New Mexico Books

I recently moved to the Sonoran Desert but had no idea what treasures awaited me until I bought and read this small book. This guide has opened my eyes to what is around me. I've taken pictures of interesting plants along the roads but didn't know they were medicinal or edible until I read about them here. The next time I go for a walk or drive, it will be with newly opened eyes. The illustrations are good, the instructions are specific. Some of the explanations and narratives are so hysterically funny, you will have no problem understanding effects of either taking or not taking described potion or poltice. I heartily recommend this quide on several different levels.

I've been utilizing this book for over 10 years as a teaching tool and reference for my Medicinal Plants of the Baja class. Michael Moore is
a hoot, excellent research on plant constituents and medicinal uses. Couldn't have done it without him! Check out www.bajabotanicals.com
Thank you, Michael.

This book was very easy to use. I wished there was more color photos but with such good descriptions and drawings you really don't need them. There are color photos for about half the plants described in the book. I love the way Michael Moore writes. He makes it so easy to read and understand. This book will be used for years to come in my home.

This book makes it easy to understand the preparation and use of herbs for a variety of everyday family herbal-aid applications. The instructions include the part of the plant used - flower, root, leaves, berries, bark etc. It goes on to explain why fresh or why the dry plant is useful and how to deal with your own gathering of the plant and what to do in simple A to Z instructions.

Loved this book and all the wonderful plates of Mexican Folk retablos. Gives a comprehensive review that will answer questions and inform the average reader. Highly recommend.

I can't believe this is the 1st review...This inspirational, beautifully put together book was awesome. The research into the art work alone, is masterful. Then Ms. Giffords tells you a story about the pictures content and the symbolism in each artists work. This book alone, has inspired me to delve further into the lost art of retablos' and the lives of the saints. I recommend this book to art students, theologians, and anyone interested in igniting their sprituality!!!

This book isn't large, but it's full of the incredible beauty of Mexican folk art with 82 color illustrations. It's well written, very detailed, and in three sections.

Part 1, "The Mexican Folk Retablos": The origins of these small religious oil paintings, usually on tin, are described, as well as terminology, materials, the artists (mostly unknown), and much more. The chapter is completed with 28 images of the Holy Family, and each plate is described on the facing page. The wonderful piece depicted on the cover, "La Inmaculada", is one of them.

Part 2, "Saints as Subjects": This starts with the problem of identification, as finding out which saint is pictured is quite a feat. It goes into the function of these retablos, and their changing popularity as time progressed. It concludes with 36 images of saints, that are inspiring and beautifully executed. I find # 31, "San Antonio de Padua", extraordinary.

Part 3, "The Mexican Ex-Voto Painting": An ex-voto is a story painting, done as a commemoration to answered prayer. This chapter deals with the characteristics of these lovely pieces, their development and decline. It gives 17 examples of this unique art form, along with a description, as well as a legible printing of the writing on the painting, in Spanish and English. The back of the book has bibliography, notes, indexes, etc.

If you appreciate Mexican art, this will be a wonderful addition to your library, and if you like Russian icons, as I do, it makes a fascinating comparison, especially plate # 4, "Nuestro Señor de los Trabajos", and plate # 62, "Santiago", pictured with sword in hand and on horseback.

The author, Gloria Fraser Giffords, has done a marvelous work with this volume, bringing us an area of Mexican culture that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves.

Gloria Fraser Giffords does an excellent job in researching an often ignored corner of art history, Mexican folk art. She provides insight into how these images were made, but also helps the reader understand the devotional context in which these images were used by people in the nineteenth century (and are still used by people today). A must for a student in this area, especially as there is not yet abundant information in this field. The images are compelling and beautifully reproduced and the book is easy and interesting to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I bought this book for my husband. He likes it very much that he is trying several recipes. This book is pretty much well done. Congratulatios to everyone who colaborated in this awesome mexican culinary book. Thanks to the chef and author of this book Scott Linquist who traveled to my country to learn and taste the real mexican food.

A very user friendly cookbook ideally suited for cooking good things at home. A perfect gift for your friends who love to cook. Scott's restaurant is a "must do" when you travel to New York City.

