North America Books

I have used other books in this series and they never dissappoint. There is far more here than you can do in any one vacation, but I like it for the full overview that you get of the entire state. Don't expect a lot of maps and directions, but do expect some neat "insider" tips and different travel recomendations.

Having only been to Idaho three times (once for 10 minutes!) I can say that this book will undoubtedly help me plan my next much longer excursion to the great state of Idaho. The chapters cover sections of the state with details on various cities, what to do, where to eat, etc., all of which will be helpful. As with any book on this subject, some items may be out of date even as the book is printed, but I trust that the author's references to restaurants and lodging are dependable. Having looked at other books on Idaho, this one not only covers the hidden gems, I think it covers all the unhidden gems this state has to offer. Though I already admitted I'm no expert on Idaho, I found this book to be comprehensive enough for someone planning a two-week trip to explore this corner of the US.

This book is helpful. There are not a lot of Idaho-specific guidebooks, and this one is pretty comprehensive. One drawback is that it does not have any pictures. Idaho has some beautiful wilderness areas and a few pictures would greatly enhance this book.

This book was a fabulous guide to planning a family vacation. As it turned out, we followed a similar path as the one described in the book --across Idaho to Yellowstone. Advance plans included sites described in this book, and when we added activities, we always checked with the book first. It was never wrong. Using this book helped make our family trip (with three teenagers!) a fun adventure. Thanks Richard Harris for all your good research and tips!

I first read this one in 1982 and have returned to it time and again. I, like a couple of other reviewers, cannot understand why this book has not recieved more attention. It is well written, funny, informative and just simply fun to read. It is a collection of tales, stories, or what have you, of the western portion of our country. The author has wonderful insight and certainly knows his subject. I cannot think of a page of this work I did not absolutely enjoy. Highly recommend this one.

I first read this book in the mid-1980s, and have been a huge fan of it ever since. It was out of print from a long time after the original publisher, North Point Press, went out of business. I am delighted that it is now available once more. It deserves to be read by anyone interested in the American West.

This is a wide-ranging book that deals with many aspect of the American West in general and the desert areas in particular. Schultheis is a gifted writer, and has a knack not only for telling a good tale but also for turning a wonderful line. He is highly attuned to the remarkable and the humorous in almost every situation, and the book is a marvelous blend of the unexpected, the reflective, and the funny.

My favorite moment might be an occasion he recounts of visiting a store in Navajo territory. While in the store, an elderly Navajo stumbles up to him and says, apropos of nothing, "Hey, I hear that Elvis died," in a tone that almost suggests the Schultheis and The King were lifelong pals. After replying, that yes, Elvis had died and that he had evidently been pretty sick, the Navajo, ignoring what Schultheis had said, continues, "Yeah, Elvis and Hitler, two of your greatest leaders, dead." (I am quoting this story from memory, so don't call me to task for specific inaccuracies.)

This is a book filled with many wonderful and marvelous moments. I would heartily urge anyone with an interest in literature about the American West or the desert to read it as soon as possible.

A cousin tipped me off to this little known masterpiece, which consists of a short, well-written series of anecdotes and tales about the West. An expert in verbal imagery, Schultheis takes you gambling at Native American pow-wow, canyon ratting in Utah, meeting a jack rabbit who lures motorcyclists to their doom, and other esoteric topics with equal aplomb.

His best tale, and the one you won't forget, is the last in order, a fictional episode during the next great Western drought, when the xerothermic climate brings disaster west of the Mississippi.

Schultheis is very readable, and each essay is thought-provoking. I predict you will enjoy this wonderful book. As the previous reviewer cautions, however, loan it out at your own risk.

Rob's imagery and cutting edge mind put him up there with the best - I like him better than the proverbial Ed Abbey (Rob's a little more cerebral). I'm an avid reader of anything to do with the desert Southwest (and West), as well as a desert rat myself, and I was hard put to find anything I'd read to date that was this good. You won't be disappointed with this book - buy an extra for your friends, because they'll "borrow" it and never return it (I've now bought 3 of them and can't find my latest copy...hmmm, now that I think of it, I suspect it went to Hawaii with a friend...)

When I was in Elementary School this was my favorite book. I would check it out of the library and read it time after time. A great story about a boy taken in by the Indians in Maine and his adventures.

