Nevada Books

As the author says in the preface, this book "deals with human experiences in the Sierra Nevada from the time the Spaniards first saw it in the latter part of the eighteenth century to the present, when its economic and recreational uses serve several million people." Chapters are numerous, concise, and specific to event or persons, and include sections on the early Indians, Jedediah Smith, Joseph Walker, Fremont, Yosemite, the giant Sequoias, the coming of the railroad, important surveys, John Muir, and Mount Whitney, to name just a handful of the subjects dealt with. Arranged chronologically, the book is an excellent history of the region. Farquhar has consulted and presented information from original sources, and although chapters are relatively short, they are packed with interesting and important details. The book is also well illustrated and contains some excellent maps. It's a handsome overview of the history of the Sierra Nevadas and is a good starting place for anyone interested in the subject.

My love for the Sierra Nevada mountains goes back to the days of my youth when we made family trips to Yosemite and Sequoia. Later as a teenager filled with wanderlust, I returned to explore them on my own terms. Despite having made many trips to the Sierras, I never really read much about them until recently when I read several books covering the subject by early explorers of the area like William Brewer and Clarence King. Readers of those books are referred to Farquhar's History of the Sierra Nevada by amazon and others, so I bought this and found it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
If you want a broad overview of the history of the Sierras, particularly the High Sierras, then this is the book I would recommend. Farquhar's history is a very useful primer that touches on all important aspects of exploration of the High Sierra and the progress made from mere exploitation to preservation and recreation. Note that the focus is on the high country as the history of the foothills has been much more extensively surveyed.
The book covers the period from the first tentative Spanish penetrations, to the arrival of trappers and hunters from the east, then on to the settlers and further to the establishment of the National Forests and Parks in the region. Farquhar covers Jedediah Smith, John Fremont, Brewer, King, John Muir, and others who contributed so much to the exploration of the Sierras, the discovery of the important passes, the climbing of the peaks, and the naming of the natural features. He also writes of the subsequent struggle between those who wanted to exploit the mountains for all they were worth and those who felt that posterity had a stake in their partial preservation. Additionally, he discusses the politics of the exploitation/preservation debate and the many political battles in both Sacramento and Washington DC that have made the High Sierra the place we know today. The once dominant mining and logging industries are of small importance compared to the great importance placed on the waters and watershed of the Sierras by most Californians today.
Most thrilling to me are the descriptions of the backcountry and the tales of finding paths through previously uncharted territory. Francis Farquhar's history is well written, extensively footnoted, and relatively fast-paced. His enthusiasm for his subject is evident throughout. Since this is an overview, he doesn't bog you down in the minutiae of the events about which he writes. If you are a lover of the Sierras, but have a hazy knowledge of their history, then I highly recommend reading History of the Sierra Nevada.

This book was written by a mountaineer and editor who knew the Sierras well first hand and even knew some of the people involved in the discovery and preservation of the High Sierra of California. He takes us from the initial European discovery and naming by the Spanish, to the gold miners, early visitors to Yosemite, and Sierra Club and mountaineering explorations around the turn of the 19th century. Highly recommended for those interested in California history and the outdoors.

This book was purchased for a college course. I am thoroughly enjoying this collection of literature by Californians! I love the different perspective of each piece. I recommend this to anyone who lives in the state or anyone who wishes they did.

Haslam does a wonderful job capturing the many illusions of California. It's a good book to jump around reading because you'll always find something you like. All California-philes should own a copy!

Many Californias, edited by Gerald Haslam contains a teriffic, eclectic collection of writing about the Golden State. The name "California" is like Kevin Bacon to the wide universe of writers and poets who ever lived, wrote or were associated with it in some way. Haslam ponders, " Where is California? What is it?," then offers, "California remains at least as much state of mind as state of the union."

This collection is a great place to start to answer Haslam's questions and contains not only bright essays about this fabled island but also reveals some darker points in its history. From early accounts of California before the gold rush days, to Beat poets and Fresno poets, readers will enjoy what so many have had to say about the state, whether real or imagined. Subjects as diverse as Mark Twain's story of blue jay speech habits, Joan Didion's evocation of the southland's Santa Ana winds to Bukowski's ride in a red Porsche all add layers to such a rich subject. An added bonus is the selected California bibliography at the end.

