Tired of the same old stories? Fed up with people always recommending Grisham, Patterson, and Clancy novels to you? Break the mold with West River.

This collection of capitaviting stories from the American West retraces history in an honest and accurate fashion. The beatuy of this book is the wide spectrum of perceptions expressed within its pages. Reading stories about the interactions of settelers and Native Americans from different perspectives enlightens the reader in a way that few other books do.

However, I am even more impressed with the level of documentation in this book than I am with the stories told in it. I feel as though I have been given a special looking glass that provides me with an honest, impartial view of the past--truly a great gift.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking truth and beauty within American History.

West River is a wonderful book filled with interesting stories and anectdotes from the early history of the American West. Its treatment of Native American and White Settler relations is refreshingly honest and extremely well documented.

Simpson's West River brings to light many exciting, thought-provoking, and poignant stories of the American West that have not made it into our traditional history text books. The more I read about them in this book, the more I wished that I had been able to learn this side of history earlier. They are great stories and an important part of our country's heritage.

Simpson's unique style of writing also makes you feel as if you are hearing the stories being told by the people who lived during the time. And his careful documentation is equally impressive.

I would recommend this book to anyone - especially those who are interested in the forgotten stories of our western history in the great plains.

West River is a wonderful book filled with interesting stories and anectdotes from the early history of the American West. Its treatment of Native American and White Settler relations is refreshingly honest and extremely well documented.

Simpson's West River brings to light many exciting, thought-provoking, and poignant stories of the American West that have not made it into our traditional history text books. The more I read about them in this book, the more I wished that I had been able to learn this side of history earlier. They are great stories and an important part of our country's heritage.

Simpson's unique style of writing also makes you feel as if you are hearing the stories being told by the people who lived during the time. And his careful documentation is equally impressive.

I would recommend this book to anyone - especially those who are interested in the forgotten stories of our western history in the great plains.

I read this book in one sitting and found it to be an excellent mixutre of Western, mystery, humor and even a love story! The characters come alive and the prose is sharp, crisp and witty. A fun jaunt through the wild west. I highly recommend it and all books by this author.

This is the perfect book for anyone who has ever wondered how the real West compared with fictionalized accounts. Armed with a dime novel, private detective Quinton Hilcrest leaves his shambles of a life in Maine and heads to west to recover a fortune in jewels never found after the notorious Black Hood Bandits were killed.

Upon arriving Hilcrest discovers, much to his dismay, that things are not quite the way he thought they would be. The West is dirtier and more primitive than he had imagined, and his derringer and training in kung fu are less than adequate for his new circumstances. Aided by a down on his luck gambler and information from a newspaper editor who is as wide as she is tall, the newcomer manages to stir up the entire town. Hilcrest's quest turns up more than the treasure though. He meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman who has been branded a witch by the townspeople.

Howard is a master at writing exciting westerns. The dialogue and action in his books are superb. Quenton Hilcrest is a wonderful character. By using an outsider Howard creates a strong bond between the reader and the story's protagonist. The West Witch is a beautifully told story that is impossible to ever forget. Anything that Lance Howard writes is a "must read" for me.

Wonderful mix of shoot 'em up action and mystery with interesting charcters and dry witty humor! I have read all this author's books and each is better than the last. My highest recommendation!

The West : An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward, Dayton Duncan has got to be one of the most "Can't put down" type of books I've had the wonderful pleasure of owning, ever! The illustrations, to many to count are of the finest quality I've ever seen in a book not to mention that the editorial choices were perfect. The photos depict the exact expressions that capture those lost moments in time... If you can get this book - buy it! It is for all ages and you could never grow tired reading it, as well. A certain coffee table type book! I rate this book a 5 STAR!

The world has known the American West as the wild and untamed land of cowboys and Indians that Hollywood brought along with it's movies. The real story of the West is much more amazing than at first sight. Ward's story is beautifully illustrated with magnificent text that makes it a worthy successor to the movie series. He tells the story through the eyes of those who lived it and that is something very important in the history of the west. Without first hand accounts our knowledge would be vague, but this book captures the essence of all the west had and has to offer: adventure, a beautiful landscape, and a great mysterious past...

Being sucked into this book is not hard at all. With it's wonderful photographs of Native Americans and western pioneers, you get a true feeling of the life and culture. Geoffrey C. Ward is an excellent writer, and has put together one of the finest books of early American history and culture. I highly recommend the reading of this book to anyone whose roots derive from this era.

