Montana Books

"Wolf, No Wolf" will never make the Sierra Club's list of recommended reading. It is third in a series of mysteries starring Gabriel Du Pré, the Métis descendant of French Voyageurs and Plains Indians, and it is rabidly anti-environmentalist and pro-rancher.

Rabid or not, such is the power of Bowen's writing and the nobility of his characters that even clean, green bunny-huggers (like me) might end up voting for the ranchers and against the re-introduction of wolves into Big Sky Country at story's end.

All of the regulars at Touissant Bar are part of the action in "Wolf, No Wolf." Du Pré, master fiddler and part-time brand inspector is cast in the role of peacemaker. With help from his friends, the Shaman Benetsee, Bart the rich-guy-turned-sheriff, Du Pré's long-time mistress, Madelaine, and Booger Tom, the ancient, homicidal cowhand, he braves avalanches, gunfire, and false medicine men in order to prevent open warfare between the ranchers and the Earth First! crowd.

There are good ranchers, and there are really evil ranchers who sell dead horses for dogmeat.

There are good FBI agents (not very many) who are either Montanans and/or part Amerindian. The vast majority of agents are feeble, clueless, and from out-of-state. Some of them are so dim-witted as to try and arrest the Shaman Benetsee, who plays a wonderful joke on them with his coyotes. (A previous reviewer compared Benetsee to Yoda. Boys and girls, that reviewer was dead-on. Lucasfilm© should take Peter Bowen to court for kidnapping.)

All of the environmentalists, New Age mystics, and Yuppies in "Wolf, No Wolf" are easily identified by their expensive, crassly-colored, mail-order garments of many pockets. They are even dumber than the FBI agents, and are easily led astray, even unto death, by the book's true evil empire (sorry, Lucasfilm©).

And die they do, by avalanche and grizzly, by gunshot and knife, and by freezing to death in Alberta Clippers. The ranchers rescue as many as they can, but winter in Montana is truly hell-frozen-over. Some of Bowen's leanest, most vivid prose is devoted to descriptions of out-landers and cattle that venture out into the jaws of a Blue Northerly.

Better to stay in the Touissant Bar and drink fizzy, pink, screw-top wine, and listen to Du Pré fiddle the sad, old Voyageur songs.

If you like Dick Francis, you'll love Peter Bowen. Gabriel Du Pre, a Montana Metis, is more woodswise than Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon, tougher than sun-shrunk rawhide, and thoroughly believable. Peter Bowen has captured the fiery independence of the REAL rural west

"Wolf, No Wolf" will never make the Sierra Club's list of recommended reading. It is third in a series of mysteries starring Gabriel Du Pré, the Métis descendant of French Voyageurs and Plains Indians, and it is rabidly anti-environmentalist and pro-rancher.

Rabid or not, such is the power of Bowen's writing and the nobility of his characters that even clean, green bunny-huggers (like me) might end up voting for the ranchers and against the re-introduction of wolves into Big Sky Country at story's end.

All of the regulars at Touissant Bar are part of the action in "Wolf, No Wolf." Du Pré, master fiddler and part-time brand inspector is cast in the role of peacemaker. With help from his friends, the Shaman Benetsee, Bart the rich-guy-turned-sheriff, Du Pré's long-time mistress, Madelaine, and Booger Tom, the ancient, homicidal cowhand, he braves avalanches, gunfire, and false medicine men in order to prevent open warfare between the ranchers and the Earth First! crowd.

There are good ranchers, and there are really evil ranchers who sell dead horses for dogmeat.

There are good FBI agents (not very many) who are either Montanans and/or part Amerindian. The vast majority of agents are feeble, clueless, and from out-of-state. Some of them are so dim-witted as to try and arrest the Shaman Benetsee, who plays a wonderful joke on them with his coyotes. (A previous reviewer compared Benetsee to Yoda. Boys and girls, that reviewer was dead-on. Lucasfilm© should take Peter Bowen to court for kidnapping.)

All of the environmentalists, New Age mystics, and Yuppies in "Wolf, No Wolf" are easily identified by their expensive, crassly-colored, mail-order garments of many pockets. They are even dumber than the FBI agents, and are easily led astray, even unto death, by the book's true evil empire (sorry, Lucasfilm©).