This is book 2 in the Wagon's West series.

The wagon train is now heading into new territory for them. They are on the way to Oregon and are leaving Independence, MO behind. They are also now being led by Whip Holt. They are traveling through Nebraska and continuing westward.

This is the story of their struggles against the British & Russian forces trying to keep them for making the trip as well and the environment and Native Americans.

This book is one of the 6th printing from back in the late 70's. If you are interested in the settlement of the American West this is one series that you need to revisit.

This is a book I keep reading again and again. It just is a terrific read. If you're interested in the history of early America, then this is THE series for you!

"Nebraska" is Book 2 in Dana Fuller Ross' magnificent "Wagons West" series. In 1837 the United States was experiencing its first financial depression. Banks were failing, factories closing, and farms were being foreclosed. US citizens were increasingly hungry and dispossessed. Out of a population of 16 million, a quarter of a million were unemployed. People by the thousands were moving West to settle the wilderness and make a new start in life. Former US President Andrew Jackson, new President Martin Van Buren, and financier John Jacob Astor decided to assign mountainman and weathered veteran Sam Brentwood and his partner Michael "Whip" Holt to form the first wagon train of pioneers with the purpose of crossing the North American continent and settling the Oregon Territory. Imperial Russia and Great Britain were also determined to claim the Oregon Territory for themselves and planned to do everything in their countries' power to sabotage the United States' effort.

The caravan now included 500 people and their horses, oxen and prairie schooners. Having reached the frontier town of Independence, Missouri, Sam Brentwood and his new wife leave the group to open a trading depot to supply future pioneers and wagon trains. Wagon scout Whip Holt now takes over as wagonmaster and the legendary group begins to move across the Great Plains to the Rockie Mountains on the second stage of their journey. They are set upon by hostile Indians, British and Russian spies, accidents and illness, and the petty bickering that comes from interacting with the same people day after day, along with the monotony of the trail. Relationships and rivalries are formed which prove to be every bit as exciting as the journey itself.

The characters are outstanding and extremely realistic. The author vividly brings history to life in "Nebraska," as in the other books in the series. And the politics behind the settling of the West are fascinating. As one would expect, the novel is chock-full of adventure, hardship, courage, love, loss, tragedy and triumph. Many details have been taken from actual diaries and journals of early pioneers. Once you start this book you won't be able to stop until you have read all 24 novels. The next one is "Wyoming," and deals with the third leg of the trip -wintering in the Rocky Mountains and the move to Oregon. Very highly recommended!
JANA

Great book. My husband is a history junkie and he thinks it is a wonderful book!

Roadside History of Nevada is part of a growing series of books on roadside history published by Mountain Press. To date there are roadside histories available for sixteen states and Yellowstone Park. These books will make valuable traveling companions any time you take a trip and have time to enjoy the historical or geological sites along the way.

The Roadside History of Nevada is a well-written and interesting book. Moreno spends the first chapter reviewing the history of Nevada from its geologic and human prehistory through recorded history to the present time. He then uses the rest of the book to discuss the various roadways and the Nevada towns that were and are inhabited. The book is organized, logically, along the roadways and is divided into six chapters: Interstate 80 (The Emigrant Trail), Reno and the Lake Tahoe Area, US 50 (The Loneliest Road in America), US 95 and US 6 (The Silver Trails), US 93 (The Mormon Trail), and The Las Vegas Area. Within each section, discussion proceeds along the lines of the main highways and the other highways and byways that connect with them. A map of the roads precedes each chapter, but be careful of the Highway 50 map (page 118). It has the highway going into Idaho, not Utah! The book includes 140 photographs which include buildings still standing, ruins of buildings, and pictographs from the earliest humans in the area. There is also a selected bibliography and an excellent index which includes areas, events and people.

If you ever wanted to know how a place got its name or why it was settled, then this is the book for you. This book isn't just about places; it is also about the people who populated them. As I read this book, I found myself wishing that I had had it along on the many trips I have taken through Nevada. As I finished each section of the book, I was ready to get into the car and go exploring the places that Moreno discusses.

Who should read this book? Anyone who has an interest in Nevada and/or western history in general. And anyone who enjoys seeing where history was made. Academic and public librarians will find this book, as well as the series, a good addition to their collections, either as historical information or for description and travel information.