I bought this after seeing Scott on the "Today Show", where he cooked his Mexican twist on French Toast. The cookbook does NOT disappoint! The recipes are interesting variations on classics. There are detailed instructions will lots of photographs. I am in LOVE with this cookbook!

I had the pleasure of attending a Scott Linquist cooking demo and one of the things made was guacamole. Now guacamole is how I judge a Mexican restaurant. The quality of the guacamole, usually reflects the quality of the rest of the menu. Needless to say I have tasted a lot of guacamole and was prepared to be unimpressed but I have to tell you it was the best guacamole I have ever tasted. On the strength of this alone I bought a copy of his cookbook Mod Mex half expecting the recipes to be intricate and complicated. I was pleasantly surprised to find not only clear easy to follow recipes but also loads of step by step pictures showing the techniques key to making each dish such as how to wrap a tamale properly.

If you love Mexican food this is a great addition to your collection both for it's fresh modern take on classic recipes but also it's detailed pictures of the proper way to prepare them.

Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home

This is a great cookbook for Mexican food lovers. It is simple to follow and has great illustrations. Of course, I am a little predjudiced! Be careful with the chiles, though. I'm a little wimpy so I had to cut down the amount on some recipes!

this book made me cry. The pictures he captures, especially of the textiles are poetic and seriously moving. I am definately buying a copy of this book for my mom.

Jonathon B. Wittenberg's book does a wonderful job of capturing life as it is in Navajo culture through a Navajo-centered lens as opposed to a Western-lens. I think Tony Hillerman's quote on the back of the book does a wonderful job of capturing my feeling for the Navajo people after reading this book: " What I saw there [the Big Rez] sparked my love affair with The Navajos, their enduring culture of love, good humor and harmony, and the high, dry, dramatic landscape in which they endure. This is a beautiful and valuable book." I certainly fell in love with the Navajos after reading this remarkable book, and I encourage others to read this book to gain further understanding and appreciation for the incredible Navajos.

This is a beautiful, heart warming collection of images, outstanding for the quality of the photographs and above all for the choice of subjects, made with great sensitivity and an obvious love and admiration for the culture it portrays. Viewing Jonathan Wittenberg's photographs will be a memorable experience, especially for Tony Hillerman fans.

Navajo Nation 1950: Traditional Life In Photographs is a compilation of 100 black-and-white duotone-printed photographs taken by Jonathan B. Wittenberg to record and illustrate life on the Navajo reservation in 1950. Truly capturing with an artist's eye the dignity and beauty of an ancient Native American culture surviving in the midst of the broader mid-20th century American nation, Navajo Nation 1950 is a showcase of photographic excellence taken with a bulky, twin-lens reflex camera enabling the preservation through a photographic record of the Navajo people and culture that includes images from the Monument Valley, Black Mesa, Navajo Mountain, Lukachukai (a high bench between the Chuska mountains to the east and the desert plain to the west), Teas Toh (close to the old Highway 66), the Window Rock Navajo Tribal Fair, and the Canyon de Chelley. Enhanced for scholars as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in Navajo culture with an index to the photographs, and appendix (Progress of a Shootings Chant), and a Navajo reservation map, Navajo Nation 1950 is a welcome addition to personal and academic Photography and Native American Studies collections.

Although this book is certainly lovely enough to be a ''coffee-table book'', it is much more. The photographer found interesting historical photographs of New Mexico urban and rural scenes and then went to the exact same sites and photographed what the scenes look like today. Some of theses sites are extremely remote, and also must have been very difficult to find. The comparison of photographs of New Mexico scenes from the modern times with historical photographs is fascinating,and the quality of the new photographs is outstanding. What surprised me about the book was how intriguing the narrative was. The author did an excellent job of describing both the backgrounds of the historical photographs and also the nature or reasons for the changes in the new images. In addition, he included very readable anecdotes about what efforts he went through to gain access to the sites and how he approached each ''shoot.'' This is a book that would be enjoyed by people who enjoy beautiful photographs and who love to read about New Mexico and the history of the American West.

