Nevada Books

This book is a gem of a find. Anyone who enjoys reading "Trip Reports" about Walt Disney World (or Vegas) will find this to be a very intertaining and enjoyable read.

If you have ever been to Walt Disney World in Florida this is the souvenir you want to document your trip. If it happened to you, it probably happened to Shari and Mike, but they made it seem funny and put it to paper. Hide all those little Disney hotel soaps so the housekeeping staff would bring more? yup. Think that Splash Mountain song is telling you to show something naughty? yup. Have a great time at Disneyquest? Well, you will just have to read this book.

And then there is Las Vegas. Read about the waiter who didn't know to quit when he was ahead. Ever been on Manhattan Express? Ever wish you hadn't?

Plus tips, reviews, planning info and much more. This book is huge and well worth the price. It's fun and funny, well written and informative, easy to read and hard to put down. I have been to Disney World hundreds of times and I still learned a thing or two, and was entertained along the way. If you are going for the first time, read this book to learn what you are in for.

This book is a souvenir for everyone who has gone to Walt Disney World and was too lazy to write it all down.

I have had my issues for years, and still use as a reference guide. Includes history of many lines that barely started.

Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California is the premier work on transportation in the Silver State. The photos are suprb, the text inclusive and the maps are a must for rail buffs and modellers seeking authenticity. I have owned this set for 35 years and it is nearly worn out from reference. The section on the southern roads is espcially well researched. I have been able to relocate features and buildings from Myrick's maps alone.

David Myrick did an excellent job of weaving history with technology in this readable work. Profusely illustrated, it connects time, place, and Nevada's colorful mining history together in a delightful fabric. The research appears flawless, as I have yet to find contradictory evidence in the several areas I have delved into. Reading the stories, one obtains a feel for the flow of commerce, the excitement of new discoveries, the character of the players in this real-life American drama. Detailed discussions of railroad technology, planning, construction, finance, and operations make this a delightful research tool.

The binding and printing are excellent, with beautiful crisp type and exceptionally clear photgraphs.

Overall, this set is a MUST for any serious student of Nevada railroads. Well worth the cost at todays price.

While it's less nihilistic and sharp than Irsfeld's Little Kingdoms, Rats Alley offers more than enough in truly sympathetic characters and heart-tearing scenes. The portayal of death to a young man and its after effects on those left behind is carefully played out, and hardly a point of view is left out of the progressing story. Serious reading for those interested in such.

In Rats Alley, John Irsfeld creates understanding and even compassion and sympathy for a wide variety of the most ordinary human beings. His characters are the nameless police officers and high school kids and housewives that most people would never notice and soon forget. Yet, in this story, these individuals stay with you long after you have finished the book.

Set in Houston and a small Texas town, the story explores right and the wrong and the string of consequences that spring from seemingly incidental actions. Above all else, however, Irsfeld is a great story-teller, in the tradition of Faulkner, Twain and other great Southern writers.

J. David Green

The Comstock mines financed the American Civil War, a subject that has been written on ad nauseum. But finding information about the vast timber operations that fed & shored up those mines is far more difficult.

This book offers good background information & photographs of both the pre- & post-rail eras in & around Lake Tahoe in the Truckee River basin.

If you still can't get a new copy here on Amazon, go to the Truckee-Donner Historical Society website.

This an excellent book on logging and lumber operations in the Truckee River basin. It also includes some coverage of the flume operations in the Carson Range. Also, I highly recommend E.B. Scott's Saga of Lake Tahoe Series 1 and 2 books. The combination of these three books should be on every logging fan's bookshelf. Great material for the Comstock Lode history buff too.

My brother and I traveled through Surprise Valley and the Black Rock Desert last Sept.19,'02.We camped at Onion Valley Reservoir(20 miles N of Quinn River Crossing at road 140). What looks to be dry and desolate desert, these three authors bring to life. As usual with really good books, It's the people that make it ring true. You would think living out in the sticks would get you away from government hassels: it ain't goin' to happen, partner. A beautiful read; go for it!