If you find this book interesting, I would recommend other books Richard Moreno has written on outings a person can take throughout Nevada: The Backyard Traveler and The Backyard Traveler Returns. Also consider other books in the Roadside History... and Roadside Geology... series, depending on where your travels take you. The geology series includes twenty-three titles. Unfortunately at the present time Nevada doesn't have the companion roadside geology book, but since Nevada has mining as a major part of its history, it is possible that Roadside History of Nevada and the book Geology Underfoot in Central Nevada can fill the gap for now.

Rich Moreno is one of the most talented travel writers in the West. His knowledge of Nevada's farthest reaches and the unusual history of each place may be unmatched. In "Roadside History of Nevada," Moreno captures what's best of Nevada, and shows his talents off in a remarkable way.

Dave Strohmaier masterfully paints us a portrait of wildfire in the West, drawing from a palette of sensitivity to the earth, gritty practical experience, humor, and skilled writing craft. He calls attention to the beauty of many elements of nature we take for granted, its paradoxes, and draws complex associations between these and wildfire. This book is not a primer on how wildfires are fought. It is a loving and thorough philosophical exploration of the meaning of fire, nature, and humanity.

Seasons of Fire by David J. Strohmaier is a superbly written, artistic, and thought-provoking novel on humankind's relationship to fire. Like the author, I too have "engaged" the fires of summer,which stirred deep, ontological questions about human evolution's debt to fire. The author expresses such ideas in a free-flowing narrative that bursts with imagery. Deep yet accesible (I will admit to using the dictionary at least once every 50 pages, but I admire an author who can skillfully use words that I should know, but don't).

To ape the vernacular of Hollywood producers, "it's like Edward Abbey meets Garrison Keillor!" David J. Strohmaier provides beatific explorations of philosophical questions with a smooth, down-home panache. I have never had the pleasure of attacking a fire with gunny sacks, but the author makes me wish I had:

"There is pleasure in completing little tasks--sweating your way up a hill to the flank of a fire under the sun and open sky of mid-July, then, in the company of several others, swatting out flames until either you smother all movement, or cool, moist night air tucks the fire in for the evening. This genuine satisfaction does not abdicate you from the responsibility of asking why you are doing what you are doing, and why it is meaningful. And of all the seasons of the year, summer, the summer of fire, is when these questions are cured."

Descriptions of a bygone Halloween when the author dressed as Satan himself, dancing around a fire, made me laugh out loud. A truly provocative and enjoyable book. I look forward to his next work.

Strohmaier captures the essense of what calls people from all walks of life to a world of flames and wild places.
As a veteran wildland firefighter for over 24 years,
it was a joy to read about the spirit that exist within every wildland firefighter. If you want to understand the
essentials of what motivates wildland firefighters, read this book.

This is a great book filled with lots of great pictures and interesting information. The authors give you a real feel for the hikes and really get you in the mood for your trip. The map you get along with the book is very pretty vauge, so a more detailed map is required to really get down to planning. But a great book to start you on your way to a fun backpacking trip. Absolutely get this book if your'e taking a 'walkabout in the Sierras.

The collaborative effort of Thomas Winnet, Jason Winnett, Kathy Morey, and Lyn Haber, Sierra North: 100 Backcountry Trips In California's Sierra is an detailed and thoroughly "user friendly travel guide to planning a hike in California's wild, rugged, and beautiful mountains. Filled with topography maps, one hundred different trips with route descriptions, information on fishing, swimming, flora, fauna, geology, and history, and much, much more, Sierra North is a highly accessible and information-packed resource which is especially recommended for vacationing nature lovers.

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.

This is the essential book for planning backcountry trips in the Sierra. Details such as noting which trails are open earlier season help planning a trip that won't get cancelled because of snow on the trail. More detail on shade and forest would be nice.

I finally replaced my 1988 5th edition with the current 9th edition by Kathy Morey, Mike White and the usual Wilderness Press accomplices.

It is physically larger and heavier, but I have finally realized that it is ok to cut out just the trip I am doing and take it with me, so weight is not an issue.