This book was extremely interesting and informative. I have lived in Albuquerque my whole life and found it to be accurate. I ordered it for my boyfriend, Thomas, but we both have enjoyed. I will be getting the Albuquerque, Then and Now next.

Sheryl nanco

Mr. Stone spent two years traveling around New Mexico searching out and rephotographing scenes first done by others over a period of about 1855-1945. The book is divided into sections (of the state) and each photograph, past and present, has details about it included.
Mr. Stone writes about how some of the locations have changed a great deal, some not so much, many he could get to (or at least close enough) to duplicate exactly but others he had to do what he could to approximate the original shot. He doesn't say much about what he used for equipment other than some very tall ladders or tripods, no film details, not much camera information either.
I found that some things have changed a great deal while it appears some would look almost the same today to the original photographer as the original shot did.
I wish the author had included a town by town index as well as the regional listing, if you know the name of a town but are unsure of it's location you wll have to search each section for it- assuming it is there.
This is a very fascinating book, I'd like to go see many of these locations myself.

If you like history and art, you'll love WILLIAM STONE'S NEW MEXICO THEN AND NOW. Using the principal of repeat photography--finding an old picture of a location and rephotographing the same spot--he created a photographic, geographic, and to a degree social history of the state called The Land of Enchantment. You'll have a good time looking through this beautiful coffee table volume. Like every region of the world, New Mexico has had its share of quirky places, where outrageous people did off the wall stuff. And--places where events were dead serious, and which still influence our lives, though they happened long ago. With his large-format camera and tall tripod, STONE has captured the best of The Land of Enchantment's spots for the now images. Even better, his then shots were taken by some of America's finest early photographers. William Henry Jackson, Edward Weston, and many others bring the pages of the book to life. STONE's captions add to the pictures, documenting his feelings and thoughts as he worked on each location. His writing partner, JEROLD WIDDSON's articulare essays tie the pictures together in a lively fashion. No dull paragraphs full of facts here. In fact, if you have sonmeone at home think's history class is boring, leave NEW MEXICO THEN AND NOW around to be discovered. If you have someone who finds history exciting, NEW MEXICO THEN AND NOW is the perfect coffee table book because it's designed to be opened and examined slowly--savored, in other words, like a nice, hot cuppa your favorite brew. In case you haven't figured it out, I enjoyed NEW MEXICO THEN AND NOW. I did it on many levels. Though it focuses on one region of the country, it carries a universal message about change and stability that's fun to discover and think about. It gives us a sense of the American contribution to photography as an art form--and that contribution was no small one. It offers a glimpse of what the west was like to settle and live in--and what it's like today, as a result. NEW MEXICO THEN AND NOW will make a great addition to anyone's living room.

The written word with photos gives us some historic background of jews who came from Spain, because of being persecuted. While they gave up their jewish religion, we find out that many rituals were kept and practiced. Fasinating book.

This is a well written and very informative book about the survival of a tenacious people and about a part of the hidden history of the state of New Mexico. I would recommend it to any one interested in Jewish history, Sephardic Judaism, Crypto-Jews, Spanish culture and New Mexico history.

The culmination of years of heartfelt, dedicated work by a fine artist, the photographs reveal the depth and complexity of this story with beauty and true humanity.

I'll admit I am biased but this book finally puts a real human face on this southwest phenomena. Haunting images of a living glimmer of an almost forgotten people. Cary Herz performs a mitzvah by remembering us and in a small way provides help along the road to redemption of this small remnant.

Came quick and has amazing recipes. The used quality was just as indicated by seller.

This is by far the best cook book, southwest or therwise, I have ever owned. The pages are falling out now, but trust me, if you can get a copy, you will receive rave reviews for your cooking. It's simple and elegant, for everyday or entertaining. Fix the chicken enchiladas and black beans and rice - everyone will want your secret! GET THIS BOOK!

I first learned of the "Pink Adobe" from a television segment on PBS entitled "Great Chefs", Ms. Murphy was a featured guest. She made cooking look simple and easy, combining fresh, quality ingredients to create a finished product in what seemed like no time at all. I bought the "Pink Adobe Cookbook" and fell in love with the easy to follow recipes that utilized fresh quality ingredients to perfection. The variety of recipes is good. I once prepared a buffet of everything from appetizers, main courses, stews, and desserts only using Ms. Murphy's book. Great for those who like adventure in cooking and eating!

