New Mexico Books

I absolutely loved this collection of her letters, journal and diary entries, as well as letters by suitor and future husband John Love, and her friends. It's at times a very emotional read. You don't want the book to end and you definitely are itching for more info about their life together after they were married at the book's end. Author John McPhee, who wrote the forward , mentioned I believe that more of Ethel Waxham Love's writings exist and are still unpublished. Hopefully they will be published soon. Check out McPhee's Rising From the Plains which is a combination history and geology exploration centering on John David Love, John and Ethel's son. He was home-schooled by Ethel, Yale-educated and became a preeminent geologist of the Wyoming and Rocky Mountain region. There is quite a bit of info on John David's early years growing up on the Love Ranch in Wyo. and further info on his Mom and Dad's life after marriage. It's an interesting blend of geology lesson interspersed with J.D.s personal and family story. J.D. shared his mother's letters and such with McPhee and his book was the first time they were published- though he used only a small portion of what was available to him. Then Lady's Choice was published about 10 years later if I'm not mistaken. Director Ken Burns and Co. then later featured excerpts of the Love's story in their PBS series and book, The West.

This is one of the best books I've ever read and the subject matter is really interesting and engrossing. It's much more than a bunch of dry letters and diary entries that's for sure.

The book was compiled and edited by two of the Love's grandaughters, Barbara Love and Francis Love Froidevaux, with a forward by John McPhee.

I love stories of women in the American west. Ethel's limited diary entries are insightful and often funny. I also loved the letters from her varied group of friends, most of them educated women who were pursuing the only career choice available to them: teaching. John Love's determined, romantic letters to Ethel were poignant and irresistible. As her options narrowed, his steady offer became more and more attractive, but unfortunately, he could not deliver on many of his promises. I could have read much more about her life after their marriage! If letters and writings exist, I wish another collection could be published. For me, this book was a page-turner.

If you are looking for a book that captures the real-life essence of the hardship and romance of the American West, look no further; this book has it all. A wonderfully written story of the lives and loves of the ordinary pioneering people who made America great.

This collection is truly wonderful. Ethel Waxham and many of her correspondents are of such intelligence, perceptiveness, spirit, and wit that they are, as John McPhee says of Ethel Waxham in the Forward, irresistable. The jounal entries and the letters make it clear that the story of Ethel Waxham's journey from Wellesley to the ranch on Muskrat creek just south of Moneta was deeper and more complex than the story of the PBS series. The endnotes are particularly good -- a story in and of themselves. I do wish there were more pictures of the ranch itself and its surroundings (even from today), "where the gray hills lie, Eternally still, under the sky," and the people, and I wish that I could know more about Ethel Waxham and the authors of the letters. I also wish that the unpublished sources were available -- as they are by "EPW" and J. D. Love, both of whom are of indisputable eloquence, they would make wonderful reading. And finally, as stated by McPhee: "I will wait impatiently for the sampler" -- the collection ends in one sense where the adventure just begins, and I long to see more of the correspondence and hear more of the story of the life at the Ranch on Muskrat Creek.

When John McPhee published his now-classic RISING FROM THE PLAINS, he introduced Ethel Waxham Love in the first paragraph. All through the rest of the book he interwove her story with that of her son, Wyoming geologist David Love and the geology of the Great Plains. When fan mail came rolling in, readers wanted to know more about the "slim young woman" who stepped down from a train in Rawlings, Wyoming one fall morning in 1905.
LADY'S CHOICE is Ethel Waxham Love's story. Her granddaughters, Barbara Love and Frances Love Froidevaux, have collected her writings -- journals, letters, poetry, essays, stories -- present them in combination with letters from her friends and classmates as well as from the man she would marry.

