Oklahoma Books

Volume 216 in the outstanding University of Oklahoma Press "The Civilization of the American Indian Series", Rifles, Blankets, And Beads: Identity, History, And The Northern Athapaskan Potlatch by Northern Athapaskan Native American culture expert William E. Simeone is an impressive presentation and analysis of the Northern Athapaskan potlatch, a Native American tradition in which the hosts have a party for the specific purpose of giving their possessions as presents to their guests, while accepting no gifts in return, and keep very little for themselves. The role of the potlatch in promoting societal cohesiveness, in curbing greed and excess, in encouraging familial and tribal cooperation, and a great deal more is carefully scrutinized in this intriguing study. Rifles, Blankets, And Beads is a welcome and valued contribution to any personal or academic Native American Studies collection.

This is one of a small number of reports on individual Maya archaeological sites that is written for laypeople as well as fans of the Maya. Rio Azul was a riverside city of the ancient Maya located in the forested lowland corner of Guatemala next to Mexico and Belize. The book is an excellent introduction to the format and reasoning of archaeological reports, but in this popular summary of his findings, Adams, who directed mapping and excavation a decade ago, digests all the numbing lists of basic data and highlights the most interesting discoveries. (If new to the Maya, follow the author's advice [Preface] and read his stirring conclusions first.) In his early chapters Adams ably shows how insights and broad implications can be drawn from simple facts by analysis and wide comparisons. He explores his favorite topics like architecture, pottery, tomb ritual, wetland agriculture, population estimation, and rank-size ordering of sites for determining political relations. He has long championed military explanations for ancient Maya events and the rise and fall of their cities, a useful counterpoise to the euphoria over Maya religion and personalities generated by the recent decipherment of Maya hieroglyphics. Strong on comparisons with the regional capital, famous Tikal, to the west, Adams almost ignores the extensive investigations across the river in Belize which he has since led! (This book seems to have been about 5 years in publication.)

Other than six color plates, 60 illustrations are slightly fuzzy because they are printed on ordinary paper. The index is terrible. A completely different way of presenting a Maya city, which looks an awful lot like Rio Azul, can be enjoyed in the oversize pictorial book of fictionalized history titled San Rafael: A Central American City Through the Ages, by Xavier Hernandez.

This book by Melissa Pflug is an excellent investigation of Odawa culture done before the 2005 establishment of the sovereign nation for the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. Dr. Pflug is an original researcher and informed writer.

A great story. I found it to be a very unique and insightful. The story was fun, light hearted, and yet serious. It was a very quick read. I found I just wanted to keep reading. It would make a great edition to any high school reading list. Another good addition for a high school reading list is Road To College, also by Kathryn L. Krueger.

This book is currently being updated. I eagerly await the new editon. Topographic lines are on all maps. Section with township and range are very usefull and not on competitor altas maps. I havc all but worn my copy out. Extremely usefull when dispatching a crew to a site. No other state road atlas series can compare!

The corpse of an unidentified drifter is taxidermied and passed off as John Wilkes Booth to paying tourists. A con artist convinces an entire town to plan a big reception for a coming circus, makes off with hundreds of dollars in ticket sales, and the townsfolk after realizing the circus was a hoax, celebrate anyway and begin a tradition that continues to the present day. The sole survivor of a notorious outlaw gang moves to Hollywood and socializes with cowboy movie stars. This book is filled with such stories, hundreds of them. The age of rioting and looting Indians, ramshackle buggy rides through the wilderness, mobs of thousands bidding on ridiculously underpriced real estate which already belongs to others, public executions, Messiah scares, genocide, and the like is brought vividly and frustratingly to life. This book is like a cross between Tom Robbins' outrageous humor and Italo Calvino's novel, Invisible Cities. And all of it, every droll word, is true. 'Beliveve it or not,' as the man said.

I would recommend this book not only to Oklahoma history buffs, but also to people who enjoy more fantastical fiction such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, even to those with only marginal interest in Oklahoma at all.

A very impressive book. In his "Romans And Blacks," Thompson elegantly and thoughtfully explains the "racial" worldview of the ancient Romans. According to Thompson, the Romans had a completely different, and far healthier, understanding of physical differences (ie. race) than we do today and, consequently, were not racist, at least not in the modern sense. In addition, Thompson critiques much of the earlier research and analysis of the Romans' racial views. The common error made by earlier classicists, according to Thompson, was to impute modern racial views to the Romans, thereby unintentionally distorting the source material. Thompson's research is exhaustive and his argumentation is lucid. Most impressive, though, is the originality and sheer intelligence of his thoughts. "Romans and Blacks" provides great insight into the Roman view of race, and, by doing so, provides a context for understanding the modern view of race. I highly recommend "Romans and Blacks." (It is even better than Snowden's works.)

This is a unique collection of rubbings from various Maya archaeological sites. Its a fantastic way to view the engravings, stellae etc. The scans are hi-res, indexed by a mini database, and nicely detailed. This collection is a lovely preservation of the historical data as it is in our era. As the various Maya ruins get worn down from weathering, vandalism, and tourism, these rubbings will only increase in value.

This collection is a "must have" for anyone seriously interested in the Maya.

Rudolf want to create a rationale heat engine, a combustion under pressure engine. The engine would run on a variety of fuels because different countries would have different fuel resources. Diesel engines were the improvement over steam engines. Diesel engines were used to power electric in third world countries, embedded in marine boats and submarines, and pumped water. Diesel dream of creating a diesel powered locomotive but never lived to see that dream. If Diesel were alive today, he would want smaller and more powerful engines. Electricity evaded Diesel and he found himself outside that realm. However, today Diesel would have like the idea of a magnet motor, a surge fly wheel for electrical storage for starting and stopping, and efficient electrical motors. Edison told Diesel that the invention had to be reliable and used by the customer, a practical device. Nanotechnology engines that harness the power of the atom as a part of a unified quantum theory of everything will create smaller engines with incredible electrical output.
Diesel would be compelled to contemplate the future of hydrocarbon engines and reflect on the create of powerful electric engines.

Diesel had to learn how to work with metal before building is vertical engine. The first engine exploded without anyone being fatal injuried. Eventually, debt exceeding $2 million created a financial crisis for Diesel. In a mysterous turn of event, Diesel dies, an improbable suicide, and an envelope with $5k for his wife.

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