Colorado Books

ETERNAL PEOPLE is a wonderful book that touches the heart and mind. It tells the story of Joseph Abrams, a Ukranian Jew who comes to America in the early 1900s. The book beautifully depicts Jews in America and their adjustments to a new life. The characters leap off the pages. Joseph becomes a correspondent for the Jewish Daily Forward, then moves to a small commune in Wisconsin where he's introduced to the Utopian philosophy of the Am Olam movement. He falls in love with two women there, and is reunited with his only living relative. Joseph is sweet and tough, smart and sympathetic, and the two women are vividly described. We see Joseph's growth and change, his tenderness and determination. We watch as a threat to the commune's existence becomes real. The novel's last sections depict the powerful and gripping conclusion. The book moves from intellectual debate to drama to poignant love scenes and lyrical memories. ETERNAL PEOPLE is beautifully written, and Joseph's story lingers long after a reader has left his world.

I started reading this book more because of interest in a historical subject I knew nothing about than because I was looking for a good read. How nice to have found both. After just a couple of chapters, the characters draw you in. Joesph is my idea of a hero, intense and with good instincts and intentions, but still flawed, complex and most important, real. Milofsky writes sharply and simply, but every now and then, he describes something with such tenderness and truth that you find the phrase popping back into your head, even when you aren't reading. Eternal People passed my most important test for a great read. After I turned the last page, I wished there were more.

This is simply a great book. The photographs make it worth the money alone. If you ever are travelling to Ontario for whatever reason, make sure you bring your fly rod and a copy of this book. There is good fishing to be had everywhere, from Kenora to Ottawa and everywhere in between.

Congratulations dad on your book.

I loved reading the stories.

Your son

In my opinion (and possibly in fact), this is the only field guide worth using. Ms. Komarek pays explicit attention to detail, and has created wonderful keys to quickly and reliably identify whatever plant you may be viewing.

The book also lists many plants found in the lower elevations surrounding the San Juans, such as Durango, Bayfield, Pagosa, Mancos, and Cortez. If you are serious about plants in this area, or if you would simply like to identify them, this is the book that you need.

I take this book everywhere I go when exploring in the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado. It is well organized and comprehensive, with excellent illustrations.

Fragile Treaties is a great read. Seeing ranching, poverty, the Utes, and western Colorado through the eyes of Lily Bodeen is a treat. There's a lot of history here--the author obviously did her homework--but the writing is lively and engaging.

The history of the Ute in southwest Colorado comes to life in Fragile Treaties. The author provides useful facts mingled in a captivating style to tell the story of the friendship between a wife of a Ute chief, and the wife of a calvary officer, and the conflict that threatens to destroy all they hold dear to them. Very impressive book. Well thought out, well researched, and well written.

"Freedom In My Soul" offers an intimate, poignant look into the world of Samgirl, an intelligent young girl whose dream of physical freedom--for it doesn't take long to know that she truly is free in her soul--drives her family to seek freedom from slavery. Reilly's portrayal of Samgirl as a compassionate, matter-of-fact woman who endures hardships unfit for any living creatures heightened my appreciation of the contribution slaves have made to the relative freedom that African Americans experience today. And yet, life, grim though it is for Samgirl, throws her a crumb of joy now and then through her relationship with her brother Samboy and her burgeoning love for Levi and his daughter Gracy. Reilly expertly weaves the minute details of life in the quarters into the story while offering a little known history of Chickasee slave owners. Yes, the book may evoke tears but laughter will soon follow as Samgirl navigates life on the farm of old John Stands-In-Timber. An excellent read, the book is well-paced and should be read by anyone seeking a personal understanding of life as a American slave.

Ms Reilly does a superb job of bringing the characters and thier emotoins to life in the telling of this story. The bonds that Samgirl, Samboy and Mammy and Pappy share are inspiring. Freedom In My Soul made me laugh, cry and more than once I had to look up from the book stareing in deep wonder at the trials, tribulations and determination of this fictional family and of the non-fictional families that surely existed during this period. I personally look forward to more writings from

Shaunna Reilly!!

Great book for anyone visiting or living in Colorado. A comprehensive guide to your travels. I live in and travel around Colorado frequently, and this book is a must!!

The book appeared to be new and arrived several days before the projected arrival date.

