New Mexico Books

In this superb anthology of six of his short story collections, Moacyr Scliar presents readers with a panoply of themes, such as persecution, exploitation, and how ideologies mold our lives. Many of these themes reflect the times during which Scliar wrote -- a time when literary and other forms of cultural expresson were being surpressed under Brazil's military regime. In the first collection of stories, "The Carnival of Animals," Scliar uses allegory to explore the theme of persecution and exploitation, amongst other things.In his story, "The Cow," Scliar writes of a sailor who, shipwrecked with only a cow for company, comes to rely on that cow for his very survival. Like the loving, maternal tree in the classic, "The Giving Tree," the cow, named Carola, provides the sailor with food, clothing, fuel -- everything.The sailor readily exploits the cow --and ultimately destroys her to save his own life. But though he survives and prospers, the sailor lives a sad, empty life. Thus we are given a brief, anecdotal allegory of how exploitation dooms both the victim and the exploiter. Scliar, a Jew, also writes of Jewish themes, some of which are included in this collection. For example, The Ballad of the False Messiah is an allegory about the Jewish quest for redemption vis a vis a messiah -- and the ultimate futility of that quest. Casting the notorious, historical "false messiah," Shabtai Zvi, as one of his main characters,Scliar uses humor and irony to develop the theme that candidates for the Jewish messiah may come and go, but the Jewish people, with a messiah or without, will prevail. In "The Plagues" readers have an opportunity to see how "the other side fared" during biblical times when God smote the Egyptians with 10 plagues. Here we read of the tribulations of an average, Egyptian family that is arbitrarily being punished for the stubborness of the Pharaoh not to "let the Hebrews go." Again we have allegory, irony, and a true literary gem. Scliar uses biblical parables and elements of that particularly Latin American genre, magical realism, to entertain,enthrall, and enlighten. A wonderful anthology.

This book collects The Carnival of Animals, The Ballad of the False Messiah and The Enigmatic Eye which all are out of print in their English editions with The Tremulous Dwarf, the Dwarf in the Television Set and Van Gogh's Ear which have not to my knowledge been previously available in English. The fact that I would award Moacyr Scliar a Nobel Prize for literature in itself explains why 400 pages of his short stories is just right.

Scliar is a versatile author - Jewish and Brazilean - with a breadth of knowledge of history, medicine, psychology, anthropology and Hebrew scripture that both root his stories in the concrete and give them a universal understanding. He is comfortable in allegory, fantasy, magical realism.

All the traits of his better known novels - The Strange Nation of Rafael Mendes and Centaur in the Garden - are here in minature.

Given my interests, I particularly enjoyed the retelling of the ten plagues of Egypt from the perspective not of the Hebrews but of the Egyptians. However, were I to list all my favorites and explain why I'd exceed the Amazon word limit!

If you aren't up to this thick volume, read Centaur in the Garden ... then you'll want 400 pages more of his masterful writing.

While images of Roosevelt, Dewey and Maine are the most recognized images of the Spanish American War, Geoffrey Hunt provides some very interesting insight into lesser known actions of the war and the subsequent problems of dealing with an insurrection. Further, I found it interesting to see how much the members of the Colorado Volunteers were responsible for sowing the seeds of what would become the largest organization for Veterans, the VFW.

This is an exhaustively researched investigation into the the First Colorado Regiment. These troops enlisted in the army in the aftermath of the descruction of the battleship Main in 1998. They had just finished training and were assembled with other units in San Francisco when Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila in May 1981. Having a shortage of infantry, these units were rushed to the Philippines rather than to Cuba.

At the end of the eighteen hundreds the Americans were beginning to think of building an empire like those of the European powers. The First Colorado was put to fighting in the Philippines to take over the Spanish colony. They then found themselves as conquerors of the Philipine people and were fighting to subject them to American rule.

The Spanish American war occurred at a time when the world was in a period of dramatic change. The American Army was still following the mentality of the Civil War, while the technology of quick firing artillery and machine guns were rapidly changing the battlefield. This new book covers a little reported, little understood part of American history.

