Colorado Books

This book is exquisitly written,and Mary Joy Martin has that rare artistic gift that few writers truly have: An ability to turn ordinary prose into pure poetry. The mark of a really good writer is to take the stories they tell and to breath life into them, in effect, setting them to music, with tempo and rhythm, tone and beat. That's what this book has. Comparing this book to another forgettable one I read on American Hauntings is like comparing an artistic painting to a stick figure drawing. The one I read on American Hauntings had no flair, and was just straight facts about hauntings across America that chose and then presented their ghostly stories poorly, without the passion and color that Martin brings to her spooky tales of Colorado's restless spirits from the other side.
Of course, I'm a skeptic either way, but it was Martin's way of telling her stories that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and her vivid descriptions superbly painted the canvas of these etheral encounters that the other author on American Hauntings rendered as rudementary black and white sketches. Authors like Mary Joy Martin, on the other hand, leave me wanting to explore more of their work.

A wonderful look into the lives of my husbands grandparents(Angus)and his mother during the twenties and thirties. A guide into a little known part of their western heritage. I am proud to have been, somewhat by proxie, a part of the story. Especially wonderful are the pictures that show what the country and what our family was like during that time.

This is one of the best books I've read in the last few years. It is very informative about the Men that helped to shape the northeastern part of Colorado and beyond. It should be required reading for Colorado history classes.

The characters in this book are great. I like a woman who is trying something new, which is what the heroine does in this book. I highly recommend this book.

There were four Regular Army regiments recruited after the Civil War from the veterans of the US Colored Troops raised for war service. Two were infantry, the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth, and two Cavalry, the Ninth and Tenth. The Tenth Cavalry was mostly stationed in the west to keep order among the Native Americans who called them Buffalo Soldiers. There has been a continuing great interest in the deeds and motivations of these men in the face of rampant prejudice and social seperation. The Tenth's service has been perpetuated in the present order of battle of the US Army and there still is an active 10th Cavalry though it is now integrated.
This 1899 book was long out of print and the original is now a collectible. This facsimile reprint edition, with a new introduction added, should interest all those who study the War with Spain. In addition to a few introductory chapters on Negro's service from the Revolution to the Civil War, and a chapter each on the other three Black regiments, the book gives most coverage to the Tenth in Cuba. The 9th and 10th flanked the famous 1st Volunteer Cavalry, the "Rough Riders" at San Juan.
The original also has a commendatory introduction by the Cavalry Division commanding officer "Fighting Joe" Wheeler, who had been a Confederate officer in the Civil War. Most of the book is a collection of personal narratives interspersed with interviews with other commanders.
As an aside, Lt. John J. Pershing, later commander of the Punitive Expedition in 1916 and then the AEF in France, got his nickname "Black Jack" from his service with the Tenth.

Dr. Brosnan's book is a rigorously researched work that documents the interplay between economics, law and natural resources in the development of the Rocky Mountain front range. The book is not just a thoroughly engrossing history of the growth of the Denver region, but is an excellent study as to the general development of regions that are dependent on the extractive industries. As such, Dr. Brosnan's study is an incredibly important, timely and relevant book.

I am looking forward to Dr. Brosnan's next book.

William J. Kresse
Assistant Professor
Graham School of Management
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois, USA

This is by far the finest book of this type that I have ever seen. Dave Plati is the best in his business (sports information) and has done a masterful job of assembling this book. The numerous inserts (reproduction tickets, programs, pictures, etc.) are absolutely incredible, and indicate an intricate, manual assembly process--and make me wonder why the book isn't at least twice the price! I will be looking through this book frequently for years to come. I'm absolutely amazed at the quality, and couldn't be happier with it.

A good read for people interested in Uranium history. This book would especially interest people in the Four Corners area. Althought this goes into some of the history of U, it is mostly about one man Charlie Steen. This book is not technical.

A well researched history of the Ute Indians and the areas they lived in. Virginia Simmons discusses various stereotypes made by those who first encountered the Utes and sets the record straight. The Utes were an important element in the regional history of Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. I found her descriptions of the adjustments the Utes had to make in various environments most interesting. If you wish to learn about nomadic Indian ways and culture this is an excellent book to read. Well written tribute to a tribe that struggled to survive the onslaught of the whiteman's culture.

Being a naturalist hiking guide, I reccomend this book to everyone! Detailed directions to the trailhead, accurate difficulty ratings, fairly accurate times (on the trail, that is!) Thorough descriptions of most of the best hikes in the Vail area.