Her story begins in the Fall of 1905. She has graduated from Wellesley and spent the Summer working as an assistant to her doctor father in Denver. When she gets the opportunity to teach in a log cabin schoolhouse in Wyoming, she accepts the offer. Her first journal entry describes her journey into the wilds of Wyoming by train, stage coach and wagon. With a sure pen and a sympathetic eye she records her impressions of the land, the people and events. Her observations are those of a sharp mind (she had earned a Phi Beta Kappa key at Wellesley, specializing in Greek, Latin and French), her descriptions are those of a major literary talent.

Of one acquaintance she writes, "Mrs. Butler. . .is a little war-horse of a woman, with a long, thin husband. I'm telling you about her because she has been improving him for twenty years and it is beginning to tell on him."

Her year in this community is surprisingly eventful, considering the isolation and the seeming lack of resources. But Ethel is a resourceful person, full of imagination, the kind of person who makes things happen. She visits friends, attends church services and "sociables," and dines in local restaurants. There are dances and suppers and school entertainments. And there is John Love, the man she will marry after the five-year courtship that is recorded here.

She is enchanted by her surroundings. "The color of the white hills against the pale of the blue sky is most exquisite i the world. The cedars are gray with snow, the sagebrush white clumps of crystals. Where a long way off the sun touches the tops of the snow-covered hills there are shines a streak of silver. A whole white world was there, rising around us, as far as we could see; there did not appear to be such a thing as direction. Everywhere the whiteness, everywhere the hills. Where the stubble of the fields of the range rose above the snow,there was a shading of gold over the white. . .and when the full moon shines out of the deep dark night sky, the hills are like shining silver."

You, too, will find a lady to love in these pages. Her journal begins as she stands on the threshold of her life, emerging from the chrysalis of a protected girlhood toward the challenge of womanhood. Here she records a land, a people, a life, a love, welcoming them as unequivocably and eagerly as only the young do.

LADY'S CHOICE eclipses others of its type. It not only showcases the lady's life and the choices she made, it reveals a true literary talent and a rare human being. Wallace Stegner (ANGLE OF REPOSE, SPECTATOR BIRD, CROSSING TO SAFETY)once spoke of the "inextinguishable western hope" expressed by writers of history as they look at the world and at humanity's place in it. Ethel Waxham Love's letters and journals provide a major contribution to that hope as well as to the history and the the belles lettres of the American West.

(c)2002 Sunnye Tiedemann
(Ruth F. Tiedemann)

These books that are writen but the author are fun and easy to read, you can escape for a few hours, I recomend them very much, this a good flowing book. Helps you pass away hours in fun reading.

I had read this book some time ago, then went on to the others in the series. However, I found that I could not recall the details of the first tale, so I have just finished it for the second time. And, it is as great a read as the first time! I was reminded of just how prissy and odd Frank's son was, and the details of their first meeting and the days which followed.

I wish, however, that Johnstone had actually brought the men to town who were going to design and drive the ore wagons to the shipping point. One has to just trust that the plan went forward, and maybe even the ore which had been hijacked in previous shipping attempts was located and restored to the mine owners.

All in all, a really great book - if this was my first reading, I know that the next installment would have to be obtained quickly.

I commend this story to anyone who loves great western writing.

I didn't think I'd read a book to match Ralph Compton's, but this one grabbed me quick. Another outstanding author. A page-turner of a western, and a terrific character in Frank Morgan. This is writing at its best.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have just finished reading it. Looks like the transition to the next installment is excellent. If you haven't read this book yet, be sure to put it on your reading list very soon. The characters are very well developed and the story is very exciting.

the Last Gunfighter: the Drifter, is now my favorite of all western books i have ever read. frank Moragn is straight out of a John wayne movie, heroic,, no-nonsense, quick to the draw,marshall. highly recommended to lovers of a good old fashion western shoot em up yarn. the gun play is non-stop, look forward to reading the rest in te series, the reprisal, the show down,, the rescue..