Compiled and edited by Nasario Garcia (Professor of Languages, New Mexico Highlands University), Comadres: Hispanic Women Of The Rio Puerco Valley is a unique and ground breaking survey of Hispanic-American women and their manifold contributions to the evolving culture of New Mexico, especially during the first ten years of statehood. Ranch life, the evolution of Spanish dialects, the struggles to birth and raise children, and so much more are accessibly covered in this unique anthology of vignettes, anecdotes, and revealing glimpses into New Mexican daily life. Black-and-white photographs enhance this outstanding collection of brief yet personable tales, each of which is rendered in both Spanish and English. Comadres is a very strongly recommended addition to Women's Studies, American History, and Southwest Regional Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Compiled and edited by Nasario Garcia (Professor of Languages, New Mexico Highlands University), Comadres: Hispanic Women Of The Rio Puerco Valley is a unique and ground breaking survey of Hispanic-American women and their manifold contributions to the evolving culture of New Mexico, especially during the first ten years of statehood. Ranch life, the evolution of Spanish dialects, the struggles to birth and raise children, and so much more are accessibly covered in this unique anthology of vignettes, anecdotes, and revealing glimpses into New Mexican daily life. Black-and-white photographs enhance this outstanding collection of brief yet personable tales, each of which is rendered in both Spanish and English. Comadres is a very strongly recommended addition to Women's Studies, American History, and Southwest Regional Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Comida Sabrosa: Home-Style Southwestern Cooking is a spiral bound compendium of outstanding recipes celebrating New Mexico's culinary heritage and traditions. From New Mexican Hot Chocolate; Nana's Green Chile Sauce; Southwestern Tamale Pie; and Beefed-Up Chile Casserole; to Taco Frijoles para los Ninos; Zesty Appetizer Meatballs; Dorito Casserole; and Arroz Dulce (Sweet Rice Pudding), Comida Sabrosa will prove a family favorite of easy to prepare, mouth-watering, appetite satisfying delights. A glossary is included, as are very useful instructions for microwave adaptations.

WIth no previous experience cooking Mexican food, I've become an expert flour tortilla maker - not to mention that my family devoures the cheese enchiladas. Thanks!

Hey amazon! There's a new edition of this book (actually there have been 2.....) The newest comes out in February, with completely updated info and pictures. You should order it!

My husband and I were traveling by motorhome through the Southwest this winter. I bought this guide and it made our trip to New Mexico so much more meaningful. It provides exactly the kind of cultural and historical context I like to have in a very user friendly format. I have used other guides including Insight, Smithsonian, Mobil, etc. If the others in the series are as well done, this will be my guide of choice. It also has beautiful photos and helpful maps.

This collection of novels is a beautiful and intellgently written volume, one that is an interesting read. If one wants comparisons, it could be compared to Garcia Marquez's style--very dense, very descriptive, very mysterious. There are copies of it available used... Buy it!

Fuentes revels in language and creating imagery that astounds, intrigues and leaves the reader in a land of limbo that is both magical and real. In this seemingly different collection of short stories or novellas the masterful literary pupeteer Fuentes draws the reader into his web of stories that covers centuries of history over various continents. Whether the stories take place in Spain, the United States or Eastern Europe the end result is a timeless portrait with universal themes with evocative resonance. The five stories in this collection have recurrent themes as in the clever classic novel by Fuentes entitled "Christoper Unborn," which is also highly recomended. Of particualar interest in the collection of novellas is "La Desdichada" where two students steal a manequin and fall in love. The storyline borders on the absurd but in reality it is a poets vechicle of expression for love. After all a woman of wood will be faithful to a man but will a man of flesh and blood prove he is worthy of fidelity ? All of the stories are excellent but of particular note was one I found very interesting entitled "Viva Mi Fama." This is a story that leaps from the present to the past by way of a Goya painting of a matador of fame by the name of Pepe Romero. The journey through Andalusia finds the reader tranported to Goya's Spain traversing the countryside from Bordeaux to Madrid and all lands in between. IMO there is no better story teller in Latin America and surely none as prolific as Carlos Fuentes. This is a beautiful collection of stories that are especially good for the person who is new to the visual , visceral and sometimes erotic literature of Fuentes. Great stuff for new and old readers of the magical world of Carlos Fuentes, one of the preeminent man of letters in Latin America.