Young Indian boy separated from family. Experiences childhood growing up alone in woods.

I read this book many times, as a child. It's a timeless story that would appeal to young boys. I'm always surprised it doesn't show up in many lists of noteworthy children's literature. It should.

Excellent book for Elementary School age children. The book is probably best suited for boys who want to read about the adventures of a young boy who was separated from family and had to learn to survive in the Main wilderness assisted by Indians. Hope you enjoy reading this book.

Truly great histories are few and far between. This is one. How many historians can claim to have twenty years of hard research in a book, and not put you to sleep in the first 20 pages? The Confederate Navy was one of the most extraordinary enterprises in all of military history. Tactics and developments fit cleanly within well explained strategy. The personalities, resources, plans and timetables are well integrated and despite all the detail nothing gets lost in the detail. Written by someone who genuinely understands what happened, then told so anyone who wants to can understand it too, this is a gift. Follow Secretary Mallory's herculean task of forming a navy from nothing, employing technology and to changing naval warfare forever with mines, ironclads, and commerce raiders. This one is worth every penny you pay.

Written by an Italian no less, this is the best book I have found on the CSN. It is written in a style that is easy to follow, and touches on all aspects of the CSN from shipbuilding, to supply to espionage. Reading this book gave me a full image of the odds going against the CSN and the amazing accomplishments they achieved despite them.

Luraghi is clearly enthusiastic about his subject. His enthusiasm resonates throughout the book. It is clear that he admires the CSN for it's acomplisments despite the incredible odds.

In addition, the sheer amount of research he must have done is breathtaking. The endnotes take up more than 1/3 of the printed pages. What's interesting is that many of the endnotes are annoted with comments about the sources from the author. In my own research, those annotations have been a great asset.

This is definately a MUST read for the Civil War naval history buff.

Truly great histories are few and far between. This is one. How many historians can claim to have twenty years of hard research in a book, and not put you to sleep in the first 20 pages? The Confederate Navy was one of the most extraordinary enterprises in all of military history. Tactics and developments fit cleanly within well explained strategy. The personalities, resources, plans and timetables are well integrated and despite all the detail nothing gets lost in the detail. Written by someone who genuinely understands what happened, then told so anyone who wants to can understand it too, this is a gift. Follow Secretary Mallory's herculean task of forming a navy from nothing, employing technology and to changing naval warfare forever with mines, ironclads, and commerce raiders. This one is worth every penny you pay.

The book is the best, single book written about the CS navy that I've ever come across. It's written in an entertaining way that even non-history buffs will find themselves being engrossed in the titanic struggles waged by the tiny southern navy against the Union juggernaut. Mr. Luraghi shows that he did his homework in dredging up the most obscure and interesting facts including the contributions of Blacks in Confederate service (example: Moses Austin, a free black who died in the attack on the U.S.S. Water Witch). The only downside to the book is the sections that go into overwhelming detail on the ships of Dixie. Other than that, it is an excellent book and it is essential reading for anyone wishing to know about the Confederate Navy.

This book (which I have not read in entirerty) is probably the first history book written about the Ojibway. Most importantly and interestingly, the author was half Ojibway and half French and was intimate with many of the Ojibway elders he interviews. The authors biography is worthwhile in its own right. I cannot recommend a better book to gain a first hand perspective on colonial Ojibway customs, politics, culture, and the like. While the author (though Indian himself) does deplore Indian's lack of civilization, that really only adds to the book by revealing western society's rascist attitudes to the Indians. The author has been educated and christianized and his rascism is in respect to these institutions. In most other regards he has great respect for his Ojibway family.

I found this book to be most facinating, and helped me to gain some knowledge of how my ancestors lived. Four generations of my relatives were born into the L'Anse Band of Chippewa and Lac Vieux Desert Band of Indians, but I had no history of how they lived. This book helped me have some insight on their lives and their parents lives. I have given each of my children a copy of this book so that they too can have some knowledge of what their native american relatives lives were like. A most interesting read!!