I had a problem at first when the author stated that the population of Tikal was 100,000 and covered 65 sq. miles. Over its period of reign as a city,a couple hundred years,Tikal might have been this extensive but i question if it had this much influence at any specific time period of say 10 years.Other books say that this city at its peak served about 20,000 and its urban spread reflects different time periods.
Other than that,myself possibly missing the author's interpretation,I like the descriptions of this Mayan city,which according to the author,was either founded by Teotihuacan rulers or at least was heavily influenced by this Mexican town.Excellent color photos and well described info on the tombs of the Tikal Lords. I hadn't realized before that alot of the Maya superstructures at Tikal were actually tomb bases for high status rulers which were then built to reach the sky.Indeed alot of these temples were built for astronomy purposes as well and tied into Mayan ceremonial life.It sounds alot like Ancient Egypt and their vast tomb complexes.There was one drawing in particular which showed Tikal at its peak,complete with evidence of pronounced forest defoiliation,(a possible reason for its collapse)?
Ther was another chapter where the author explored the conflicts between Tikal and its neighboring rival cities.Mr. Harrison explains that rivalries between towns,while undoubtedly real,have been exaggerated and there were longer periods of cooperation and friendly commerce between Tikal and its rival cities.So it would not be worth too much to place stock in the "bound captive murals" and advertised cruelty in alot of Mayan art.It's probably just propoganda put out by the Tikal Lords,no different than the Anglo-Saxon rulers of England at the same time period,(about 750 AD).Some of the Mayan lords of Tikal had long reigns,one reigned as long as 60 years,which would have rivalled Elizabeth I lengthy tenure as Queen of England.

I visited Tikal last Feb. I had read about it for years and still wasn't prepared for the magnitude, the scope the complexity of the civilization it was a small part of--it is a place you have to visit and see for yourself to even begin to really grasp. When I got home I found this book--I really wish I had read this BEFORE I WENT, the trip would have been better for it. In any case, I was happy to read it after the trip. This is the single best work I've found for sharing part of what I discovered at Tikal with people who haven't been there. I recommend it--especially if you are considering a visit--but also if you just like to armchair travel...It is a nice place to go either way.

The pyramids at Tikal are perhaps the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring structures of the pre-Hispanic world. The research available in this book helps shed light on the fascinating history behind the facades of limestone. There is so much history and culture that is essential to the American (the Pan American) identity. And this is a clear, concise, enjoyable read to learn about it.

The city we call Tikal was called something like Mutul by its Mayan inhabitants and was inhabited continuously for about 1,700 years. While there has been magnificent archaeological and translating work done in recent years, the foundation of what we know of Tikal was laid in a great excavating and mapping project done by the University of Pennsylvania from 1955 until 1969. The author of this book, Peter D. Harrison, Ph.D. had participated in these (and other) excavations and brings that first hand authority to this very interesting book.

Dr. Harrison starts with the pre-history of Tikal and ends with the little we know of its inhabitants after the collapse in the 9th century. However, most of the book centers on the succession of 30 rulers (Kings, Lords, or whatever you want to call them). We know who most of these people were because of the Mayan predilection for documenting great events by erecting great monuments that had writing on them that we can now read (mostly).

The author also shares important understanding of the building of the great palaces and temples and shows us their important orientations and relationships with each other. Since what we see today is the decayed form of the final state of Tikal, I found it fascinating to work backward and realize all that wasn't there when the city was at its height of power and influence. The great pyramids we associate with the city today were late additions by an important set of rulers, but by no means the most powerful the city had known.

The book is full of pictures, great drawings, maps, and even some beautiful color plates. There is also a page on when and how to visit Tikal that would be very helpful for those intending to visit the site. There are also many helpful notes and an index.

I have two tiny nits to pick with the book, however. The first is that for several of the maps I had to use a magnifying glass to read the labels for the buildings. The second is even less important and I am not convinced that the author didn't make the better choice. However, when I am reading about Mayan culture I like to see the dates given in the Long Count format when applicable with our western dates in parenthesis. The reason for wanting the Long Count is to easily see when events are associated with important dates. Dr. Harrison does give these Long Count dates in the notes, but uses our calendar for the dates in the text (most of the time).

