Oregon Books

Smyth has delivered a straightforward account of a forest economy's ascension and decline, plus that forest's natural history and management evolution from old-growth to tree farm to conservation area. Any outdoor person can relate to Smyth's recollections of unromantic hard work in the woods while still invoking the inherent romance of forestry among trees big and small. The book is a business history as well, recounting events regional and in the world at large that reached into southwest Oregon to alter best-laid plans.

Daniel Botkin, Professor of Ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, writes "Smyth provides a facinating saga of one of Oregon's most productive and intensively harvested forests. In the final analyisis, what Smyth's book suggests is that to deal with and solve our environmental problems about forests, we should understand and learn from the details of history - obtained from many different avenues- and that we need to see the use of forests against the panorama of changes in human values and changing scientific knowledge."

This book from the very beginning kept me in a trance and wanted me to stay up and read the entire thing. There is a movie made on it but it does not give justice to the book as most movies are cut too short and leave out too many important details. I loved the way the writer took the time to make sure the book is not only intruiging but fascinating.

According to the PW summary synopsis listed for this book; it is the incorrect description. According to another description found elsewhere this is really what this book is about:

When the police in Oklahoma arrested her husband, Jimmy, on a charge of first degree murder, Jeannie Taylor was certain they had the wrong man. Not only had she and Jimmy been together for seventeen years, but they had three children. However, one's past is never far behind, nor can history ever be erased. Deputies from Oregon had his fingerprints, found atop Dead Indian Mountain near Glenn True Clark's dead body. A new police computer had targeted the fugitive. It mattered not that the crime was twenty-one years old.

There was a movie on The Lifetime Movie Channel based on this book called (it was originally aired on another channel in 1999 but shown on Lifetime Movie Network)"Murder on Shadow Mountain" Starring Peter Coyote, Michelle Lee, and Rex Linn. A good movie and will keep you engaged. I have not read this book but I will purchase this book eventually. I wanted to let the readers know because the PW editorial described a completely different plot which raised my eyebrows more than once. I wanted to give the book a reasonable rating to make the statement of correction.

hi everyone, please buy, read and cherish this book! you would not believe how much work went into this - I know because I'm the author's daughter. BUY BUY BUY! :) thanks

This is a remarkable look at the untamed American West of 1834-1837 through the eyes of a young naturalist. Despite its age, this account is quite readable. The smaller segments describing Townsend's visits to Hawaii, Tahiti and Chile are also enjoyable.

Since this is a diary, it does have some flat spots (not every day can be an adventure), but mostly Townsend fills his descriptions with details and color that bring his encounters alive. You can sense Townsend maturing as the journey goes on. One suggestion to the editors: If a new edition is produced, it would be nice to include a map of Townsend's travels, because in some places it's hard to tell where he is.

A tip to the reader: Skip the introduction, since it's mostly just a summary of what you'll be reading. It does, however, contain a description of what happened to Townsend after the book, so go back and read that once you finish.

This is a beautiful book which will interest anyone researching Oregon history. The photographs are large and colorful and explained with great care. As a matter of fact, any history buff might enjoy looking through this book to see what time does to place.

Beautiful and provocative on several levels, this book shows the varied environments of Oregon at two points in time. The book constitutes an important historic document. Comparisons of the photos also lead the reader to ponder the effects of growth and development on the landscape and to wonder about the future of The Beaver State. Let's hope that when a future photographer sets up a camera at the same benchmarks, he or she records the effects of good decisions Oregonians make about growth and land use today.

There are not very many books available about the Oregon Coast, that include Golf course pictures and info. This is a nice one, with many great pictures to show you what the area is like.

For those enamored with books on golf courses (and I am one), "Oregon Golf" is a gem of a find. Author Paul Linnman takes you on a personal tour of the courses in Oregon and thoughtfully conveys the surprising variety that exists in the state. Having personally played most of the best, it was reassuring to see that all the best were covered...there were no omissions. Traveling along with Linnman, you experience through him the feel and highlights of each course along with some fun anecdotes. Equally important is the outstanding photography by Rick Schafer and complimentary layout that brings the text to life. This is a coffee-table book with heart; and the price is right. If you have any interest in Oregon golf or golf architecture in general, "Oregon Golf" is a "must-have" for your library.

Again Compton describes the struggles, hardships, and decisons that were faced during the early and late1800's, of the many people who were traveling westward. Many were good folks, but there were some who would who would rob or kill for for the least thing. The seasoned Texas cowboys who were good to their word and not afraid to to defend what was right with out thinking twice. The Texas long horn cattle--stubborn and mean, but also would stampede at the slightest action. The immigrants who were green and unaware of the dangers of a new land. All this, Compton has written in an action packed series book describing a trail drive of the old west.

The Oregon Trail is well known in legend and history for the many brave Americans who emigrated to Oregon in covered wagons. Here, Ralph Compton continues his "trail" series. Although I knew that livestock was common on the trail, I didn't realize that Oregon became cattle country for some. In this book, the trials of herding cattle across a hostile land is combined with the trials of ordinary families seeking a new life in the "promised land".

