Arizona Books

This book makes important and original contributions to the understanding of Gender and Generation on the Far Western Frontier. It teaches valuable lessons for today's Americans. I am reading this as a gradutate student of history at the University of North Dakota. It is informative and rich in detail as any textbook with footnotes, but surprisingly easy to read and understand. (Unlike too many post-graduate dissertations.)

(Full Disclosure: I am a student of Dr. Prescott's.)

I heartily recommend this easy-to-read-and-follow work in the areas of western history (with real women included and portrayed) and for anyone ready to advance beyond 'hollywood history' of the American Northwest.

Buy this book to read, learn and enjoy!

Dr. Prescott offers an insightful look at first and second generation settlers in Oregon's Willamette Valley during the mid-to-late 19th century. Dr. Prescott contends that favorable farming conditions in addition to generous land grants made it possible for women as well as men to progress very quickly from frontier farming roles to a more consumer-oriented middle class way of life. Using the diaries of Maria Locey, the quilts of Zeralda Carpenter Bones Stone, and many other sources, Dr. Prescott presents a very readable glimpse of pioneer life in Oregon.

This is a wonderful, moving academic book. It dispels the myth of monolithic patriarchy in Indian society by showing how women attempt to master their own fates. The author has done the best job in recent years of getting inside the life of a village in India, and we are given vivid descriptions of how women battle male attempts to control them. As a college teacher I plan to use it in courses dealing with women's issues and in cultural studies of India. I recommend it as a reading in intermediate and upper level undergraduate courses on India and on women.

This is an excellent, in-depth portrait of the life of women in India, and in particular how women exert influence in a strongly patriarchal society. As a college teacher I am planning to use it regularly both in teaching about India and about women in traditional societies. It might also be useful alongside a text in an introductory course in social anthropology or women's studies.

In a couple hundred years humanity has started to explore nearby stars. Humans are investigating a new star system when two alien spaceships appear, fight with each other, and destroy each other. The humans are able to rescue one alien survivor. They learn of a Galactic Empire ruled by the ruthless Broa who tolerate no equals. All other alien races are slaves.
So what should humanity do? Several options are discussed, and finally our heroes go to get more data by studying the empire some. There are a number of surprises along the way.
This is a fun book; it is the first of three. I had trouble putting it down. It has a very classic space opera feel. We have the Milky Way Galaxy for the backdrop, there are lots of alien races, all of humanity is at risk, and the pace moves along fairly quickly.
If you like E. E. Doc Smith, David Webber, or James Schmitz, I think you'll enjoy this book.

Outstanding. Much in the flavor of the Life Probe sieries.
If you liked them, you'll like this one. We'll see how he completes it in Gibralter Sun. Should be a good read.

If you are looking for an award winning book filled with wisdom and culture, then The Good Rainbow Road is for you. It should occupy shelf space in every child's library. The book's message is deceptively simple and the artwork is stunning. Our family will cherish it for generations.

The Good Rainbow Road is a fable written by contemporary Native American author Simon J. Ortiz. Though it is not based upon any traditional Native American legend, it has been deliberately crafted with the inspiration and narrative style of such. It is a tri-lingual storybook, with its adventurous tale presented in English, Spanish, and the Keres language of the Acoma Pueblo Native Americans. Brightly illustrated by Michael Lacapa in a slightly stylistic manner, The Good Rainbow Road tells of two brothers who set out to rescue their village from drought, yet for one brother, fear is a far more dire obstacle than even the most perilous hazard. The Good Rainbow Road is a most enjoyable and enthusiastically recommended Native American story exposing avid young readers to languages and cultures outside of the mainstream.

Just thought you might like to know the book's size: 16" x 12" x 3/4"

It might be clumsy and big, but so were my numerous expeditions into the mighty Grand Canyon. For all who have seen the G.C. firsthand, the "coined" phrase is: "Pictures don't do it Justice." Which is absolutely true. However, this is the only book I have found that comes fractionally close to relating the G.C.'s awesome scale & vistas! It makes a perfect book for the cocktail table. This is the "creme de la creme" of G.C. Pictorial books. Get it! You won't be disappointed.

This is a great book, with many beautiful pictures of the Grand Canyon. It helps you to pick out places that you "must see", when you go. I found it to be very helpful, but also enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

We recently went on a trip and drove to the Grand Canyon. We did not get to their bookstore, so I wanted to get my wife a book with beautiful Grand Canyon photos. I searched on-line and read reviews and ordered 2. She didn't even like the other one, but this one was great. It has photos that are spectacular and just what one wants as a memento of the Grand Canyon. I knew that Arizona Highways would not let us down, and they didn't.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in vistas and lovely photos of this amazing place.

This book is a fine journey through internal and external space, past and present time. If you loved "The Man Who Walked Through Time" by Colin Fletcher, you will love this book. If you like learning history, geology and geography as stories about people, places, and creatures, you will like this book. If tensions between the rational scientist/humanist approach to life and the more spiritually-based approaches of those who are drawn to mysticism or earth-based religion spark your interest - you will like this book. And finally, if you are moved by the sincere effort of a parent and child to live in a caring, thoughtful, respectful relationship with each other, you will be moved by this book.

Michael Quinn Patton is an outstanding story-teller who pokes fun at himself as a father, hiker, scientist, man and human being throughout. The book describes his fascinating journey through the Grand Canyon as a coming of age ritual with his 18 year old son and a friend who serves as guide. Along the way, Michael weaves in ancient mythology, stories of the knights of the Round Table, the geology and geography of the canyon, his friend's teachings based upon Native American spirituality, his own approach to religion as a humanist Unitarian Universalist, and much more.