Anyway, these do not detract from the immense value of the book or the fun I had reading it. Thanks, Dr. Harrison!

I very much enjoyed this book. It presented the history, archaeology and architecture of Tikal in a clear fashion. Harrison wove the various threads of evidence together skillfully without getting bogged down in details. After an introduction to the site and its environment he proceeds in a chronologic order telling the history of this ancient city. He takes two breaks in his story to describe the city's architecture. Because there is dispute in the field of epigraphy you cannot take this book as the last word, but that is the nature of writing about something which is an intense subject of research. I must also say that I found some of Harrison's assertions about architectural alignments dubious. Certainly, I could not see how his maps could support all his claims. Nevertheless, I would heartily recommend this book.

Ignore the book's subtitle, cover and back cover copy. Madam Millie is not about bordellos or lurid sex detail. It's about a tough, wise, loveable woman. There are a few funny incidents -- as when a cat attacks a delicate portion of a bishop's anatomy -- but today they seem rather tame.
Millie's long life was never ordinary. Orphaned at a young age, she was saved from juvenile justice by Harry S. Truman, then a Kansas City judge. When her sister Florence was diagnosed with tuberculosis, Millie accompanied her to Deming, New Mexico, where she worked as a Harvey Girl at the train station.
Millie entered her new profession to pay her sister's medical bills. And the rest is, literally, history.
Readers will appreciate Madam Millie on two levels: as the biography of a legend and as a social history of women, work and early life in the southwest. Millie entered the business to pay medical bills for her sister. In one night, she would earn more -- and have a pleasanter life -- than she would in the other occupations open to women at the time.
Millie was first and foremost a businesswoman. She built her success not on her looks but on her charisma, executive skills and ability to read people. It was no accident that her houses attracted high-powered clients. She was their equal.
Millie managed bordellos but she also bought and sold real estate. If she had been born forty years later, she would be a player in business or politics -- a very different but equally challenging game.
Readers can debate the morality -- and inevitabilty -- of Millie's "business." Millie herself believed there would always be a need, whether legally met or not. As Millie acknowledged, in the end what she had to sell soon became available for free, thanks to birth control and a changing society.
Millie ran clean houses, with no drugs and no disease, and her contributions to the community must have set a record. There were no rescue agencies back then. She *was* the Red Cross. Her last houses on Hudson Street -- site of the current Silver City post offices -- closed in 1968.
Madam Millie is fast-paced and easy to read. We get a sense of her wit and style, though not a great deal of her thought processes. Then again, Madam Millie does not come across as an introspective gal. She's all action. The pictures help us see history: the "girls" come across as more humorous than provocative.
Give this book to your favorite Silver City newcomer. Buying stamps and mailing a letter will take on a whole new meaning after they read Madam Millie.

I met Millie once when I was a youngster, this book was of immense interest to me.
This is a very good story and it is hilarious at times.
Other times it is heart wrenching. Kind of like life.
My only criticism is that the biographer was weak in the delivery of the story.
Nevertheless, I express thanks to Mr. Evans his perseverance in writing this book. I am certain it was not an effortless undertaking.

This book is one that I will save as a gem between gems on my bookshelf.

Absolutely great book if you want to read about one of the truly fantastic madams of the recent period, read this! She crowded more 'living' into her life than most people do in 6 lifetimes. She had friends in all the right places, and knew everyone. On her own from the age of 14, she was a quick learner and knew all the 'tricks'. In fact, as she put it, "We turned a good trick". Had houses from Alaska to the bottom of New Mexico. Top notch- 5 stars.

Mildred Cusey was a madam, an entrepreneur, and a survivor: Max Evans's superbly written biography, Mildred Cusey, tells of an orphan and waitress who rose from prostitute to bordello owner, in the process charting the rise and influence of bordellos from Silver City to Ketchikan. Madam Millie is an intriguing biographical history.