And die they do, by avalanche and grizzly, by gunshot and knife, and by freezing to death in Alberta Clippers. The ranchers rescue as many as they can, but winter in Montana is truly hell-frozen-over. Some of Bowen's leanest, most vivid prose is devoted to descriptions of out-landers and cattle that venture out into the jaws of a Blue Northerly.

Better to stay in the Touissant Bar and drink fizzy, pink, screw-top wine, and listen to Du Pré fiddle the sad, old Voyageur songs.

Wyoming Whorehouses is a small paperback, but intriguing and interesting, concerning the many whorehouses in the State of Wyoming in the mid-1800's to the mid-1900's. Pictures of some of the prostitutes are shown and pictures of several of the brothels. Stories relating to each brothel is given and some jokes, as well as "whorehouse trivia." It is a delightful book to read for someone who enjoys knowing reality and what went on back in those years.

This is an interesting short book for several reasons. It appears to be a perfect example of how many senior citizens and retired folks are digging up or gathering together lots of local history and preserving it for posterity. In this case, the author relates how he first started hearing some of these stories 50 years ago. Now, half a century later he has taken those stories and interviewed many 60-90 year-old friends and acquaintances and boiled down their oral history into this 121 page historical tome. Combined with interviews and library research the author presents a fascinating, enlightening, humorous and entertaining book of historical facts and local myths about the underbelly of Wyoming's wild nightlife. As the author jokes, this is not a politically correct book and most of it is probably true. Lots of pictures of the most famous "sporting houses" in Wyoming are included in the book. There are also very rare photographs of the "sporting girls" that were taken to be used for advertising their services. The reader may be surprised to learn that this kind of prostitution still openly existed into the late 1970's. The Wild West was still alive and well in Wyoming.
The most famous "Soiled Dove" or "Fallen Angel" in the book is Martha Jane Canary, "Calamity Jane" of Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody fame. She was only one of the many "ladies of the night" discussed within the book. One particularly interesting chapter is entitled "A Day in the Life of a `Working Girl.'" It provides the answer to many people's questions about what it was like to visit one of these places. It also provides interesting insights into what the girls really thought about their customers.
In several instances described, "housewives also went to these places. Not for sex, but to find out why their husbands went there. This took a lot of courage. Some of the questions the girls would answer were; 'Why would he prefer this place rather than our home?' `What do you do for him that I don't?' The working girls were always happy to answer questions like these. Prostitutes never thought themselves to be in competition with housewives. Their only job was to make a man relax and be happy enough to spend his money...Prostitutes seemed to know more about this than some housewives."
A few housewives also worked part-time at brothels, usually in places where no one knew them, like on the other side of town in larger cities. There are also a couple of examples of the "dens of sin" in various communities and settlements being burned to the ground in suspicious fires. Housewives were the suspected arsonists, but none of them were ever charged.
The book is full of trivia facts such as "The FBI was first activated into Federal Service as prostitute busters." Another fact was "that almost every town in Wyoming had Whorehouses." This book is also full of jokes and satire that often ring all too true.
"Badland Charlies" most famous patrons were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and their gang "The Wild Bunch." The book is peppered with such characters with equally colorful names. One of the book's indexes is for 124 euphemisms for prostitutes, their customers, the sexual act and the brothels that the author had not printed in this volume. The author mentioned that he'd used 250 other euphemisms ( who would have thought there were so many) in the book so as not to offend too many readers many of who objected to the term "Whorehouses" or "Whores." Included in the book are many definitions and sources for terms like `Two-bit Ho." This is a very folksy, sometimes corny reportage of local history, but it is certain to provide the readers many chuckles and help them separate fact from myth. The authors humor is typified by a a sign covering the breasts of a nude prostitute's full-length portrait on the back cover of the book. The sign says, "Not Politically Correct."

This book is not a dirty book. It is simply full of facts gathered by a lot of research. It's not a dirty book or anything like that. Basically if you like obscene trivia, this is the book for you! (Especially if you like cheesy jokes... Lol.)

These are great reference maps for generalized recreational activities. Not as detailed as a topo map, but still packed full of outstanding information. I have one for every state and I don't leave home with out them. An improvement over simple highway maps.