Many readers may not realize there is a little-known area in the northwestern corner of Nevada, up on the border with California, that is a part of the West every bit as beautiful, inspiring, [endangered] and sometimes controversial as anyplace in the better known tourist destinations of the "other" West. It is in the Great Basin area and is cattle and ranching country.
This book is unique in that three very unlikely women that live in the area have written personal essays describing their lives in what has been called the Sagebrush Ocean. Linda Hussa is a published writer of both fiction and nonfiction and the winner of the Nevada Writers' Silver Pen Award. She lives on a ranch near Cedarville, CA. Sophie Shepard is an accomplished artist and environmental activist living in Lake City, CA. He paintings have been exhibited in galleries from San Francisco to Montana. Carolyn Duferrena is a freelance writer, geologist, and grade school teacher. She lives on the Quinn River Ranch in Nevada. All three women came from different backgrounds and cultures but found a common ground in their love for the area and their desire to protect the environment while at the same time continue their livelihood of ranching. Many scholars argue that the two goals are incompatible and cannot be accomplished in any meaningful manner. These essays refute that argument and are a testament to the progress that can be made when friends and neighbors care enough about a place they call home to listen to each other and work together to protect their unique place in the West.
This collection is special in that it relates down to earth, on the ground stories of families living off the land and caring for the enviroment in equal measure. This is a close to the real West as a reader can get without actually living there. There are stories of the familar, constant struggle to conserve water when "...most years there is sand in our drinking glasses by the end of July. We run the drip lines to the garden at night to minimize evaporation. We haul water to the sheep, move the cattle farther into the high country. We wait. Dry years teach us to wait." There are stories of the U.S. Air Force's proposal to use the airspace in the area for bombing runs and practice flights; of living for the first year in Surprise Valley with no outhouse, water, or electricity; of a flood of devastating consequences; of the ever present fear of developer's plans to turn the area into a Disney World complex; and a host of events and issues that face western families on a daily basis. Nothing fancy here, just heartfelt stories of real people struggling to live in, and protect, a special part of the West. For those who claim that the much-debated issue of ranching and environmental protection is virtually unsolvable without decimating one or the other I submit this book as exhibit No. 1 to refute that doomsday prediction. This is a good as it gets in describing the real West.

The Sierra Nevada attract visitors from around the U.S. and from all over the world. They come to see the Giant Sequoias. They hike the John Muir, Pacific Crest and countless other trails. They fish, camp, hunt, ski, sightsee and just plain relax. My wife introducted me to the Sierra eight years ago. We usually returned to Eastern Sierra and particularly Lake Sabina. Recently, another camper told me about an Internet site called SierraGatewayMap.com. I checked it out and I am thrilled with it! It gives excellent descriptions, pictures and maps of 11 counties of the Sierra Nevada. I can immediately contact resort owners or pack station guides and other merchants directly through the Internet right from this web site. My wife and I used it to plan a trip to the Western Sierra area of Mammoth Pools. I have never been to this side of the mountains. We printed some maps of the area from the web site. Then I discovered there was a travel companion book, The Sierra Gateway Map Guide. This book is based on the web site, yet I can carry it with me as I travel the area. Sometimes the local folks of the area you are visiting don't want to tell you about the surrounding places you can see because they want you to stay and spend all their money with them! This book shows you what is nearby. You can stay in one spot and take daily side trips to many other closeby places. I am obviously pleased with this book and highly recommend it. It is not only good for using yourself, but it is a great gift item as well. My thanks to the authors for both the web site and the excellent travel guide!

Having visited the Sierra Nevada since the 1950s, I am pleased to have found this wonderful booklet that is filled with color pictures and detailed maps. My family and I can show others where we have visited and we can decide what other areas we will like to visit in the future. I particularly like the author's use of web site addresses and phone numbers. In today's world, it is so easy to contact a facility via the web and much less expensive too! The descriptions of the places you can visit and the things you can see and do is very good. The pictures give you a taste of the beauty you will experience. The maps give you a detailed method of traveling from one area of the Sierra to another without having to hit the "main roads". My thanks to the authors and I surely suggest this is a great book for anyone that has or is planning to visit California's Sierra Nevada.

This is the book that took me through too many nights, and early morning units of biology and on into my Masters Studies. A quick reference book that has most of your common everythings on it -- it gets you into a ballpark and usually that is close enough for almost everyone. Plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, insects --- it is all here in one place and the big bonus is that it weighs about 300 pounds less than a set of professional reference books. If I could take only one book with me camping or hiking in the Sierra, this would be the one. And don't forget your 5x and 10x Loupes.

Bought this book for some friends, and they've gotten quite a bit of use out of it for identifying trees and wildlife in the numerous parks in the Sierra Nevada near where they live. Sounds like a winner to me.