During the 1850s, William Whipple Warren, an Ojibway "Half BReed," a member of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature and frequent correspondent for the "Minnesota Democrat" (a newspaper out of Saint Paul), spoke to all the elders, story tellers and medicine men of the Ojibway Nation and wrote a book. Unfortunately, he died of tuberculosis before finishing it, a fact that has many historians cursing their rotten luck. But what he achieved was priceless. His book tells the story of the Ojibway Nation's migrations, their battles against other tribes (like the Dakota, the Fox, and the Mundua), and how they first came to know the white man. FOr those who, like myself, went to public schools which portrayed the Indians as peaceful children of nature, this book explodes like a nuclear warhead on all misconceptions. Pre-Columbian America was a very brutal and VERY bloody place. Warren details the Ojibway's torure of captives, their vigilante approach to justice, and their vicious blood feuds against other tribes. THis book is NOT for the squeamish. Parts of it make Herbert Asbury's "THe Gangs of New York" look, well, kind of like a kid's game. Do NOT read this book if you posess a weak stomache. But it also proves that the history of the AMerican Indian is far too complex to fit with anyone's politically motivated attempts to push it into a box. I, for one, am deeply disapointed that Mr. Warren died before coming even close to completing his projected 7 volumes of work on the Ojibway Nation. There is much in this book already, though, to fascinate the reader and fill several film scripts. Therefore, this is a book that I recommend strongly for anyone with a strong stomache. William Warren, I salute you!

An excellent book covering the history of the Ojibwas primarily in the Northern Wisconsin/Minnesota area. William Warren did a fine job of badgering the tribal elders till he received the information he sought. Written in the 1880's, Warren writes of the different clans and their interactions, the introduction to the white men they liked (French) and hated (British), and the constant warring with other tribes (mostly Sioux) over prime hunting lands which took the lives of many. According to Warren, "Ojibwa" means "to roast until puckered", needless to say, he's not talking about dinner. If just one book on the Ojibwas is in your plans, this should be the one. I myself would prefer to read a book written by someone who actually talked to these tribal elders over 100 years ago, not someone who attempts to do so nowadays, generations (and clouded memories) later.

I was fortunate, I learned of Robin Murphy and his works early in my study, recommended by professional homeopaths in Pa. Wether you are a student or professional, this work will definitely be in constant use. We all start with the easy guides, then graduate to the more in depth works. You will not be disappointed.The format of this book is clear, it is extremely well organized. I especially like the way Murphy describes the " sensations". Murphy is the best we now have to offer. This is a beautiful book to look at, to hold, and study. If you love spending money on books, and have a serious interest in homeopathy, this is the one. This book never sees the book self.

This previous second edition version is very good and complete, easy to search etc, the new one is expanded and updated, I think it is renamed as Homeopathy Clinical Repretory.

It is a real wonderful work from Murphy for the homoeopathist all over the world, I use it very easilly as a medical doctor, its a real dictionary of symptoms as Hahnemann wanted it..., and the repertory is just a dictionary , just that and it helps a lot for an accute prescription.

This is an excellent repertory. It is far superior to Boricke's, which I used previously. It uses modern language and is well organized and indexed.

I was given this book by a patient. The people in the stories are the same as today. The truths he tells and the antedotes are priceless. A must read for medical students and young professionals.

When I first picked up this book, I was interested in it because it was so old. As I read it, especially the first few chapters about his adventures in elementary school (I teach fourth grade) I was pleased. I feel better about the antics my students have gotten into. The rest of the book is an entertaining, yet infomative first hand account of the growth of the medical profession. We have come a long way. I am looking forward to seeing where we go.

I just finished this book last night. I have an interest in medical history, particularly american. The author gives a detailed insight into early american medicine. He was truely a wonderful man and physician. I am a physician and am surprised how many problems he experienced that are still currently problems in medicine. This book is a must read for anyone interested in early american medicine.

This book is excellent for understanding life in the mid to late 1800's, for understanding the speed with which the "practice of medicine" has grown, and growing in honesty with oneself. The humor and joy is the best! And I empathized with the pain and difficulty.

This is a beautiful book that somehow lifted me to a different perspective. The whole time I was reading it, I felt as if the air around me shimmered with diffuse light. It is interesting to read about life in Joseph Rael's culture, fascinating to learn about the perspective of different Native American languages, hopeful to learn of Joseph's dream and continuing work for all of us, and transfixing to experience the effect his writing had upon my heart.