The map is beautiful and (reasonably) accurate, but its small scale limits its use for hiking. Many of the contours are so closely spaced, faint, or interrupted by text that they are nearly useless. The publishers tried to squeeze the entire national monument onto one map sheet, which makes for a good overview and planning map, but a poor hiking map.
Unfortunately, you have rather limited options, at least when it comes to paper maps: The USGS 7.5 minute topo sheets are great, but they don't show the trails, local hiking maps are hit and miss (some can be great). State-wide mapping software that lets you print customized hiking maps might be the way to go, but I haven't tried them yet.

This map is part of the Trails Illustrated series covering many national parks. These are all sturdy and convenient.

Your map choices are essentially this one, the National Park Service map, and USGS topos. The NPS map is fine if you're staying at Rock Harbor Lodge and doing light day activities from that base.

If you're backpacking, or doing long day hikes, the Trails Illustrated map is absolutely essential because the USGS topographic maps are outdated. For example, the topo shows a no-longer-existent East Feldtmann trail on the southwest part of the island.

The topo also shows inaccurately the trail that goes over White Oak Ridge in the same area. The Trails Illustrated map shows the trails correctly.

This map also shows (1) group and individual campsites and (2) distances between trail junctions that accord with the NPS signage. Both features make it useful for planning your trip.

Does a great job of telling the stories behind the places you encounter in Yellowstone. Interesting historical photos, but I would have liked color photos to be included throughout the book.

I have acted as a Tour Guide in Yellowstone Park for the last ten years, both summer and winter. I now own my own Custom tour business based out of Jackson, Wyoming, and do tours of Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks. Lee Whitlesey's book "Yellowstone Place Names" is probably the single best reference source for information on place names and their origins that can be found. Aubrey Hayne's book, by the same title, is much more difficult to use, in that it is not alphabetized, and requires considerable searching to find the information desired. I would highly recommend Whitlesey's book to anyone interested in Yellowstone Nat'l Park, and the history of place names therein.

Ever wondered how that mountain got its name? Ever wondered why a small geyser has such a magnificent name? Lee has done excellent work here in compiling stories behind many of the features you encounter when in Yellowstone National Park. It is great fun to lear more about the things you have always taken for granted in Yellowstone (Note: This is a shorter version of Wonderland Nomenclature - a guide which contains stories behind almost every Yellowstone name -....)

This book is not a gemological type book. It is more of a history book with a lot of interesting Montana history. It is definately worth the read. Yogo Sapphires are beautiful gemstones. That's why we use them in our jewelry at forgetmenotjewelry.com.

This is a well-written, and fairly well-illustrated, account of a very obscure, but fascinating chapter in mining history---specifically the Yoga sapphires of Montana, which are arguably the finest blue sapphires in the world

If you own a sapphire from Yogo Gulch, you own a piece of history, so you might as well know the whole story behind your stone and the mine it came from. Steve Voynick, a bona-fide hard-rock miner and talented writer, tells the whole Yogo story from Pig Eye Basin and J.P. Morgan to the present prospects for this century-old gemstone claim. Detail-rich photographs help you get a better picture of the people and the times. Western mining Americana at its finest

"Alone in the Wilderness" contains a lot of interesting information regarding Cheyenne traditions and traditional Cheyenne beliefs. It is also fun to follow Flint's trials as he tackles the challenge of surviving the Beartooth Mts in autumn.

One part of the book I found unbelievable was the dialogue between the teenagers. It seemed unrealistic that teens would talk so often with such a philisophical outlook--even if some teens think that way, they don't talk that way.

Over all, though, I enjoyed this book and found it a very easy read. I would recommend this book to others.

Alone In The Wilderness is a coming-of-age story with an indigenous focus. Told from the viewpoint of Flint Red Coyote, a teenaged Cheyenne high school student who faces racism from dominant culture peers, Alone in the Wilderness recounts one young man's way of finding the best in himself while discovering through experience a rich and varied heritage of survival skills. Challenged by unfriendly white students to live as his ancestors have, young Flint uses all his resources to plan for the danger of spending three fall-into-winter months alone in the Beartooth Wilderness Area of Montana. Together with his dog O'kohome, Flint faces a blizzard, hunger, exhaustion, and the theft of his food supply by a bigger mammal (grizzly bear). In the end he helps to rescue a friend and finds what he did not know he was looking for, self respect, and a way to appreciate and use his own unique spiritual and physical gifts.