I found the story of Madam Millie very fascinating and funny at times. I've lived in Silver City for two years and its interesting to read about the town in its heyday. Especially now that I know that the post office is where her infamous whorehouse once sat.
The story is told as if Millie was still alive and Max Evans makes her real and not just some unreachable figure in Silver's past. What I enjoyed most was learning about the people who would visit her brothels and I rolled on the floor with laughter at the story of the Mormon bishop.
I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you live in or near Silver City, because most of the places she talks about still exisit and it makes you think twice about downtown Silver City.

this is the beginning of a trilogy of books about anglo and his experiences. travel to new mexico to the home of the hopi and other tribes and learn the ways of a shaman.

Ran across this book several years ago at a local bookstore, lost track of it, found it again looking for something else. It's a wonderful novel about how one can begin a new life that is deeper and more connected than one's old one.

I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction novels, but I was intrigued by Winn's endurance to throw away his identity, his family, his prominent position in the community, and, most of all, his comfortable life. It's not every day that a very wealthy and educated middle aged man, sound of mind, decides to do something totally irrational, by leaving his loved ones, his bank accounts, his assets, and his successful business, and goes naked into the night, wandering around the country with the true hope to find a new identity and the true meaning of his existence. It takes a lot of guts and a `desperate' drive. This is what kept me devouring the book page after page, depicting myself in the same situation, and living his experience as he is about to start a precarious new life, just about when he had pratically achieved everything and had accumulated wealth and power. Each chapter kept me nailed to its story with trepidation and suspense. I had a spiritual contemplative experience, and I cried with Booker, when Nita died. Now I can hardly wait to buy the sequel "Lost in Las Vegas" and to read more about Booker's new life with the Pueblo Indians.

"NAKED INTO THE NIGHT" ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE INEVITABLE MID-LIFE EXPERIENCE SO MANY OF WE "BOOMERS" ARE ASKING.LEAVING SELF-SUFFICENCY AND MOVING TOWARD FAITH AND FOCUS ON OTHERS IS THE PATH TO INNER PEACE. IN THIS PARADIGM, IT MATTERS LESS WHAT YOU DO, WHAT YOU HAVE, ETC. THE FOCUS IN THIS BOOK IS ON HOW WE DO WHAT WE DO.IF YOU SEARCH FOR FREEDOM AND INNER PEACE, THIS BOOK HAS SOME OF THE ANSWERS.

A spiritually renewing read from beginning to end. I became a willing participant in Booker's emotional quest and will not soon forget Naked's powerful message. Monty Joynes is a truly gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more from him!

I love the People of the... series of books. Can't wait until another comes out. The formula for the books are all pretty similar, but the descriptions of different tribes, the historical evidence that is put in, and the anticipation of what is going to happen next is well worth the wait and the read. But this one is especially well written, with lots of history and insight.

I enjoyed every moment of the reading of this book. I found it interesting and hard to put down until I had completed it .
I have read all of the First American Series by the Gears and will continue to do so as soon as the new ones come out in paper back .
The whole series is well worth the price for anyone interested in thier interpretation of how the first native peoples in the Amerca's loved ,lived and died .

I enjoyed this book, as with all the others in this series. Next it will go to my mohter, who will then read it and send it along to her neighbor. We are all fans, and this is a good, fast read.

Have been buying the First North Americans series for my adult daughter. She has encouraged me to read them also. We are both pleased with Michael & Kathleen Gear's series. Nicely written. It holds one interest and invites you to read and re-read each book.

