New Mexico Books

I was drawn to the book by the powerful and fun photographic images. Ledbetter does an outstanding job capturing the images of Cuban life in a way that allows you to both celebrate it and to empathise with the struggle of the Cuban people.

The Essays are an unexpected extra in a book of this nature that make the work a multi-dimensional experience. It appeals to those interested in both Photography and Cuba. I highly recommend it!

This magnificent collection of photographs captures the beauty, spirit and mystery of Cuba, the USA's often-overlooked neighbor... Ledbetter's clear, passionate and respectful eye has created a stunning work -- the book takes us far more deeply into the Cuban culture than the soundbites of recent news stories (Elian Gonzales, President Carter's visit) allow. Ledbetter's photographs and the accompanying essays make this book essential for anyone who wishes to understand Cuba more fully; the book also richly rewards the reader who simply appreciates great photography.

My parents bought this book in the early 50s on our trip to Yellowstone Park, and my mom read it to us several times, as we kept asking for it. Later, I had the same worn and cherished copy and read it to my own kids, who also loved it. Now I'm buying copies for them for Christmas, so they can read it to my grandkids. It's not only a highly entertaining animal story, but it teaches children a lot about the natural world, as well. When Cubby and his mother visit Yellowstone Park in the summer, he is introduced to the whole array of animals who live in the park, and learns about their habitats and their ways. Fun, and a great learning tool.

My grandmother read this to my father when he was a little boy and he read it to me when I was very young. Now I am going to read it to my children. It is a great tale of a young bear cub experianceing the world for the first time and learing about different animals that inhabit Yellowstone National Park.

A must read for any young child.

I really enjoyed this book. I am an adult beginning/intermediate Spanish student and am always looking for opportunities to practice my limited skills. This books is filled with wonderful folk tales which are a joy to read, and the English translations provide me with immediate assistance.

This is a very entertaining collection of folk tales in bilingual Spanish/English format. The stories range from funny anecdotes of life, to tales that teach the wisdom of the people of the Southwest, to tales of witchcraft.

The translations are sometimes even better than the originals. No wonder because one of the translators, Rudolfo Anaya, is a best selling author and superb writer.

This book offers an opportunity for people who want to improve their Spanish. Read the original Spanish first and refer to the English translation when you get to the parts you don't understand.

The book is great campfire or bedtime reading for kids. Both you and your kids will come out wiser for it.

My friend was delighted with this gift, and tells me it is the most entertaining way to learn Spanish.

The only way these stories could be better is if Hayes could tell them to you personally. All children, but especially those from the American southwest, will appreciate having a collection of these oft-told tales. Get ready to laugh about the day it snowed tortillas and get shivers when the wind's moans down by the ditch sound like those of a woman.

Dead Pawn is full of interesting characters. In addition to the characters, Richard Peck has painted such a lush portrait of New Mexico that I feel as though I've just returned from a vacation.

More than once I was rooting for Bob Wince.

Well done!!!

Dead Pawn is New Mexico author Richard E. Peck's initial entry into crime fiction, in fact, into the genre of the caper novel. Not a light-hearted one like Donald Westlake writes, but more reminiscent of Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Rum Punch, and many others). Don't be fooled by the title. It has nothing to do with chess, but refers to the most valuable pieces of Indian jewelry, unclaimed pawned items. But Dead Pawn can be taken to refer ominously to the fate that may await Peck's protagonist.

We meet Bob Wince as he's being given an early release from prison after having been framed for fraud. He has made enemies in the slammer and now he returns to confront enemies in the mean streets of Albuquerque. He's trying to go straight--or is he?

Not everything is what it seems, nor are all the characters sympathetic to Bob and glad to see him home again. We gradually meet a cross section of Duke City criminals and Peck's multiple POV technique allows the reader to keep one step ahead of the dangers piling up on Wince. Or are we one step step ahead?

Stick with this novel and you'll learn things--about prison, about the restaurant business, about adobe construction techniques, about an ingenious purse snatching scheme that leads to burglary, and especially about Southwest silver and turquoise jewelry. In short, surprises galore await you and, like Leonard, Peck hands you bits and pieces of information that will keep you guessing right up until the end who will be left standing when the smoke and dust clear.

Better get your copy of Dead Pawn soon. I have it on good authority that Peck is hard at work on a sequel.