Written by Hap Gilliland, a professor in Native American Education at Montana State University, Alone In The Wilderness has many details of Native American practices and tools that enrich the story. The book is pleasurable to read, and always offers a positive take on the problems encountered. It should appeal to young people of multiple and varied ethnic origins.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

The grossly neglected English novelist Elizabeth Taylor once admitted in an autobiographical note that she enjoyed reading novels "where practically nothing ever happens." Such is the world of her own fiction, as beautifully demonstrated in this her first novel, published in 1945, which shows how much emotionally can happen in a world of practical inaction.

Billeted temporarily to the village and home of the eponymous Mrs. Lippincote to be near her husband, an officer in the RAF, Julia Davenant is expected to be a model officer's wife, serving meals to her husband's commanding officers, joining in the fun had by his fellows and their wives, and behaving so as not to attract attention or to embarrass him. Reminded of these obligations by the model of the domestic Lippincotes that surrounds her in her new home, she chooses instead to escape into an inner world of observation and intellectual reflection as she cares for her husband, her sickly son, and her husband's censorious "odd woman" cousin Eleanor who serves as both company and as foil for the nonconformist Julia. Little happens for a long time in this novel from a practical standpoint though much happens within Julia's and Eleanor's consciousnesses (through which most of this novel is focalized) to prepare us for the explosion at the end of the novel that changes their lives forever, a formal device taylor often replicated in her later novels.

This early work shows Taylor's debts to her friend Ivy Compton-Burnett more clearly than in her later work: as with Burnett, more is indicated through the undercurrents of dialgue than is explicitly said. so that we must interpret (as the characters themselves both do and do not) what is really happening belwo the surface of their comments. This is also one of the most explicitly feminist of Taylor's novels: Julia's and Eleanor's socially stifled situations seem to be that bemoaned by Jane Eyre in Charlotte Brontë's classic novel, which is often mentioned within the text as a kind of counterpoint to this novel. Like all of Taylor's books, AT MRS. LIPPINCOTE'S has a surface facility that belies its thematic and structural complexities; by the end the novel seems to have rushed by, yet when you stop to consider the significance of the young Miss Lippincote's unannounced visits to the house (and the effect they have on the family), or the contrasts among Julia's husband, his solicitous and Brontë-loving Wing Commander who nurtures a crush on Julia, and the raffish and sexually ambiguous Cockney living in their village she knows from London, the meanings of the novel multiply exponentially.

I was reading the Atlantic Monthly which featured an article about Elizabeth Taylor; an author I had never heard of. I have since read Mrs. Lippincote and enjoyed it so much. The writing is intelligent, warm, and funny. It is deliciously English, and considering it was written in the 1940's, surprisingly modern. I am going to read everything this woman wrote - what a pleasant surprise, and I am so grateful to the Atlantic Monthly for making people aware of this fantastic writer.

I got this book ages ago because Joe Montana just amazed me with the 49ers. This isn't a football book but a story about the man and how he got where he did. It's very interesting, honest and endearing.

You probably know Joe Montana for winning four superbowls for the forty-niners or being a Hall of Fame quarterback. This book isn't just about that, it explains how Joe got to the pros from Pop Warner football to the end of his career in football. I chose to read this book because I am really into sports and I wanted to read a book that was sports related. The main focus of this book is the hardships Joe faced to become a successful quarterback in the N.F.L.
Joe had many amazing experiences throughout his football career and I will name a few. While Joe was in college he thought that his coach Dan Devine took all of the credit himself. It took Joe until the last game of his college career to get what he thought was the respect he deserved from his coach. In his last game, the Cotton Bowl, his team, Notre Dame, was down thirty-four to fourteen at half time, and Joe had the flu, but, the doctors put him on an I.V. and had him eating hot bowls of chicken soup since it was about ten degrees Fahrenheit outside. In the second half Joe led the team on an incredible come back to make the score thirty-four to twenty-eight and Notre Dame had the ball needing a touchdown to win. Joe marched them down the field to about the ten yard line with fifteen seconds to play, and Devine called for their tight end to run across into the end zone. Joe threw a perfect pass low and hard so he could dive for it and he dropped it. Joe went over to talk with Devine about what play they should run and Joe says "I want to run the same play." Sure enough he does the same play, throws the same pass and the ball is caught! Joe learned that you have to work hard to earn peoples respect. This is important to Joe because he thought he deserved more credit than Devine gave him and after that Devine gave him all the credit.
Another big event was when his wife Jennifer had their daughter, Alexandra. This was huge for Joe because she gave him a person to talk to after a game or practice to calm him down. He said "Even thought she can't quite understand me it makes me feel calm to talk to her. It's like being in a whole new world." Joe learned that there can be another world almost where nothing bothers you and that's what he felt like around Alexandra.
Probably one of the most important events in this book was the nineteen eight-five Super Bowl between the Forty-Niners and the Miami Dolphins or Joe Montana against Dan Marino. Everybody was talking about Dan Marino who had set the single season touchdown passes record that year with forty-eight touchdown passes, but Marino didn't do so great, throwing one touchdown but two interceptions for over three hundred yards. Joe won his second MVP and his second Super Bowl win. He learned that just because someone does something great one day or one season doesn't mean he will do it when it counts. This was important to Joe because it showed he was the NFL's best quarterback.
Joe learned many things during his life and I think mainly he learned to be patient to get what you want. He also learned that if you want to achieve something if won't just come to you, you have to go out and grab it for yourself. I think that those are the main things he learned through his experiences.