Western Train Adventures: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly by Mark McLaughlin is a superbly written and presented collection of railroading oriented, action-packed, true adventure stories showcasing the "Iron Horse" in the American West. The historical incidents portrayed include: The "Yankee Princess": Virginia & Truckee Railroad; Murder at Boulder Creek; Short Line to Paradise; Robert Louis Stevenson: Riding the Rails for Love; The Great Verdi Train Robbery; Curse on the "City of San Francisco"; McGlashan's Midnight Ride & Vision for Winter Sports; Cape Horn Caper: California's First Train Heist - Almost!; and Stephanie Taylor - An Artist's Profile. Enhanced with historic photographs, Western Train Adventures is informative, entertaining and very strongly recommended reading for railroad history buffs of all ages!

Mark McLaughlin's stories share compelling human drama surrounding the opening of the American West in this entertaining new book. From the technical struggle to surmount Nature's obstacles to the business climate that spurred the development of the railroads, McLaughlins's stories give information and insight into the tranportation technology that transformed the West.
History fans will find not only detailed stories of engineering innovation and human courage, but also tales of desperate outlaws and heroic lawmen, star-crossed lovers and what has become known as the pioneer spirit.
As a fan of mysteries and police procedurals, I particularly enjoyed the train robbery stories, relating the efforts of frontier law enforcement to track down and capture the perpetrators. The love story of Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Osbourne was also excellent, giving real flavor to the human experience of riding the rails so long ago. McLaughlin's stories are particularly vivid when describing the difficulties posed by winter weather and treacherous mountain conditions to the safe passage of the trains, and the people who braved these dangerous trips, both passsengers and railroad crews.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Western history, as well as anyone who enjoys reading about the strength of the human spirit.

I crave nonfiction (history & biography, usually)and this book serves up a colorful menu of interesting stories in portion sizes suited to even the busiest of readers. Choose a murder plot, a great train robbery, a curse on a city or even a love story involving a famous poet and writer. Mark McLaughlin presents fact in a fascinating format that I found most entertaining. The research behind each story is transparent as the story unwinds like a family history passed down by word of mouth on the front porch. His attention to detail regarding trains of the past and his generous supply of accompanying photographs solidify the experience of riding the rails yourself.
I highly recommend this exceptionally fun book. It is one of those that after you've digested the enjoyable stories, you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you have learned about a significant segment of our country's history.

I Coudn't put this book down, it was so great! You'll love the personalities of Jordana Baldwin and her brother Brenton. If You liked the Ribbons of Steel series you'll love this book. Great Job, Judith Pella and Tracie Peterson!!!

This was a great book! I love the way Judith and Tracie write. Their books keep you going wondering what is going to happen next. I like the way God is written into their books. He is always there but doesn't answer in your time,but his.This is the 4th book in the series,I can't wait to read #5.

This book was awesome. I love the way Tracie and Judith create love stories that are based on Christ being the most important relationship. The love that the characters show towards one another is exactly how we as christians should consider and love others. They truly inspire me. I have read almost all of both Tracie Petersons' and Judith Pellas' books and they are all very good.

I look forward to reading this book every year because the children always love it so. It is a sweet, simple, and yet engrossing tale of a little girl who lived many years ago. She was going out West with her family on a wagon train, when she is separated from them with only her horse, Anna, for company. Anna wants to go off with a white stallion and his wild mares, but she is torn between her desire for freedom and her loyalty to the Gretchen. The white stallion ends up saving the girl's life, and she is happily reunited with her family.

The White Stallion is just right for 7-9 year olds who want something longer than a picture book that is still easy to read. They will also like learning a little about wagon trains and the love between a girl and her horse. It is well-written and illustrated, and I happily recommend it.

a wonderful book, when you read it you know it must be true because of it being so unusual. I wonder if anyone out there has any historical information on this horse, because somewhere I read about this amazing horse in history in the Nebraska, Utah early days, he was talked about by the oldtimers, almost mythical, the stories were passed around the territory, by native americans, settlers . thank you

This book brings back so many memories. When I was a girl, my mother bought this book for me. It's about a girl, Rachel, who gets separated from her wagon train on her horse. Her horse wanders into the woods, with the sleeping girl on her back. The girl is very afraid, but a white stallion appears and leads them back. It is really a magical story, intricately illustrated. I highly recommend it for everyone.

My daughter borrowed this book from the library without even looking at the cover. She just pulled it from the shelf and ran for the checkout counter. What a gem! She loves it and it's the first book her 17 month old brother has ever taken an interest in. Maybe it's because I read it with a cornpone accent. But whatever it is, he never tires of reading it. I read it to him 4 times in one day and he was still begging for it at bedtime. The illustrations are fun and complement the writing beautifully. I had a hoot reading it!

No Question about this book, kids are going to love this one and this is A WESTERN BOOK??!!!

I heard of that book and loved Whitefish Will Rides Again!