"While some may take issue with aspects of Mr. Coleman's oeuvre of humanist criticism, none would deny that as this country's first and foremost photo critic he has made a singular contribution to the field, broadening both the definition and discussion of photography.

" A collection of his writings from 1968-1978 called Light Readings has long been a must-read for anyone serious about photography, and has now been reissued in an expanded second edition. . . . And for those up to the challenge, there is his latest book of essays, Depth of Field, in which he distills three decades of thought on the bigger questions, such as 'Where did photography come from?' and 'Where might we be heading with it at the end of this century?'"

--Taylor Holliday, The Wall Street Journal, December 4, 1998

"While some may take issue with aspects of Mr. Coleman's oeuvre of humanist criticism, none would deny that as this country's first and foremost photo critic he has made a singular contribution to the field, broadening both the definition and discussion of photography.

" A collection of his writings from 1968-1978 called Light Readings has long been a must-read for anyone serious about photography, and has now been reissued in an expanded second edition. . . . And for those up to the challenge, there is his latest book of essays, Depth of Field, in which he distills three decades of thought on the bigger questions, such as 'Where did photography come from?' and 'Where might we be heading with it at the end of this century?'"

--Taylor Holliday, The Wall Street Journal, December 4, 1998

Well,I had heard of this book before I saw it in a local bookstore,but I thought it wouldn`t be good,as the desert book "Western Horizon" was said to be better.
But I was wrong at this time. Already when I first looked inside it,I knew it would be amazingly suggestive for me. And I bought it. It was rather cheap for beeing such a book.
It features all kinds of deserted landscape from the US.
Some times,it doesn`t look much like desert,mostly in the Mojave,which the first chapter is about. Deserts are not at all lifeless places - in fact,it is full of wild palms,beautifull flowers and cacti with artistic shapes.
The second chapter treats the Sonoran Desert,and it,too,contains more of the diverse flora,especially the red cactus flowers.
In the third chapter,called Colorado Desert - Life on the Rocks,there are lots of such pictures too,but there is one special image that catches your attention immidiatley - pressure ridges in a salt pan,which looks like the finest crystals ever found!
The fourth chapter shows other kinds of desert. For you who like rocky deserts,this is something. It has fantastic sceneries from hundreds of feet high rocks,as well as a picture of dunes with white sand. That is the most lifeless of all deserts and the quietness is sometimes even frightening.
The fifth chapter is about The Great Basin Desert,and that is the largest desert of North America. Many pics in this chapter contains really fantastic views,and you`ll even find SNOW here!In a desert!Just amazin,isn`t it?Some of the most inspiring pictures are found here,and therefore,this is my favorite chapter. The special with those pictures are the mud formations at dusk.
The sixth chapter is "Painted Desert",which is also very inspiring,and here there are some pictures of the Colorado Plateau,which is fantastic rock formations where fossils of my favorite animals can be found (dinosaurs!). Many of the formations here are well-known from Western Movies. In this chapter,amazing pictures of Grand Canyon can be found as well.
I have now realized that this is my No.1 inspiration source for my animal stories. When I am drawing them,I am always looking at pictures of this book to find a suitable background for my dinosaurs. I am combining the best pictures. And then it is just to add the dinos. When I read this book,I pretend that I am trying to create a good dinosaur movie when looking at the pictures. It is incredibly inspiring,and ABSOLUTELY something for anyone who likes painting or look at landscapes.
You could spend (money) for "The Western Horizon" or (less) for this one. The choice is up to you. But I have made mine. Get inspired and save a lot of money by buying this one!

Jeff Gnass and John Murray have managed to convey with in the pages of this wonderful book the incredibly diverse and colorful landscapes that makeup the desert regions of the south western United States. Their photographic images are with out a doubt some of the best ever put to film. Tne text is entertaining as well with personal insights relating to visiting a particular area photographed. I never grow tired of looking at the images- they are as close as you can get without actually being there. Highly recommended for lovers of the desert regions or for those that would like to experience them but cannot get there.

Lucien Niemeyer and Thomas Lowe Fleischner's Desert Wetlands is a 'must' for any collection focused on ecology and desert environments. 'Desert wetlands' may seem an inconsistent term, but there are indeed wetlands in the desert, as photographer Lucian Niemeyer and environmental scientist Thomas Fleischner demonstrate. While Niemeyer photographs such wetlands in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, among other states, naturalist Fleischner provides stories about water and his encounters with desert wetlands during his field research in the southwest.