The story of the rediscovery of The Autobiography Of Red Cloud is told in the introduction. Though much edited, the narrative derives from talks between Red Cloud and Samuel Deon, an old trader friend, recounted to Charles Allen, contemporary postmaster at Pine Ridge. The Autobiography Of Red Cloud spans the life experiences of Red Cloud up to 1865-66, the time when the Oglala chose the war path against whites. Written in the third person and otherwise heavily edited, The Autobiography Of Red Cloud tells much of Oglala life and war practices prior to 1865. These reminiscences detail Red Cloud's experience in war with his Tribe's traditional enemies - Shoshones, Pawnees, Arikaras, Arapaho, and Crow. A vivid picture of Lakota plains life at the height of glory days emerges. The high regard for honorable battle with a worthy adversary, the daily and seasonal patterns and activities of the tribe and many daring exploits establish the foundation for Red Cloud's well deserved reputation as war leader. A picture of a shrewd, astute man with uncanny timing emerges. Also delineated like a war bonnet is the habit of command, not always easily held among the Lakota. Another of Red Cloud's demonstrated skills is the ability to analyze a natural setting and then use it to tactical advantage, as well as to predict the plans and moves of his enemy. The sometimes close relationship between enemy tribes is richly described or inferred. To read The Autobiography Of Red Cloud is to have some experience of that 200 plus year old life of the Plains Indians - hunting buffalo, riding and stealing horses, following the game in season, etc. that so briefly held full flower before white settlement took over. In the aftermath even today, it will be a valuable mirror to the world of the culture, the nation, and the man.

Nancy Lorraine Reviewer

This is quick read, but well worth it. On occasion the editor lacks detail, but the content is very useful for anyone seeking a greater grasp of life as an Oglalas Sioux.

Following the death of her little sister, Christina, Rachel Montgomery is determined to find her sister's child and to care for her. Besieged with guilt because of her inaccessibility to Christina, Rachel is not only trying to make amends, she is also trying to locate and hold on to the last part of her sister. But Rachel knows she needs help and it comes in the form of Jack Henderson, a California-based detective who has been called in by his sister to locate the missing baby. Having come from a broken family himself, Jack helps Rachel deal with her guilt and feelings of inadequacy when it comes to how she could have helped Christina. In Jack, Rachel finds a steady, intelligent, and attractive man who has painful secrets of his own.

Pat Warren has written a fluid story about two people who share a common family background but who have dealt with it in different ways. The title of the story is misleading because although the quest to find the baby is what brings Jack and Rachel together, it never develops into a full-fledged search. Instead, Warren focuses on Jack and Rachel and how they help each other deal with their pasts and whether or not they will be able to have a future together. Both Jack and Rachel are strongly drawn characters and the book doesn't falter when it comes to their relationship. I was a bit disappointed, however, when the search for the baby wasn't spun out better. Instead, it seemed to be used merely as an inadequate plot device since this story does well just the way it is.

This entire Montana Maverick Series is the best. I read Silhouette books all the time and am glad to see they are continuing a series of romance books over a period of time. The Baby Quest is a wonderfully written book!! 5 Stars!