This is a great book to get the feel of what life was like in colonial NM...It is a bunch of short essays with a WIDE range of topics relating to life in NM.....Marc Simmons has a pretty nice style of writing too....I liked the part about the New Mexican "tube" socks!!!

As usual, Mr. Simmons takes you back in time and brings the everyday life of early New Mexico to life. He has done extensive research to enlighten us. This book covers everything from homemaking, dressing, Inidans and food. A must have for historical researchers.

This is my favorite book on the topic of the Spanish explorations into what is present-day America. In particular, this book covers the journey by Coronado through what is present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Kansas. The book is a fantastic historical account but also a very interesting read. The author does an admiral job of painting a fair picture of Coronado and thus doing his part to reject la leyenda negra!

Even though the book is now more than 50 years old (!) it remains a very timely piece in Spanish Colonial history in the southwest.

Dr. Bolton has modified my view on Coronado considerably after reading his wonderful biography of the famous conquistador. Many people ideate Coronado as a bloodthirsty, overpowering man who unwontedly killed every Native American in his path for riches. Not so according to the unbiased research and scrutiny this author puts forth.

After hearsay of gold, silver and wealth to be found in our present-day southwestern U. S., the Viceroy of Mexico sends Coronado with over 300 men, several hundred Mexican Indian allies, more than 1,000 horses and mules, sheep, etc. to the north in search of these fabled fortunes.
Although the expedition as far as locating vast amounts of riches was a flop, Coronado's knowledge of the Indians and geography helped future generations of Mexico to settle and establish themselves in Arizona and New Mexico.

One adventure after another awaits the Coronado Expedition and this is what makes the book a page turner. There were battles fought no doubt, but basically when no alternative to peace could be reached among the Native Americans. As Bolton asserts, Coronado was the "gentlemen's conqueror" and compared to Pizzaro, De Soto, Cortes and others his exploits were gentle and mild.

An enjoyable and perceptive read.

I picked up this book because of the title. Who is this writer? What a gift! Tough and exquisite at the same time. As unexpected as rain in the place she writes.

This is a little gem of a first novel, full of gritty characters, funny-sad situations, and a look at the kind of destiny that walks up and grabs you by the throat even though you've seen it coming. Tough and sensitive, never resting, always moving and taking you along with it. After this book, fleabites press can change its name to beestings.

I smiled and finally laughed out loud reading this wonderful book by Princeton-educated historian Philip Ashton Rollins (1869-1950), who grew up in the West and knew early cowboys firsthand. He organizes his encyclopedic knowledge of cowboys into 18 chapters covering such topics as cowboy character, what the cowboy wore, equipment and furnishings, diversions and recreations, the day's work, branding and round-up. At 383 pages in its 1936 edition, there's a lot of reading here for the Western enthusiast.

The subtitle of the book, "an unconventional history," alludes to the less than objective, tongue in cheek tone that Rollins often assumes. He obviously admires cowboys but also sees the latent humor and ironies in a hyper-male culture, where men on the open range bonded into a fierce fraternity of individuals. I laughed out loud at the point where he describes the boredom that led cowboys to memorize the labels on canned products (condensed milk, peaches) and then recite them in unison for amazed outsiders.

For readers fascinated by the minute details of the cowboy's daily life, his beliefs and customs, values and attitudes, habits, quirks, and prejudices, this book is a gem. You learn how cowboys wore their Stetsons differently in different regions of the West. Because Rollins is fascinated by language, you learn a great deal about cowboy lingo and how it also varied regionally. He also gets as close as he can to describing the particularly florid and inventive cursing of cowboys. You learn that cowboys wore vests but not denim. You learn the received method of one-handed cigarette rolling and lighting a match on the seat of one's pants. You learn how guns were worn and used. You learn plenty.

I'm happy to recommend this book on cowboy culture to anyone with an interest in the old west and the life of cowboys as it was actually lived. It was written and published in 1922, then revised in 1936, and is a classic that belongs on anyone's bookshelf of western literature.

This book is absolutely outstanding in its explanation of the cowboy period. It is the unvarnished truth about the twenty-odd year period we think of as the cowboy era. Yet while it is historically accurate regarding the nature and life of the cowboy it is also very readable and not at all like a dry history book. Anyone that wants to go beyond western movies and fiction to discover what being a cowboy was really all about should read this book.