Ironically, the criticisms I have of the writing are based on the fact that I love the Gears' series so much that I'm now familiar with their style and recurring tropes. Don't get me wrong, this is a great page-turner and I always admire how they combine anthropologicial evidence and research with fiction. Particularly for someone who is fairly new to the Gears' NA series, this is one of the better ones in a while. I do like how they take characters from People of the Sun (Nightshade, Night Sun, Ironwood) and show us their ultimate fates. I guess I'm just a little too familiar now with the stock characters of 1) Reluctant Dreamer who ends up basically predicting everything; 2)diabolical determined War Chief who will stop at nothing; 3) hot chick and nice guy who get it on after being forced to travel together. I guess that's the way of fiction: Take "adversaries" of the opposite sex, make them HAVE to hang out with each other, and they WILL fall in love ! (LOL: Of course every young woman is long-legged, big breasted and narrow-hipped.) But beyond these overly familiar themes, (oh yes, and the inevitable "Maureen's shapely [...]" theme in the introduction) the descriptions of war, the motivation for cannibalism, the historical details are all fascinating and the Gears' writing is never less than vivid and humorous.

I visited the Salton Sea to photograph birds and found it impossible to describe, telling friends they had to go there themselves to experience the place and the people. Now I tell them to read this book. From the creation of the Sea to the creation of Salvation Mountain, deBuys tells it's colorful history in a prose that fills you with the sounds and smells and people of the Sea and Imperial Valley. Anyone with an interest in man's unlimited folly, vision, corruption, and the coming environmental train-wreck in southern California needs to read this book.

*Winner of the 2000 Norris and Carol Hundley Award from The Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association.

*Winner of the 1999 Western States Book Award for Creative Non-Fiction. *Winner of the 1999 Clements Prize for the Best Non-Fiction Book on Southwestern America.

Bravo! Salt Dreams is the first of its kind to wrap up all of the issues surrounding the Salton Sea and Colorado River delta in one volume. The best since Cadillac Desert in its cinematic portrayal of a complicated host of issues. Awesome writing on the heroism of US Fish and Wildlife staff. My only criticism is that Congressman George Brown is slighted; Sonny Bono often called him "Mr. Salton Sea". Certainly, a book Mr. Brown would have loved.

Superlative read revealing the vast natural beauty of the desert and its inhabitants and man's irreversable errors in judging it as a fallen Eden. Together with Cadillac Desert it ranks as a southwest water classic. Beautiful writing and stunning photographs.

The occasional case of the mad artist -- gaunt, ragged and living solely in his own creative mind -- has dominated our view of how art is created. In fact, patronage was and is the medium in which most art is created. This beautifully printed book casts a clean scholarly light into this remarkable relationship of artist and patron. While doing so the authors also examine how the demands and desires of daily living and the strains and strengths of personal relationships -- spouses, lovers, friends -- play upon the same chords that the patron touches, for good or ill. All are amply documented by the authors and as with all biography the telling anecdote best reveals the character of the subject. The fact that for decades a fertile art community existed a thousand miles or more from patrons and markets raises the question of whether indeed something special for the art world was going on in Taos. Easily dismissed by many as regional artists in the past, the Taos artists are put in a context by the authors' examination of the skein of relationships stretching to Taos. I would think that the world of art scholarship on that basis alone needs to respond to this well-focused work by examining other colonies, schools and concentrations of artists in the history of our country, for the purpose of finding how those stories of patronage compare. On its face alone the art reproduced in this fascinating book makes the case for the importance of the Taos artists as American artists. But the patronage story raises this question: Why did big city people, living and creating the big story of its time -- industrial, urbanizing America -- choose to support the painters in the desert? It seems to be a paradox. Or is it? We await the next study in depth of artists and their patrons. "Taos Artists and Their Patrons" has set the height of the bar. I hope the authors of this book stay in the game for the next book.

While the literature on American art history has grown enormously during the last several decades, that devoted to patronage remains very scarce, usually directed toward single supporters such as Luman Reed and Mrs. Jack Gardner. Taos Artists and Their Patrons is probably the finest study to appear devoted to a single school of painting, that which arose in Taos in New Mexico at the end of the nineteenth century. The authors have thoroughly investigated all aspects of patronage--exhibitions, individual advocates, institutional support, and many other forms. At the same time, they have presented what must be the finest study of the work of the artists active in Taos, embellished by a wealth of marvellous images, beautifully reporduced. The book enjoys three major accomplishments: it is a definitive study of the nature of American art patronage; it is a thorough review of one of the most important regional schools of art in this country; and it's a fabulous read!