I remember eating at the Pink Adobe before it was so fashionably famous; Santa Fe gets a lot of celebrity visitors and the Pink Adobe is a favorite spot to see and be seen.

The recipes are gourmet, but also typical of the Southwest; Posole (hominy and pork stew), Gazpacho, Turkey Mole. There are a lot of good salad recipes here, too. Many of them have a lot of mayonnaise, so are adaptable to low-carb diets. And there is a good discussion of chiles, from Anaheim, Poblano to Pequin and how to roast a green chile, skin it and freeze it for use later. If you like Southwestern cooking, which is spicy but not like Tex-Mex, this may interest you.

The previous reviewers said it all; this book is great! I used it with my Honors Social Studies and Language Arts class, and you could have heard a pin drop! Well done, Sally Crum!

Race To The Moonrise is a carefully researched adventure tale of two young Mogollon trader children who run an exciting race against the full moonrise in prehistoric (1200 A.D.) northern Mexico and southwestern U.S. Little Basket, the young girl prophetess and her brother Long Legs make the arduous journey from their village in northern Mexico to the area of Chimney Rock and Finger Rocks, near the Four Corners area of today, before the 19th full moonrise to participate in a religious ceremony. All details are carefully researched and help authenticate this exciting children's educational action adventure book. Note: Race To The Moonrise was approved for use with Native American children by the Intertribal Cultural Committee of the Council for Indian Education. It is fascinating to follow the ebb and flow of this exciting tale. So much of early Native American prehistory is not known, yet what can be surmised of these ancient MesoAmericans is both intriguing and of enduring value to the young people of today. Race To The Moonrise is a fine work to honor one's ancestors with.

Race to the Moonrise, by archaeologist Sally Crum, is a wonderful resource for teachers teaching the history and cultures of the Southwest and Colorado. It is a fictional story which contains a vivid picture of the cultures of the Southwest from Casa Grande to Chimney Rock in Colorado. I used it with my fourth grade students to enable them to visualize the people and their lifestyle, compare the environments, weapons, religions, clothing, tools, foods, building styles, use of natural resources, trade, household objects, and travel of the Pre-Puebloan people. The story is appropriate for fourth grade and above and through a fictional narrative with carefully researched background, keeps students interested and learning throughout. The author has also published a teacher's guide with questions and activities to use with the book. I would recommend Race to the Moonrise to other teachers. It has been a great addition to my unit on Colorado History.

I have a really difficult time reviewing children's books. Until now. I have just finished "Race to the Moonrise: An Ancient Journey" by Ouray, CO author Sally Crum. It is a wonderful book. It was written for the fourth grade level, but let me tell you, I think readers of any age will not only enjoy the book but will finish it with a greater understanding of native American culture and feel good about having read it. The setting of the book is around 1200 AD and centers around Little Basket, a young girl with some very special powers, and her brother, Long Legs. These two, with their uncle, embark on a journey from their home in Mexico to what is now southwestern Colorado. The purpose of the journey, which takes them through the country of the Mogollon of New Mexico, the Hohokam of the Gila and Salt River Basins, the Sinagua of Wupatki Pueblo, the Hopi, and the Chaco Canyon, Aztec, Mesa Verde and Chimney Rock Pueblo peoples, is to save their village. Besides being a great read, the book is impressively accurate in its description of the native American cultures, and geographic and archaeological places which exist today. On a recent trip which included many of those places I was amazed at the author's accuracy. Do Little Basket and Long Legs save the village? To be sure, it's not here today. But then, when a little girl has special powers and a strong, brave, and protective brother...who knows? Sally Crum is a working archaeologist and has worked for numerous national parks and monuments over the past 16 years. The book has been approved for use with Native American children by the Intertribal Cultural Committee of the Council for Indian Education and published by Western Reflections Inc., so you know the quality is second to none. This is a wonderful, enchanting book. It is truly for children of all ages...right up into geezerhood!