I recommend this book for all who are not afraid to expand their view of life and their world.

Joseph Rael is one of the most interesting people you'll read about. This is basically his life story, and how he acquired the teachings to complement his natural gifts. The discussion of the Tiwa language is brilliant. Be one of the fortunate to read about this amazing man.

The vision of this book is remarkable especially when viewed in the light of string theory. So much of the philosophy of the Pueblo people from whom Joseph Rael sprang seems to be confirmed by modern physics. A must read for the serious seeker.

This book is not a physics text. It is the highest level
work on Native American religion I have ever seen. It would
also be of interest to linguists as it presents words from
the Tiwa language which uses verbs and not nouns.
But the interesting part is the actual experiences of
a man who is a healer and ceremonial dancer and peace
worker. It is well written amd presented in a personal
style.
The book is much better than this review.

When I first picked up this book after hearing excellent reviews I was a little disappointed. It seemed skimpy, only 140 pages with larger print and generous spacing on the pages. After reading it and using some of the techniques and guidelines for owling described in the pages I changed my mind. This book is filled with gems on how to find owls, the behavior and biology of the Owls of North America and excellent photographs of all the species. I even used one of the photos to help a taxadermist model a window killed Boreal Owl from our area.

The authors Pat and Clay Sutton have decades of experience with their passion of finding owls and have lectured across the country on their experiences. They've packed the book with information on finding owl roosts, finding evidence of owls in the field, the strategies and ethics of luring in owls with calls and tapes, identifying probable owl habitats, and listing some of the best places in the country for finding resident and migrant owls such as Whitefish Point, Michigan and Braddock Bay, New York for Saw-whet Owls.

Although this book is not an in depth treatment of the biology of Owls it is a great reference for most birders hoping to find and learn more about owls anywhere in the US and Canada.

If I had only one book to buy about owls, this one is it. It is a howling success!

Owls are unique and fascinating, but, unfortunately, also quite elusive, which makes their observation quite frustrating for the beginning birder. This guide was written--reluctantly--to lessen some of that frustration. Reluctantly, because, while the authors wish to indroduce the owl to new generations of birders, at the same time they are very concerned about adverse influence that birders can have on owls. The book consists of two parts: an introduction to birding for owls, and the owls of North America. In the latter, each species that is found in North America is discussed to some degree. While the Whiskered Screech Owl, which only occurs near the Mexican-American border in southern Arizon, only has two paragraphs devoted to it, other species are covered by a number of pages. Information is largely anecdotal and easy to read. At least one photograph of most species is included, the quality of which is usually excellent.

I originally got this book when I found a trio of young screech owls in my favorite river area. It gives a lot of information that is USEFUL to people who really want to see owls. Kinds of owls, signs of owls to look for, crisp b/w photos, and some common sense ettiquette. Good book!

This was a great book. It was purchased for my grandchildren however,
I liked it just the same.

This is a wonderful read for third - sixth grade children but also something interesting for parents to read to children much younger. This is a great method of Indian education for children with Cherokee ancestor of the Great Smokey Mountains. Well illustrated. The books covers 200 years from 1740 - 1838 and has a section about the rez today. There is also a Cherokee syllabary, timeline, and historical map.
It answers so many questions, questions teachers cannot; like "How did the Cherokee marry?", "What did the Cherokee eat?", "Sports teams", "Games", "Did the Cherokee scalp?", "How did they worship?", "Who was their enemy?", "What kind of jobs and tools did the Cherokee have?", and many other intriguing questions.
It is important that children learn these things the right way and not from nonsense Hollywood makes up.

This is a great resource book for students third grade and up studying about the Cherokee Indians. Lots of information set in question/answer format. What would you eat?, What would you wear?, What would you do for fun?, etc. This book contains historical information, a timeline, a Cherokee syllabary and lots of illustrations. Well done!

A great book for kids who want to learn more about America's native cultures, or for children (like mine) who are of mixed race and want to learn more about their people and heritage. How would you have grown up in your tribe two hundred years ago? Fascinating view of early Cherokee dress, marriage customs, games, family relationships, religion and the heartbreak of The Place Where They Cried (Trail of Tears)