Sheriff Whitefish Will is so strong that he can lift up a horse. One day Jesse James came to town. Will was so good at rassling rustlers that soon theres no more left and the townsfolk put poor Whitefish Will out to pasture.

So heck, what was this guy supossed to do all day? He raised roosters, rode in the rodeo on his horse to rope a calf and at his lovely rio rancho in the hills Whitefish Will played the harmonica.

The bad people took all their horses.

The barber is so scared of the bad guy named Bart he laughs and yells, "Go Ahead, Take The Friggen Horses, We'll walk."

B - Y - R - D B - I - R - D The barber laughs at and is scared of it and it makes him think of Tracy Byrd.

Bird.

I purchased this book for my 5 year-old step-son and not only does he enjoy it, but so does my 2 year-old daughter. The illistrations are spectactular and colorful, and the exciting story is written so that any parent can speak as if they were from the West. My daughter and step-son really get a kick out of how I sound when I'm reading this book to them. The use of out-of-the-ordinary words such as "varmit" and "gosh, dang dingle darn it" make reading this book a delight. I give this book my best recommendation.

Since my husband and I are fans of P.D. James and other murder mystery novels, the book was "right up our alley" so to speak. Whether Tim would succeed or the fraternity would silence him permanently was well written and the suspense kept us glued to the book until it the end. The Civil War story line was thought provoking.

This book really hit me, maybe more so because I live near West Virginia. It hits on two time periods and connects them with a pretty involving mystery, plus it has some classic action elements. Overall, it's one of the coolest historical novels out there. It might not be Hemmingway, but it got me through fall break.

A great story. Kept me reading.

My daughter started with the Tornado book in this series (Wild Weather), which she really liked, and so we got this one on Hurricanes. It's even better. The opening chapters about the hurricane pilot had her riveted, and this is the first chapter book she has gotten through completely in one sitting. My only beef was that the scientists are men in both books, but then I found the Flood and Lightning books, which both feature women scientists. We plan to get Blizzards next, since we live in blizzard country.

My four year old has had me read Hurricanes to him again and again . Ms. Hopping presents scientific facts in such an engaging format that he really enjoys the story. I recommend this and her other Wild Weather stories.

Hurricanes, by Lorraine Hopping, Is the third book I have bought for my grandchildren in the Wild Weather series. They have looked forward to each new title and reread the ones they now have. The book helped them to understand what was going to happen with hurricane Floyd.

I have bought seven copies of ths book for women friends. I would give anything to buy a copy for my best friend, my 82 year old mother, but she can only read large print. This book features so many unique women of a certain age that I cannot believe it is not availble in large print or audio. If that becomes available, it will be the eighth copy I buy. The book was a gift from a friend at the time of my kidney transplant, the kidney a gift from another friend, and the book has definitely contributed to my speedy recovery and healing. Buy one for yourself and another for a friend. Every woman should read this book.

As life on the land sinks into the western sunset, these lonely songs sung by rural women may be all that's left.

Mary Clearman Blew, in her wonderful book Balsamroot, a memoir about her aunt growing up as a homesteader in Montana, speaks of an unwritten rule that Western women have followed for decades: Never speak aloud of what you feel deeply. This code of silence and historic acceptance of the traditionalo, myth inspired image of the West being a "man's" world has resulted in the indispensable role of women being ignored or, at best, relegated to a footnote in the history of the region. Not anymore. This wonderful collection by some 150 women living in sixteen Western states and two Canadian provinces is a fitting tribute to the perseverance, and exceptional talent, of Western women. The editors chose as their theme the development of relationships in an area of the country known for its seemingly infinite space and time. The result is a stunning collection of stories about friendship among women in the West which is unvarnished, inspiring, tragic, humorous, and boundless in its beauty and message. While this book is written by women in a specific region of the country, its message is timeless, universal, and transcends region to speak to all that value strenght, perseverance and friendship. In essays and poetry and sometimes heartbreaking simplicity the women tell stories of living in the West and bonding in a special way with other women friends that, properly understood, is one of the real, true stories of the West. Contributor Wanda Rosseland writes of the sometimes oppressive nature of men in "Because Men Rule" and tells of women seeking friends because "When you're desperate enough, you go off either by yourself or with a bunch of other women for the companionship you crave," she adds "because men don't understand and never will, which is alright, because that's just the way they are." Co-editor Nancy Curtis notes that "Here, if you have good women friends, you keep them for a lifetime..." This is the best collection of stories about friendship and women in the West that I have read. It is a good example of the reason for the growing demand for books written by Western women who have, for far to long, not spoken aloud about what they feel deeply. It is a perfect starting point in learning to understand and appreciate the mostly mythical West. These writers are some of the best of the best writing today.