Arizona Books

When planning a trip to Arizona, I got a book that seemed informative yet personable. This journey guide kept me informed with basic info I was curious about regarding the area, and didn't put me to sleep with a dense history that would have bogged me down as a short term visitor.
I especially enjoyed the photos of all the petroglyphs, and the info on the local Native Americans, since I wasn't from the area and appreciated the "heads up" on ancient and present-day conditions, I consider these points to be aware of in order to get the most out of any regional trip. Also, the authors have an offbeat sense of humor that kept me company on the trip.

I want you to known before going any further that my Brother Vern illustrated this book, and that Jon and Julie are my friends.
This book is the real deal. The authors trekked the Arizona landscape to bring back and present an honest and fair account, written with genuine enthusiasm and love for the land and our history.
Arizona is a place of breathtaking beauty. There are so many incredible horizons, impressive peaks and valleys, and wondrous ruins once inhabited by people much like ourselves, yet unique in all the world.
Jon is a rock guy, a fossil guy and a climber. Arizona could have been created just for him, so he could experience it and discover a need to encourage others to see and experience a place unlike any other.
Vern has been a fossil guy since he was very small, and his illustrations transport you to other times and other places very well.
The glyphs are beautiful and amazing, and Jon Julie and Vern want you to see them. Ancient People told their stories in stone, and while time has weathered their work, something unique remains.
One great thing about travel is that it can take you out of yourself and sharpen the senses.
I have been to some of the sites covered and felt a connection to ancient times and the men women and children who walked there. This book made me want to make a new journey, with their Arizona guide. Buy this book, and dream, and then go see for yourself.
The authors are working on similar books for other areas of the southwest. I think you should know that.

Linda Kranz's newest journal certainly won't disappoint! Broken into a section for day trips and a section for weekend excursions, Linda's helpful thought-starters and Klaus's beautiful photography combine to give writers a framework to create a journal that is uniquely their own and will be treasured for generations to come.

Perfect for residents and visitors this will get you journaling about journeys within the Grand Canyon State that will be a lasting chronicle of special memories. For those outside Arizona, don't think that this journal is not for you! With the inspiration of the beautiful photography this journal will inspire you to seek out special adventures where ever you live or travel. The thought-starters are general enough to ensure that they will get you writing now matter where your travels take you.

Author, Linda Kranz, truly is the mother of the personal journal. She has enticed young people to uncap their pens and write about their worlds and she has led parents to record their history's for their children and their children's children; all with beautiful photographs and her signature "thought-starters." Linda is one of those souls who truly loves the personal, written word and she has now authored a travel journal on her beloved Arizona. A true "good-will" ambassador for this beautiful State, she has translated that love into a wonderful travel journal for the visitor or resident.

Separated into two categories: day trips and weekend trips, the writer has places to record dates, locations, people we met, mementos and incidentals such as weather. Rich photography, by husband - Klaus, is interlaced throughout making this latest journal offering a joint (ad)venture. The hard bound cover makes it easy to write in (even if you are standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon) and allows the journal to take a bit of a beating as you will not want to travel without it. The perfect gift for a new resident or visitor to Arizona as well as long time residents who share the same love of this spectacular State.

This book is a great companion while traveling to Prescott. It has historical insights, beautiful photographs and is very detailed with interesting facts about the Prescott area.

This book is a wonderful guide to both well-known and less popular points of interest in the Prescott area. The historical detail has obviously been well researched and is very fascinating, making the book an invaluable, must-have companion. The accompanying photographic documentation is also very complete.

I just want to let people know that At the Desert's Green Edge was awarded the Klinger Book Award by the Society for Economic Botany. This is according to an announcement in the members' publication for the San Diego Natural History Museum, where Dr. Rea is a research associate.

Certainly this book is "about" the following: Pima Indians Ethnobotany Gila River Valley (N.M. and Ar Native American Anthropology Nature / Field Guide Books Science Botany Native American Studies - Tribes Plants...

...but it is really a glowing absorption of the essences of life as only those who still live in what's left of this earth's eden can truly and fully know. Rea perhaps brings this through to the reader better than any writer, poet, or other artist in history. This book is not just a "gem" or some other catchy adjective from the "How to Review a Book" manual--it is a true treasure, a legacy more valuable to the priceless "things" of life than all the dusty gold from King Tut's tomb. It is a ocean of pearls cast before the multitudes, hoping, perhaps, to snare a fertile, vigorous mind or two... You will laugh deeply. You will cry unrepentantly. You will revel in the invigorating joy of discovery. No matter who you are or how you make your way in this world, the spirit of this book will touch that secret something in you that you thought you would never find anywhere else...