Excellent book showing a great deal of beautiful art from the Taos artists at the beginning of the century. The book does and excellent job of telling the history behind each painting. The book is also very inspirational to artists. I suggest this book to anyone interested in art, anyone who is an artist, or people interested in art history.

In the tradition of excellence demonstrated in his book "Victor Higgins, An American Master", Dean Porter, along with Teresa Ebie and Susan Campbell, has produced another visually and intellectually pleasing work.

Both artists and collectors will learn much by reading this book, for it proves that it is more than technical skill and artistic sensibility that contribute to an artist's financial and critical success.

Those who have instinctively turned to Europe and the Eastern American Artists when wanting to view fine works of art will be enlightened and surprised to learn that some of the finest works of art in this century have been produced not in Europe, but in the USA and in the Southwest in particular.

This is a beautiful and informative book for anyone interested in art, whether they be collectors or art historians or simply those who like to view magnificent works.

Dean Porter and his gifted associates have skillfully authored not only the best book ever written about the "Taos School of Art", but the most interesting and educational. Why is their book different? They departed from the standard biographical information generally available everywhere and continually repeated by other authors in every new book and took the time to bring into focus the collectors and art buyers who made it possible for the artists to make a living at their chosen profession. The many stories, glimpes, and setches of both the artists and collectors make this book most interesting and readable. There are also many new paintings never before shown in other books about this group of artist. There is also a art exhibit that compliments the book. This is a must read and must see for those who love and collect the "Taos School of Art". Like a fine red wine, you wish in your heart you could drink on forever.

"The Allure of Turquoise" is made up of a collection of articles on turquoise, its history and the Native American mythology surrounding this stone. I was particularly fascinated by one article about ants and their relationship with turquoise. Nevertheless, although this is an informative and interesting book, if you are looking for a guide to collecting turquoise or turquoise jewellery, I'd begin withTurquoise Unearthed: An Illustrated Guide (Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones), which focusses more on purchasing turquoise and the different types of turquoise. "The Allure of Turquoise" is a relatively short book (only 107 pages in length), but contains color pictures throughout. Be aware, however, that this book does not contain an index, a major drawback, as far as I am concerned.

This is a wonderful in-depth examination of turquoise and its makers. It is somewhat scientific in the portion about the formation of the stone. There are terrific photographs and lots of information about the handling of turqoise and the art that turns it into expensive jewelry! Recommended for the turqoise lover.

I found this book very thorough as far as the knowledge of the types of turquoise. But, I also found a lot of good info about traditional jewelry selling, info about fakes and treatments and historical knowledge. Gorgeous pictures.

This was a birthday gift for my husband. He loved it. He said it was the perfect present since he loves turquoise and making turquoise jewelry. It even arrived on time, gift wrapped. If you love turquoise, the color pictures are worth it. The content is very good too, my husbands states.

This is the same review I gave to "Turquoise Unearthed"...and for all intents and purposes, they could be classified as companion volumes...both doing an exceptional job in words and images!

"I have been a gem and mineral dealer for over ten years...and a rockhound for a lot longer than that...but this book taught me more in a single sitting than all my years in the buisiness and in the hobby.

I have dug, traded, bought and sold a whole bunch of "Turq"...natural, treated and "color-shot"...and this book instantly became one of my favorite references for the rest of my life.

If you are planning on investing in real American or Persian turquoise jewelry or stones...and it is an investment...then this book is a "Must Have!"

No sooner did I put this book down than I called up one of my suppliers and bought all of the Blue Gem and Turquoise Mountain stones they had left in stock...I am sure they are wondering what precipitated that call!"

My many thanks to Mr. Vigil for his labor of love, a compilation of articles from New Mexico Magazine...on everything from the Lowry "Turq" Museum...to the history and significance of the Cerrillos Mines...to the myth of "Old Pawn" jewelry...and much, much more!