All our states have wetlands. But the wetlands in the Chihuahuan, Great Basin, Mojave and Sonoran deserts play a much more important role than wetlands in the east. For northern birds and mountain animals migrate down south to these deserts for food, mating and water. They can't count on water from rainfall. The area's so hot rain dries back into the air. That's exactly why they're called deserts. The original word in Latin means abandoned or forsaken. And deserts have been abandoned or forsaken by water.

But that's in terms of rain water. In fact, these deserts have water. The water's found in areas called wetlands. Wetland water comes from three sources. One's mountain snow melting in spring and fall. Much of that water stays in mountain bogs, lakes and ponds dammed by beavers. But some always trickles into the deserts during the summer. Another's the underground water table. That's becoming a problem. More cattle-grazing also means more cows drinking water. More people working, playing and living in the areas means more Americans using water.

The last source is area rivers, such as the Rio Grande and the San Pedro, San Juan, Escalante and Colorado rivers. All the great area rivers start out as source number 1. For they trace back to melted snow of the Cascade, Rocky, San Juan and Sierra Nevada mountains. River water's also becoming a problem. More cattle tanks, dams, reservoirs and stock ponds change river water levels and routes. Changed water levels and routes will change living conditions for area plants, bugs, birds and animals.

Specifically, two main types of plant communities grow up along southwest rivers. One's a mixed broadleaf of willow, walnut, sycamore, cottonwood, ash and alder. That's usually found along rocky streams. The other's a forest of cottonwoods and willows. That's usually found on flooded sand, gravel and clay plains. But non-native Russian olive in the north and tamarisk in the south are giving native cottonwoods and willows a beating. White pelicans and sandhill cranes see native trees as familiar landmarks of desert wetland homes. In fact, cottonwoods and willows are homes to more breeding birds than anywhere else in North America. Breeding birds and their babies find the healthest foods, full of proteins and vegetables, in cottonwood and willow leaves full of insects.

Desert wetlands make up only 3.5% of total U.S. lands. But after tropical rainforests, they're the world's second largest supporters of plant, bug, bird and animal life. Also, they're homes to 50% of all our endangered animals. It all comes down to link after link between native plants, bugs, birds and animals built up over time in one area.

Photographer Lucien Niemeyer and writer Thomas Lowe Fleischner have come up with an impressive book. The writing's clearly organized. The photographs are stunning. The examples are to-the-point. The last chapter's followed by a list of all plants and animals covered by the book. The book ends with a helpful set of notes and a current bibliography.

Without drama and with supported facts, this team has given us what we need to know about that problem area where people and nature are closing in on each other. It's what Virginia Tech master gardening calls the wildlands-urban interface between people and nature. That's the big concern nowadays. And it's not going to go away.

Although this book is geared toward young teens, adult readers will be enchanted with it as well.

The confusion and fears of the main character, 13-year-old Marilyn, are clearly presented and the way that Marilyn deals with them creates an entirely believable story. At times, Marilyn acts much older than her age and at other times, she seems much younger. Exactly as real-life teens do!

In "Discovering the Long Way Home", Julie Larose has created an exceptionally well-written account of how parental emotional abandonment feels from the child's perspective. This issue alone could have made this book depressing for the reader but Julie has filled the pages with hope, caring and understanding. Then, she continues the action to bring the whole issue to a most satisfying resolution.

Young teens will enjoy reading this book for Marilyn encounters many situations that they will be able to relate to but for parents everywhere, this book is a "must read" for it is truly enlightening!

Marilyn's life is not as fun and exciting as you might think. Sure, her mom and dad are famous actors, and they're rich, and she's traveled all over the world -- how could that not be amazing? Well, mostly because both of her parents are so busy working, getting randomly married and divorced, and maintaining their "images" that they're too busy to be interested in Marilyn. The reason she's seen so much of the world is because she keeps getting shipped from parent to parent, based on whose life she'll interfere with the least, or who's tired of having her around. She's had a ton of different half- and step-siblings, but never a family, and never any real friends.

Marilyn has had enough. She's taking charge this time. She's going to run away. Better yet, she's going to make it look like she's been abducted. Then her parents will have to pay attention to her. And when the press gets a hold of the story, they'll have to at least pretend that they care.