There are a couple of big improvements. The most significant one for me is the organization by major highway. i. e. Interstate 80 trips, Highway 89 trips, Highway 50 trips, etc. Makes it much easier to select possible trips for a short amout of time off. The other improvement is the use of text on grey background to indicate such things as chapter tabs, Notes that are a supplement to the trail text and so forth. It makes the book more interesting to the eye.

The maps in my 5th edition were in a pocket at the back of the book. Now they are a full page in imbedded in the text with the associated trail description. They still have the trail elevation profiles that are still an important part of my trip planning. The bigger book size allows more and larger black and white photos.

On the trail descriptions themselves, I have recently hiked all the PCT segments, and reading after the fact, find the descriptions accurate. On all the Wilderness Press guides, I sometimes find myself puffing up a steep grade and thinking "why didn't they tell me about this?". Assume that the descriptions are done by an experienced, acclimated hiker and don't assume the first day or two will be easy

A friend just told me about a new hiking area where he had found a great view, so I looked up Thunder Mountain in Sierra North, and found out all about it.

They have GPS waypoints on the trailheads. I find that where I need them is on these obsure trail junctions - maybe something for the 10th edition.

Definitely a good book for your hiking shelf.

Planning a trip using another guide made me realize how good this book is. The first reason is the elevation profiles at the start of each trip that tell you how high and low you'll be--something good to know this summer when the temperatures at the lower sites (like Yosemite Valley) exceeds 100 degrees. Second, the authors tell you exactly what it is like to hike the trail, from one landmark to the next, without extraneous commentary. Seems like a simple enough formula but only these guys get it right.

Cutter's Sierra Trout Guide is more than just a how to catch fish book. It is a lovingly illustrated and highly readable narrative about the Sierras, the varieties of trout found there, where trout feed, and on what and when, how to know what the trout are eating and what best imitates today's insect selection. Equally important, Cutter provides a compelling history of each strain of Sierra trout and how man has done his best --luckily so far unsuccessfully-- to ruin this splendid fishery. Read this book and you'll weep at what our forefathers did to the once abundant Lahontan Cutthroat. But you'll also see the Sierras and their wild trout populations with a whole new appreciation for their magnificence.

Ralph Cutter has done a superb job with his revised edition of "Sierra Trout Guide". The book was originally published in a much smaller format with only a fraction of the information contained in this edition. The ten years between editions was well worth the wait.

Ralph introduces you to the various species of trout and char that you will find in the Sierra, along with valuable information on their preferred habitat and environmental preferences. His chapter describing the fishery will help you understand why the Sierra Nevada enjoys such a wide mix of trout, and will give the history buff a load of trivia to share at the evening campfire or while moon-watching from a granite bluff.

Backpacking is a minimalist's sport and yet fly fishers have a reputation for carrying everything with them but the kitchen sink. The chapter "Into the Backcountry" gives great guidelines on what to take, what to leave, and what to expect to run into on a fly-fishing/backpacking trip. The chapter on "Trout Foods" includes information on all the major insects on the Sierra trout's menu and includes a hatch chart with some general recommendations to compensate for elevation differences. Ralph again takes the well seasoned backpacker's approach to his recommended fly assortment. You really can imitate most of the available insects in the Sierra with just a handful of flies.

The chapter "Locating Productive Waters" will enable you to make an educated guess about where to find trout by analyzing the features of the 7 1/2 minute maps of the areas you wish to explore.

As if that was not enough, the book includes distribution charts (listed by county) of all the rivers and lakes found in the Sierra that hold trout. These charts also tell you which USGS map they can be found on, the watershed they belong to, the elevation, and even the species of fish you can expect to find in the area you're considering. For example, if you want to fish lakes in the EL Dorado County area of the Sierra for Golden Trout, you can use these charts to plan your trip. My brother and I used this information to find a lake a few years ago that contained golden trout at 8100 feet of elevation and only a 6 mile hike in. The full moon illuminating the granite cliffs over the lake that night, and a sparkling jewel of a 14" golden trout the next day, quickly made me forget any soreness from the effort it took to get there.

The book is printed on top quality glossy paper and the pictures alone make the book worth buying. The 8½" x 11" pages are easy to read and handle, and the softcover allows you to easily slip it into your backpack. Don't go into the Sierra without it.