Both serious and comical in nature, this is a fine tale of one family's approach to raising children well, having great adventures, and ultimately understanding deeply that parents must turn their children loose with trust in their ability to act with wisdom, make mistakes, continue growing, and live their lives as they choose.

My favorite parts included (1)the journey to and from Merlin Falls, containing a classic example of "jumping off the 100 foot pole without knowing where you will land" as father and son face unexpected danger together, and (2)an adventure in emergency car repair that the author compares to making love in a touching yet hysterically funny way.

This would be a great book for parents and teens to read together and discuss, as well as a terrific story for people who are teens or older to enjoy and digest by themselves.

This is a book that takes you inside: inside the Grand Canyon; inside a father-son relationship; and inside the struggle to make meaning and to take understanding from life transitions. As Patton shares the cacophony of voices in his head -- past and present, his own and his father's, the landscape's and the academy's -- he reminds us of the the turbulence beneath our own surfaces. By paying attention to those voices, even when they confuse and confound, he reminds us of the gifts to be found when we are willing to live in the tension of not knowing.

I was drawn into the story, carried along by the fine writing and the wilderness adventures. I wanted to find out how this experience played itself out for Patton and his son. What would this ritual ultimately look like? Whose sensibilities would most inform it?

I was also drawn into the emotional and intellectual challenges Patton faces as he tries to create a meaningful experience for an 18 year old. Where is the fit of tradition? How can we create meaning without falling prey to mystical mumbo jumbo?

The answers they reach together are not a prescription for initiation rituals for the new age. They are, instead, an invitation for thoughtful inquiry into our own values and history. The answers challenge us to pose our own questions -- and to be relentless critical inquirers.

Alas, the 3rd edition of Grand Canyon (2005) is the last one that I will write in the Moon Handbook series. The publisher has contracted a new author to write a smaller, more opinionated 4th edition with new text. It should not be judged--good or bad--based on the previous editions.

--Bill Weir
(Moon Handbooks Grand Canyon, Editions 1-3)

this book is probably the best guide book I have ever used. It has really good info. It has information on both rims of the canyon and some surrounding areas of Arizona. It has a useful metric-standard conversion table in the back. Bill Weir writes like an expert. The book will make you an expert on the grand canyon. Not only does it contain tourist information but it also has history and facts about the canyon. Great travel tool.

George Steck's Loop Hikes I & II contain detailed guides some obscure and long trips. Steck is the best source for information on long (4 - 10) hikes, especially on the North Rim. Information is detailed and useful, sufficient for planning a trip.

Steck's introudctions are worth the price of the books, particularly his narrative on dealing with the infamous Grand Canyon mice ("Mice 513, Steck 0").

Loop Hikes I covers four routes, ranging in length from 6 to 9 days. These hikes can be done in less time if you are willing to push. Shorter variations are also possible. This book includes the now popular Cranberry Canyon route to Deer Creek and Thunder River, a great introductory route for off-trail hiking.

Loop Hikes II covers five more routes with a number of variations and suggestions, and has an introduction by photographer and Steck hiking companion Gary Ladd. It also contains updated information on GHLH I routes.

These are comprehensive books for serious hikers and are fully self-contained -- a hiker new to the Canyon would find all the information needed here without consulting other guides (although gathering as much info as possible is always recommended).

George Steck's Loop Hikes I & II contain detailed guides for some obscure and long trips. Steck is the best source for information on long (4 - 10 day) hikes, especially on the North Rim. Information is detailed and useful, sufficient for planning a trip.

Steck's introudctions are worth the price of the books, particularly his narrative on dealing with the infamous Grand Canyon mice ("Mice 513, Steck 0").

Loop Hikes I covers four routes, ranging in length from 6 to 9 days. These hikes can be done in less time if you are willing to push. Shorter variations are also possible. This book includes the now popular Cranberry Canyon route to Deer Creek and Thunder River, a great introductory route for off-trail hiking.

Loop Hikes II covers five more routes with a number of variations and suggestions, and has an introduction by photographer and Steck hiking companion Gary Ladd. It also contains updated information on GHLH I routes.

These are comprehensive books for serious hikers and are fully self-contained -- a hiker new to the Canyon would find all the information needed here without consulting other guides (although gathering as much info as possible is always recommended).

Although you don't have to be going down the Grand Canyon on a raft to get the most out of this guide, this will greatly enhance your experience if you are.

This book is jam-packed with the information you want. If you've ever been on a raft and wondered "Hey, what's up that side canyon?", Williams tells you all you need to know, from what mile marker the hike starts at, to where to park your boat and camp, to how long and difficult the hike is and what you'll see.

The book includes maps and gorgeous photographs to augment the text, plus background information on the Grand Canyon--geology, history, politics, and folklore--that's just plain good reading.

If you're one of the lucky ones who gets to paddle down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon each year, DO NOT GO without this book to take that experience to a new level. And if you're one of the many folks who explores the Canyon by hiking in from the top, here's a book with a bunch of information you don't want to be without.

Author Tyler Williams has written an easy to use and beautifully crafted guide to hikes in Grand Canyon. The routes presented range from simple jaunts to more strenuous overnights and lead you to the must see and lesser known destinations from the river in the Grand Canyon.

Clear maps, concise route instructions and hike difficulty ratings help you to plan what to wear and what to carry on your hikes. I really liked the information on best time of year to undertake the hikes in different locales as temperature extremes in Grand Canyon coupled with remoteness, can turn a fun walk into a survival epic.

I have used this guide on my Grand Canyon river trip and it will be the first thing I pack in my ammo can for that next trip. The beautiful photos throughout the book are something I look at again and again and they stir the memories I have of sandals gripping on polished limestone, narrow passages leading to cool, green waterfalls, and hot trudges climbing across desert landscapes that give way to heartstopping views.