Needless to say, things don't quite work out as planned. The first person she hitches a ride with sees through some of her stories. He doesn't know who she is, or why she's running, but he takes her to a place he knows is safe. The small town he drops her off in is completely different than anywhere she's ever lived. And the people... They are unlike anyone in Marilyn's memory. They seem genuinely good and caring. It's almost too bad she'll have to leave and go back to her real world. Speaking of her world, why hasn't there been any mention of her disappearance in any paper?

Marilyn is forced to take a good look at her ideas of life and people. She eventually forges her own path to a life she almost lost, but not before she gets herself into some trouble, meets some people with much bigger problems, and finds exactly what she wasn't looking for.

This is an interesting look at the darker side of Hollywood life, as well as a view of the brighter side of humanity. It's pretty hard to find yourself when there is no one to guide you.

The book is told by Marilyn, with regular trips into her memories. She is a very real and developed character, as are most of the characters. Her history is disturbingly believable. The public knowledge of her parents is a great touch, and done very nicely. I found the very end to be a bit abrupt, but it doesn't really detract from the story itself. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

In all practical aspects, the Dominguez and Escalante expedition was a failure. The two Spanish fathers were unable to locate an overland route between the Spanish colonies of Santa Fe, New Mexico and Monterrey, California, and in 1776 it seemed that all the two men had done was wander aimlessly in the north for six months. The lasting impact these two men have had on history (and particularly Utah's history), however, are far greater than they could have known.

The expedition made a map, but it is basically worthless in its inaccuracy. Still, the description they left of their route, and most notably that of Utah Valley, was later a great resource for subsequent explorers of Utah, especially John C. Fremont. Their expedition, failed though it was, nevertheless is important as the first written record of the territory that would later become Utah. In addition, the journal did not outlive its usefulness in 1844, when the second of Fremont's expeditions was completed, or even later when Stansbury, Gunnison, and others surveyed the territory. This journal is important even today, because it provides us with a natural look at the Native Americans of the area, before they were disturbed and corrupted by hordes of encroaching whites. This journal is a great document in Utah's history, both as the first written account and as a fascinating look at Utah more than 75 years before it would be settled by the whites.

Even if this book sucked, I couldn't rate it lower than five stars, if for no other reason than that this book is IT.
It's the only record of this particular part part of the Southwest from before the area was overrun by Spanish and Anglo settlers. It's the book that guided decades of explorers and missionaries, and that has mercifully survived to offer us hints of what life in the West could be like BACK THEN.
It's the story of Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, two Spanish friars, who were tasked in 1776 with the goal of forging a route from a mission in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to a mission in Monterrey, California, and of locating sites for new missions along the way-to convert Indian "heathens," "barbarians," and "infidels."
Domínguez was in his mid-thirties, but Escalante was only about twenty-five years old. The two, with a small group of others, decided to avoid a northern route--out of fear of an Indian tribe rumored to eat light-skinned travelers--and as a result were among the very first to make maps and to record details of the Southwest's rivers and mesas. Their group started late in the year though, a sudden blizzard soon made progress impossible, and when they reached north-central Utah, they decided to head south and work their way back to New Mexico. They ran out of food, lived by eating their horses, and suffered unbearable cold, rebellious group members, and severe, frequent thirst. They reached the Colorado River around present-day Lees Ferry, southwest of where Glen Canyon Dam is now, and worked their way north along the river, looking for a way across.
They passed the often-photographed Castle Rock and Gunsight Butte, chipped steps into the slickrock to allow their pack animals to get down to the shore, lowered their belongings over a cliff with ropes, and after some scouting, found an ancient Ute Indian river crossing, where the water was slow and shallow enough to ride across. That place became known as the Crossing of the Fathers, and is right around where Lake Powell's Padre Bay is now.
Their trip made an approximately two thousand-mile-long circle through mostly unexplored terrain, took nearly six-and-a-half months, and explored more undocumented, unknown land than Lewis and Clark would later in their over two-year-long journey. When the fathers got back to Santa Fe, however, only their failure to reach California mattered much to anyone, along with their apparent waste of funds, horses, and supplies.
Escalante was practically exiled, and died within five years as the result of bad health obtained from his trials in the desert.
Domínguez was demoted, his possibilities of advancement destroyed, and he died anonymously as an old man, never recognized for what he'd done.
If you are interested in the West, or the Colorado Plateau, or Glen Canyon, you need to read this. There's just no way around that. It contains information you will find nowhere else, and it's actually a fairly enjoyable read. (I never would have thought Spanish priests could be so SARCASTIC....)