As an author of a book that uses a fishing metaphor to illustrate how relationships work, I was approached by someone about this book. So I bought it and must say that it truly gives the more serious angler a better understanding about what fly fishing for trout is all about. Having read about a dozen books on trout fishing (in doing the research for my fishing analogy), I think this one is one of the very best. The pictures are beautiful and something that every California trout fisherman should have in his personal library.

In Tahoe Killshot, author Todd Borg takes the reader up the mountains, through the towns, into the woods, down the bike trails, on the water, and on the winding roads of the Lake Tahoe, California, area in another one of his whirlwind murder mystery thrillers featuring his now famous cast of characters: private investigator Owen McKenna, his trusted dog Spot, and his girlfriend Street Casey. Borg brings these characters to life and puts them in a place he knows best: his home town. He uses this formula to write a truly convincing murder mystery that has bodies, suspects, and motives piling up with each turn of the page. From the opening scene to the surprise ending, Borg will have you under his spell and keep you guessing as friends become suspects and accidents become murders. And if this is your first time reading this author, you'll be happy to know there are three other "Tahoe" thrillers waiting for you to read.

Todd Borg does it again. Tahoe Killshot is a page-turner.

When I started the book, I was thinking I had an idea of where Todd would be taking us, but my ideas were pleasantly battered into little pieces by page 20 or so. Todd takes Owen Mckenna, private eye, his dog Spot, all 170 pounds, and best of all the reader on a seriously wild ride.

I can't recommend reading this book without reading the previous three. Certainly you would be able to follow the plot and character development, but without the background, the characters would be less vivid - especially the minor characters in Killshot that were major characters and more developed in the previous novels.

I encourage anyone who has read the first three to buy and read this book. If you haven't read any of these books, just drop the cash right now and buy the lot (of four). I promise you won't be sorry.

Todd Borg is a most excellent author. Tahoe Killshot is an excellent read!

Todd Borg and his wife [...]own three Great Danes, which provide constant inspiration for their character of Spot in Borg's mysteries. Three prior books, TAHOE DEATHFALL, TAHOE BLOWUP, and TAHOE ICE GRAVE, set the stage for the newest Todd Borg mystery, TAHOE KILLSHOT.

Owen McKenna is a retired San Francisco cop turned private eye when homicide duties became too much...as in the accidental shooting of a child. McKenna, his Great Dane and animal soul mate, Spot, return to duty when a famous singer, Glory, is killed on the Flume Trail situated in the mountains to the east of Lake Tahoe. McKenna quickly discovers that a mysterious caller by the name of Faith witnessed some damning piece of evidence. Faith is killed in a horrendous explosion which pulverizes her boat and nearly kills McKenna and Spot. When McKenna interviews Glory's bodyguard, his life is suddenly in peril and some man with an electronic voice is dogging his footsteps and attacking at every turn:

"It was like he had a seizure. He jerked and thrashed. I pulled myself up to my feet. He jerked so hard, the chair fell over sideways. The vacuum fell away and the man slumped away from the electrified lamp. I limped over toward him and kicked at the wooden handrail. It flew across my office. I was bending down to pull off ski mask when he kicked up hard. He foot caught me in the groin. I bent like a pretzel, unable to breathe. It took all my concentration to reach across the desk and grab the phone cord. The man was standing up, staggering. I swung the phone by the cord, and it wrapped around his neck and hit him on the head."

Todd Borg's tales are nail-biting page turners, packed with action and labyrinth plots. His characters are well wrought, interesting, and each intensely unique. His relationship with Street, his girlfriend, Glennie, his platonic friend, and Diamond, the Mexican cop with brains and brawn to match, combine with McKenna's own sense of justice and persistence to weave a wonderful yarn. Borg incorporates the beautiful backdrop of Lake Tahoe, along with the music business, a crooked non-profit, and even public office to create a trail that is as complex as the Flume Trail bike path, where the story begins. Borg's proof is in the pudding. A great read!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Great mystery read for kids of all ages! Very accurate historic detail.

Great book! My son and I loved this mystery from the gold rush era in California. The descriptions are marvelous. It is a good book to learn about the Gold Rush in an interesting way; with a young boy and his day to day adventures. This book makes history come alive. It is wonderful way for young people to learn about the history of the Gold Rush in California.

A fun mystery for kids with a lot of California History. I highly recommend it!