I really enjoy a good mystery. A real good "who-done-it". A story that, as you read, is fun to guess who the guilty party might be! I found The Austin Fires to be one of these types of books and I really enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading the next Stormy Winters Mystery. So hurry out with your next book S. A. Slack, your fans are anxiously waiting!

I am always searching for, and am in support of, new woman writers on the market. This is the first novel S.A. Slack has had published and I was one of the first to own it. This piece is creative and entertaining with a suspense that kept me turning the pages just to see what would happen next. It's wonderful to see new authors do this great! Keep up the good work!

I have several uncles who fought in WWII, including my father. My living uncle is proud of the way this book was presented, through the eyes of the Marines. In addition, his brother, my uncle, is found several times throughout the book with accurate accounts of the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It is a very fascinating read even if you are not a war buff.

I bought this for my husband who is a USS Arizona historian, and he loved it. Picture quality is good, book put together well, etc. When I hear no complaints from hubby, its a VERY good sign. I would say that its worth the money

It is not often one can read of the intermingling of cultures so successfully combined as in Eva Wilber-Cruce's work. It is remarkable for its objectivity, its vivacity, and as a lesson of how best to get along with one's neighbors. Eva's recollections as a child and woman are remarkable and is a person easily taken to one's heart. Her considerable life is a valise which contains a portfolio of memories of the most meaningful sort. I would compare her book with Mari Sandoz' Old Jules; both about frontier life, one in the SW, the other in Nebraska. The reader has the added benefit of increasing his or her Spanish vocabulary that reflects the lifestyle in which Eva was raised. Beautifully written. An added plus for me was the reference to Archbishop Salpointe who was the heir to "Lamy of Sante Fe." It's a treat when a book ties in with another source written by a respected historical author like Paul Horgan.

Eva Wilbur-Cruce describes memories as far back as when she was three, and captures the wild yet captivating valleys of the Arizona/Mexico border, painting word pictures of Mexican ranchers, Tohono O'odham Indians and many other cultures intermingling. It is a story of how to live life to the fullest, as she learned it from nature, her family and those around her. She has learned well what the beautiful cruel country has to teach and she passes it on through artistic imagery.

The author is justly proud of his brother "Bernie Whitebear". The book provides many facts and stories of Whitebear's accomplishments in fighting for Indian rights. Many of these facts can be be authenticated by going on-line and reading newspaper articles from that time.

I knew Bernie Whitebear while I was a teenager in Seattle and he was the first Urban Indian leader I had met. Over the course of time, I found him to be a person who mentored youth and he was a visionary in a very enlightening period for Urban Indians in Seattle. His perseverance and dedication is a testament to his character and reading the book written by Lawney, his brother, about their upbringing makes all the pieces in the puzzle fit and make sense. He came from a humble background (perhaps "poor" as far as wealth) but also one that was rich in morals, values, traditions and culture. This book was a very good read.

Imagine being able to invent one of the great natural wonders of the world. This was practically the opportunity of the first park rangers to live at the canyon. Famous explorers and scientists had come and gone from the Grand Canyon and written their reports, but they seldomed stayed there any length of time. The rangers who came with the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919 were the first naturalists to live their lives there, and there was still plenty to explore, plenty of unknown geology, biology, and botany. Within a few years after 1919 these rangers were writing down their discoveries and experiences at the canyon, basically figuring out what this place was all about and how visitors could best experience it. 1919 was also much closer to the age of Humboldt and Muir, when natural historians were adventurers and heroes and seers, expected to speak both science and poetry. The "notes" in this book are the record of those first park naturalists as they come to terms with a great natural wonder, and they are also notes in the sense of musical notes, a song of celebration.

If you love the Grand Canyon, you will be delighted with this selection of naturalists articles written in the first half of the past century (!). Easy to read, most of the writing consisting of articles of a few lines to a few pages, you can open the book anywhere and transport yourself on or below the rim, at a time when a lot fewer tourists visited the canyon.The book is divided in three parts, Earth sciences (geology, river, sky and seasons), Life science (flora, fish, birds, mammals,) and Human history (archaeology, ethnobotany and history). Nice little B&W drawings throughout the book, this is a very good complement to a visit to the Grand Canyon or to any coffee table picture book on the Grand Canyon usually thin on writing.

...and I needed this book. As an author coming to town for a world-wind 24-hour tour, this guidebook was a gem. Everywhere I needed to go and whatever I needed to have was here. Highly recommended if Phoenix is on your next vacation or even your business trip list.

Well I really didn't know what a diverse place Phoenix is, until I read this book! Now I know that Phoenix is not just an airport hub for our state, it is a great destination in its own right. This is an excellent and complete guide of all the highlights! I recommend it to all Arizona natives.