For loved ones with any sort of mental abnormalities within the family this is a wonderful story of dedication, love, and tireless patience. I was amazed at these two parents and how they stretched themselves in every direction to help their suffering daughter.

BROKEN GLASS: A FAMILY'S JOURNEY THROUGH MENTAL ILLNESS tells of an unhappy child who grows up to have a serious personality disorder. Elene reached her teens in the middle of the counterculture years: her professor father here shares his story of the family's struggles with Elene's ongoing mental health issues, charting hospital and doctor snafus and interactions, family adjustments, and ups and downs which eventually led to helping her raise her own children. An eye-opening story evolves with plenty of lessons for other families struggling with mental illness.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I have read "Broken Glass" and found it extremely good.
I notice one of your reviewers calls it a novel. I can understand that
because it reads like a novel, a real page-turner. But it really is
not fiction but what the author says, a heartfelt account of a
father's relations with his daughter. Being a parent to a beautiful daughter, this book makes me realize that I should always support my daughter as Dr Hine always did.
I assume Dr Hine is right in saying everything is told as it was.
I have friends who can be called mentally ill, and reading
this book has helped me enormously in my feelings toward them.
Dr Hine is thoughtful, kind, and generous, and he understands and
explains all the paraphernalia of the mental health world. I completely agree with the W. Los Angeles reviewer, this book should be a must for people majoring in Health and Human Studies. A high recommend.

Dr Hine thanks for the beautiful, very descriptive and magic way of your writing, I also enjoyed your "Second Sight" book very much (a must) !!
I guess I'm an avid fun !!

Robert Hine has written the seminal book on parenting a mentally ill child."Broken Glass" chronicles Hine and his wife Shirley's heart-breaking and often harrowing experiences as they watch their daughter Elene veer into the world of mental illness. Never has the debate of "Nurture vs. Nature" been answered more clearly,for despite a loving home,two educated,cultured,concerned parents and the benefits of a middle-class upbringing(music,dance lessons,travel) Elene becomes increasingly more disorganized and disturbed. Hine's descriptions are unsparing,tender, and without attendant sentimentality.What makes this book rise to the top of its kind, is that Hine takes the reader beyond differing diagnoses,treatment modalities and eventual hope for a cure. He places us in the hearts and minds of aging parents who wrestle with their own aging issues, as they alternately assist Elene and attempt to employ "tough love" methods. Elene, now grown with children of her own, continues to have episodic bouts with mental illness."Broken Glass" delivers a mandate to a mental health delivery system and legal system that often fall short of understanding and meeting the needs of a mentally ill citizen.This book should be a required text for nursing,medical,social work and law schools.

This helpful book is aimed at parents who struggle everyday with their mentally ill children. The author, Robert Hine, not only helps the reader understand mental illness in children, but also provides the tools and resources to help assist parents deal with such a challenge. Parents play an important role in the first line offense of mental illness in children. In being able to identify the early warning symptoms, it is the author's hope that we can reduce the stigma and improve the quality of life for such children.

This book should definitely be a required text for those majoring in Health and Human Studies. It is also a great resource for practicing mental health services providers such as, social workers, psychologists, nurses, etc. Needless to say, law enforcement officers and law practitioners are not immune to the type of problems parents and mental health providers encounter because they also assist individuals with severe mental and emotional problems.

The focus of the book is on communication and patience and its approach is humanitarian, emphasizing empathy in dealing with the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system, as well as practical in suggesting guideliness for dealing with specific situations. Elene is among the few fortunate children whose parents never give up on them and support them in all aspects trying to figure out what's in their children's best interest. Broken Glass is the type of book you will want to read to the end. It is a remarkable story about Mr. and Mrs. Hine's strength and determination to travel in any direction on any road at any given time, just so that they could provide their daughter with the tools to achieve self sufficiency.

Dr. Hine, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story of heartache and triumph. Your unbreakable spirit shines throughout this book.