That little guy is so cool. Garth and Elizabeth are real role models for kids. Garth is a pint sized hero. The way things are these days it's nice to have stories like these. Rock on.

It was a long time coming, but worth the wait.
Garth and his friends continue to delight my kids and their friends. The only thing we ask is if the next installment could come sooner. The wait is too long to see what cool things will happen next. keep them coming.
Stephen

Fabulous guide to wildlife viewing areas in Florida. It led me to to many places not found in any other books. The directions are clear and concise, and the site descriptions are well-written. I spent an afternoon at one extraordinary, magical place where I was literally tripping over the local wildlife. As I was about to leave, the first person I had seen all day came up to me and asked me where I lived, since this was a place only the locals knew about. She was astounded that I was from out-of-town. Sure enough, the log book, which only showed a few visitors per day, had no one from out-of-state but me in it! I just hope that these areas remain as unspoiled as they are now. This book made my trip to Florida worthwhile!

When you are next lucky enough to find yourself in sections of the Florida peninsula still green and grassy or blue and wavy, you'll have a sharper chance of spotting limpkins, roseate spoonbills, plovers, manatees and alligators and hundreds of species more, even mice, with this perky pink guidebook in your backpack. Florida Wildlife Viewing Guide takes you to the most popular and also the least-known local, state and national preserves where you can make like a Florida (wild) native.

I live in the heart of Ghost town country. I knew about some of them, but the place is rotten with them; and this book located these bits of bygone history for me. Even my old office building sits on the bones of an old ghost town I'd never heard of. If you love Colorado (and you should) and history and adventure and beautiful back country driving and hiking, this book is the one you want. Buy it and carry it with you. I've seen others and this is by far the most complete and up to date.
-P-

I love this book. It is very extensive. There are 3 volumes in this series- this one (which is Volume 2), plus Volume 1 (Northern region) and Volume 3 (Southern region...

What is nice is that these books are pretty updated (1999). Some of the Colorado ghost town books that I have looked at are very outdated- published around the 1970's.

This book (as well as the other 2 in the series) are very thick books-this one has 616 pages!)
It is packed full of infomation.
Some ghost town books leave some of the smaller, lesser-known ghost towns out- but these 3 volumes have them all!

There are black and white photos for each ghost town- plus the fascinating history behind each one. Some even have updated information listed about the town- such as how the Ghost town of Guffey (originally called Freshwater)once had a dog as Mayor-and they now have a cat as Mayor!! (This is true).

In this book- Volume 2- Central Region- it includes these counties:
Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin, Park, Lake, Teller, Chaffee and Gunnison.
The ghost towns listed are NUMEROUS- but here are just some of them:

Redstone, Ruby, Ashcroft, Aspen (once called "Ute City"), Carbondale, Emma, Dotsero, Independence, Gilman, Gold Park, Cripple Creek, Altman, Anaconda and Mound City, Tabor City, Dayton, Guffey, Fairplay, Buckskin Joe, Como,
White Pine, Tincup, Sargents, Quartz, Pitkin, Ohio City, Pieplant,Marble, Irwin, Iola, Gothic. Crystal, Crested Butte,
Romley, St. Elmo, Monarch, Buena Vista, Garfield, and etc.....

There are many, many more towns in this book- I just can't list them all!

This is a wonderful book combing the early history of Colorado and the narrow gauge and later standard gauge railroads. The railroads were the dominating force of progress in the mountainous terrain, bringing down coal, silver, gold and other minerals, while carrying supplies up to the mines and ranchers.

The author captures the smell and sound of steam engines working the narrrow corridors of the mountains. It is like being in the cab, with the sounds of smoke pouring from the stack, steam gusting, whistle wailing, bell clanging, and fire roaring in the firebox, and the smells of coal and grease and hot metal combined with the lurching and pounding of the engine on the narrow gauge tracks.

The book will appeal to steam fans, rail buffs and history schloars for a look at the "reality of railroading in the West."

This is a reprint of a Colorado and Southern engineman's life story. Although the book is very readable, you won't find much of the "romance of the rails" here - just hard work and men trying to get a job done in often dangerous circumstances.

It's a good introduction to steam-era railroading for those who are too young to remember, and it will revive memories for those who do.