is the most shocking international scandal of the post World War II era. The book is a brilliant reconstruction of that time, written with amazing clarity and based on well established facts.
In three months of 1994 about one million people was killed in organised genocide. The killing rate was five times faster than that achieved by the Nazis during WWII holocaust. But on the contrary to the Nazis, the Rwandan genocide happened in the full light of the international media, with the full knowledge of the UN Security Council and the Western governments.
Linda Melvern describes and documents in detail the role of the West in the genocide.
The story is so bad that almost all of the publishers in the UK refused to publish this book with comments like "the story is really too awful" or "I cannot see people forking out money to read about such an unspeakable subject..."

Do you think you can fork out some money for the truth? I think this book is certainly worth any money.

'Quite extraordinary: precise, and yet overwhelming; a fine balance in the face of depravity... Linda Melvern has written an extraordinary account of the Rwanda genocide, and the shocking failure of the West to lift a finger... What Melvern demonstrates so powerfully is that where Western geopolitical interests are absent, Western morality and 'civilised' concerns are nowhere to be found ... A brave and compelling book.' - Professor Richard Falk, Center of International Studies, Princeton University

'This is a devastating account of lies, deceit, complacency and tragic neglect.... All we can hope is that this fine book will provide lessons for the future, because it provides all of us who lobby and campaign for early warning systems and conflict prevention with invaluable evidence. Looking around the world, you wonder what has been learnt since 1994. Linda Melvern deserves our thanks for investing so much in breaking the silence and revealing the truth.' - Glenys Kinnock, MEP; Chair, Forum on Early Warning And Early Response (FEWER)

'What happened in Rwanda is one of the most appalling, heartbreaking tragedies that the world has known. Why did it occur? And what more could have been done to prevent it? This serious, very thorough attempt to answer those questions will be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand what happened. This is a powerful and important book.' - The Right Reverend Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford

'A riveting and well-researched account of the horrendous crimes committed in Rwanda while an indifferent world, to its shame, looked the other way. There are grim lessons here for everyone, from international statesmen and politicians to responsible citizens and decent human beings everywhere' - Dame Margaret Anstee

'This is a very important book. It is a book that a large number of people should read....what is good about the book is that it shows the big picture. It shows the failure that actually took place. It tells the story of what really happened. An outstandingly good book... ...compelling.....its content is exceptional.' - Colin Keating, Secretary for Justice, New Zealand Ministry of Justice, and former New Zealand Ambassador to the UN

This book and its companion volume: "annuals" are my current garden favorites. I am a long-time fan of Marianne Binetti and these books are like taking her expertise as a "lazy gardener" to FlowerWorld or the garden show with you. I save money by not buying tempting plants that won't work here. The seed starting tips are also excellent.

One suggestion for future editions: I had Kinkos cut and spiral bind my copies of these two books so they stay open on the table when I am reviewing catalogs or making lists or planting seeds. This 8.00 investment really makes them perfect.

This is an excellent book for novice perennial gardeners. The photos are great for identifying unknown plants. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of developing their own perennial garden--it definitely takes the guesswork out of choosing, planting, and growing them!

I found this book very useful. I especially enjoyed the rear section that graphically showed the comparision between each plant. Plenty of photos and more specific than other books. Highy recomended.