I could not put down this new book by Timothy Hillmer. I had enjoyed the writing in his first novel, Hookmen, but the subject matter of Ravenhill is vastly different and I wasn't sure what to expect. Hillmer writes his characters with great depth and knowledge of the life experiences that can deeply affect personalities. This is not just another piece on school shootings. The characters in his book remind me of people I know, or have known, and that is part of what makes this subject matter so appropriate. Hillmer shows the human side to inhuman acts and forces us analyze how a situation so horrific can come about. I highly recommend Ravenhill - you will not be disappointed.

This is not a retelling of Columbine. I've read several novels about violence in school, and Ravenhill is truly in a different league from the rest. Told from several different perspectives (a teacher, a janitor, several different students, an assistant principal, etc.) the novel unravels the events on the last day of school almost minute by minute, marching toward the fateful eighth period where...well...

What makes this book stand out so much to me is how real each character is. All of them are deeply flawed, yet so completely loveable at the same time. Each character has something inside that makes you want to reach out to them--they are so deeply human, scars and all. When the end comes, I was left feeling like I was one of the members of the community of Ravenhill, grieving alongside them. However, unlike so many books fictionalizing school violence, this book left so much room for discussion about what people can do to reach out to each other. There is hope in the despair that I can cling to and bring into my daily life as I reach out to my students as a teacher.
How many books can you say that about?

Tim Hillmer's new novel is a careful dissection of a complex problem - one that has become distinctly American over the past decade. The aim of this book is not to simply novelize those headlines and news stories on school shootings that now seem to appear and re-appear every few years; it is not an objective re-telling of the events leading up to those real-life tragedies.

Rather, this book is a commentary on an analysis of violence, and the author deals with his subject on a variety of levels. He connects the explosive violence of a school shooting to the kind of everyday violence that we as human beings experience daily - those minor but destructive exchanges we all take part in, both as victim and perpetrator.

The characters are realistic, their histories rich. The complex interactions between the personalities that people this story help to shed light on a very dark, very prevalent, but very ignored truth - that this contagion of violence is spread willingly by human beings. Ravenhill is an excellent read - highly recommended.

A fine, satisfying read. Where lesser authors would have given us black-and-white, Hillmer works in grays, refusing to dispense simple answers in response to complex questions. The plot is compelling and the conclusion unpredictable. But I think Hillmer's greatest achievement is in bringing Ravenhill, the school, to life, making it the main character in a cast of strong, fascinating players. One last note: If you enjoy this book, seek out Timothy Hillmer's first novel, The Hookmen.

I really enjoyed each of the Ella Clah series and forwarded them to my daughter in North Carolina. When she finished with them she passed them on to her daughter. 3 generations have had good clean reading enjoyment.
I grew up near the area so that makes the reading even more enjoyable as I picture the different areas.

I felt that I knew the people being written about. I didn't want to put Red Mesa down. I am buying more of Aimee & David Thurlo's books.

Navaho Police Special Investigator Ella Clah and her cousin, police officer Justine Goodluck loudly argue in public over a recent incident. When a few days later, Justine's burnt bones are found partially buried on the top of RED MESA, everyone, including some members of her own family, conclude that Ella killed Justine. Even Ella's beloved mother believes her daughter has turned evil and wants to protect her infant grandchild from her.

While Ella flees to buy time and the truth behind Justine's murder, the law chases after her even more convinced she is an escaping killer. As the law gets closer to capturing her, Ella begins to unravel a plot to eliminate her. Will she be able to expose the dastardly scheme before her time runs out?

The fifth Clah entry is a great tale because the talented duo, Aimee & David Thurlo never lose sight of the scheme or the personalities of the cast. Even on the lam, Ella remains Ella, as fans know her. The plot works because the "plot" against Ella still retains plausibility even with the villains known early in the tale. The Thurlos talent resides in deep and thorough characterizations that lift their Native American police procedurals to a plane shared by the likes of Hillerman.

Harriet Klausner

They don't come much better than the Ella Clah series. The authors keep this book on a personal level so that you feel you know and understand the character. You feel her pain and her joy. One isn't enough. Buy them all.