I enjoy all of the Winnett books because they are accurate, fun to read and reliable. This book has little chapters on over 100 trips in the Sierra range, and the descriptions of each trek are a total delight. So often these hiking books neglect to tell you how to reach the trailhead and oftentimes they don't provide detailed instructions. Winnett never makes this mistake. You will not need a separate map to locate any of the trailheads, his maps and written instructions are first-rate. In fact, there is even a nifty fold-out map sewn into the rear pocket so you can tote it along on any of your journeys. Equally interesting is that this book doesn't merely give elevation gains, difficulty ratings and desriptions of the trail conditions. These are vital to know, but Winnett also includes little bits of information of what kinds of wild flowers you will encounter, birds, wildlife and other little nuggets neglected in other guides.

The book is supposed to be only for overnight backpacking trips, but there are many trails here that can be used for day hikes. These trips will be in the 10-16 mile range and any strong hiker can easily do these hikes in one day. If you do choose to go the multi-day backpacking route, Winnett describes water sources, camping sites and addresses whether bears or marmots might be a problem for you. Most importantly, he tells you where to find water and whether the water source is reliable throughout the whole year.

I can't recommend this guide highly enough. Even if you're an armchair hiker, you'll derive many hours of vicarious joy from this guide.

I enjoy all of the Winnett books because they are accurate, fun to read and reliable. This book has little chapters on over 100 trips in the Sierra range, and the descriptions of each trek are a total delight. So often these hiking books neglect to tell you how to reach the trailhead and oftentimes they don't provide detailed instructions. Winnett never makes this mistake. You will not need a separate map to locate any of the trailheads, his maps and written instructions are first-rate. In fact, there is even a nifty fold-out map sewn into the rear pocket so you can tote it along on any of your journeys. Equally interesting is that this book doesn't merely give elevation gains, difficulty ratings and desriptions of the trail conditions. These are vital to know, but Winnett also includes little bits of information of what kinds of wild flowers you will encounter, birds, wildlife and other little nuggets neglected in other guides.

The book is supposed to be only for overnight backpacking trips, but there are many trails here that can be used for day hikes. These trips will be in the 10-16 mile range and any strong hiker can easily do these hikes in one day. If you do choose to go the multi-day backpacking route, Winnett describes water sources, camping sites and addresses whether bears or marmots might be a problem for you. Most importantly, he tells you where to find water and whether the water source is reliable throughout the whole year.

I can't recommend this guide highly enough. Even if you're an armchair hiker, you'll derive many hours of vicarious joy from this guide.

Many books have been written about the Comstock Lode, and the haydays from 1859 to 1880. But not much has been written about the men that put together the " Big Bonanza" It is really interesting, about how the discovery and development of the Big Bonanza came into being.

Also it tell of what was done by the Bonanza Crowd, ( McKay, Fair Flood and O'Brian, with their new found wealth, and what they did with it.
\
Anyone interested in early Nevada and Comstock history will like this book.

I first read the "Silver Kings: The Lives and Times of MacKay, Fair, Flood, and O'Brien, Lords of the Nevada Comstock Lode", because there was a family story that James G. Fair might be a lost relative. If he is it's quite distant, but the book was so interesting that I've since read everything I could get my hands on about the Comstock Lode and it's characters. Virginia City really did more as the birth place of the myths and truths of the Old West than did Tombstone or Dodge City. I am also an "Earp" buff and have read much available on the "Gun Fight" related characters. Even Samuel Clemens, later known as Mark Twain, was a reporter for the Virginia City newspaper during his early days. The book was fantastic. I'm glad to see it in reprint as I will give it as gifts to some of my friends. I had hunted long and hard for my old copy. If you like stories of the Old West you will enjoy this one. And the stories are true.
Senator Mike Fair
Oklahoma State Senator

Whether jazzoid or square, if you're a mystery reader, don't miss this one. A heretofore undiscovered Clifford Brown tape has shown up, and collectors are salivating. Is it real, or is it a clever counterfeit? If it's a counterfeit, who the hell is blowing the trumpet that sounds exactly like Clifford Brown? The questions are enough to cause a murder and suspicions all around. A fun read.
Milt Ghivizzani

this book by bill moody reaches a new standard by having a black culture presented in jazz and a murder mystery all in one. i wish there were more mysteries from a black culture