I am fortunate to live about one hour from the Oregon coast and so several times each year go out and beachcomb for agates and jaspers. At first I'd pick up *anything* that looked interesting and had a bit of "beginner's luck". Then I wandered into one of the local bookstores and found this wonderful little book, studied it for a few hours, then hit the beach again. Wonder of wonders, it had suddenly become easy for me to find high-quality beach agates, petrified wood, brecciated jaspers, unakite...amazing! What is very cool about this book is that you get to see accurate photographic examples of both unpolished and polished stones as well as read about the likely locales where these specimens might be found. For a beachcomber, who often sees stones when they are dry rather than wet, this means the difference between passing over a perfectly wonderful carnelian or blue-black agate or red jasper and picking up what turns out to be "just another rock". With the aid of this remarkable little book, I have become the next best thing to an expert. I review it every time I go back to the beaches. FYI, this will also be very useful for rock-hunters in central and eastern Oregon, for much the same reasons...I'm just more inclined to wandering the coast than to wandering around the mountains and deserts. As the previous reviewer said, it is appropriate for all ages. I consider this book a great investment that will pay for itself many times over -- in education, in enjoyment and, if you are into lapidary, in actual money. Buy, use and enjoy!

Oregon Under Foot is the perfect rock identification book for all ages. It is easy to read and under stand yet gives good information and includes great color photos of agate and petrified wood types from not only Oregon but the Pacific North West as well and is sized to fit in your pocket.

Bruce Roberts is one of the best lighthouse photographers working in the U.S. today. In this book, he and his partner Ray Jones give you an excellent photograph of each lighthouse featured, a short historical story from Jones and directions of how to get to the lighthouse. Lighthouse lovers could scarcely ask for more.

This is an excellent book with great descriptions and beautiful pictures. If you are interested in lighthouses, this book is detailed, informational, and fun.

Between the mid 1500s and the early 1800s, Spain considered the Pacific Ocean to be its own private lake, thanks to Magellan. The Spanish galleons would sail to Manila and fill their ships with looted gems, gold, spices and other valuables, then they'd follow the Great Circle Route across the Pacific to Oregon, on their way back to New Spain (Mexico) and eventually back home to the motherland of Old Spain. British privateer/pirate Sir Francis Drake sailed to the Oregon coast in 1579, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his plundering of Spanish ships wherever he came across them.

The book Pirates of the Oregon Coast borrows from this history and creates a mysterious adventure story about a renegade pirate crew who came to the Oregon coast in the early 1600s and did battle with Spanish galleons. The book also combines this action with a love story of sorts, between the pirate captain Squint Eye Jack and a native woman named Nenamu, who is the daughter of a powerful shaman and spiritual leader of their tribe. The father does not approve of his daughter's affection toward the pirate captain and whisks her away to safety, but the pirate captain is relentless in his quest to find her and be with her again.

The book is a fun beach read and an interesting look at the relationships between the first white explorers and the Oregon coast native peoples... almost two centuries before Lewis & Clark visited Oregon in 1805-06.
A refreshing change from the mainstream pirates of the Caribbean type of stories. Recommended reading for lovers of the Oregon Coast and mysterious adventure stories.

Who would have linked a story about a renegade band of pirates with a romantic love story? Well, that's exactly what you get in this entertaining fictional account of Captain Jack and the crew of the Jasmine. Set in 1623, Captain Jack falls head-over-heels for young and beautiful Nenamu, the daughter of the leader of a tribe the Jasmine crew has been trading with for quite some time. The father sees Jack for what he is and is not too happy to have the cut-throat British pirate making googlely-eyes at his daughter. This is the story of two people from opposite sides of the track trying to connect with one another. The fun is having the story take place in the pirate times of the Oregon Coast.

This was a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a love story filled with romance and adventure.

Keep your toes in the sand!

The Oregon Coast Guy
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In Religious Freedom and Indian Rights, Carolyn Long examines the events surrounding the landmark Supreme Court case Employment Division v. Smith, and presents a case study on the struggle between governmental power and individual religious freedom. Using the story of a Native American man fired for worshiping in the manner of his religion, the author illustrates the ongoing struggle in this nation over the meaning of the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment, and its application in American government. As a case study, Employment Division v. Smith is an excellent choice, and Professor Long has done an admirable job of presenting all sides of the issue. By utilizing primary sources such as Justice Thurgood Marshall's personal papers, and through conducting many interviews with those involved with the case, she has written a text that is informative, balanced, and (above all) enjoyable. A great attribute of this book is that it is real; the interviews with Mr. Smith, his attorney, and Attorney General Frohnmayer add a "real life" dimension that many political science case studies lack. The reader walks away from this book knowing that Al Smith is a real person with real emotions and beliefs; that is a refreshing change. The book is a fairly easy read for college students, and the reader is kept interested by the regular "changes in scenery" between the Supreme Court, the attorneys, and the other players throughout the book. Religious Freedom and Indian Rights provides valuable insight into the inner workings of a landmark case and the various dynamics that come to play when one is allowed to take a controversy "all the way to the Supreme Court." This book will doubtless prove to be an asset to those seeking a better understanding of the First Amendment's free exercise clause, and would be a excellent choice as a text for a Civil Rights and Civil Liberties course.

Carolyn N. Long documents the events in the case Oregon v. Smith, the saga of Al Smith, and the Klamath Indians. All the people who played a part in this judicial/legislative/religious tug of war were treated with respect by this author. Long asks us to ponder the question, who is more powerful God or Caesar? The sacramental ingestion of peyote has been part of the Native American Church for centuries. This native belief clashed directly with state and federal laws propelling this case to the highest court in the land. This book is a remarkable work that articulates each argument in a concise manner that is accessible to readers from any discipline. For example, the portion of the book that explains the disagreement between Justice Scalia and Justice O'Conner. Scalia's conclusion that generally applicable laws did not invoke the free exercise clause, was as interesting as O'Conner's refusal to dismiss a century of First Amendment jurisprudence. Controversy and politics make this case especially enthralling. Long describes the legislative process that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act went through. Her focused writing explained how legislative actions sprout and are nurtured through the political process, one reason why this superb book compliments coursework in Political Science. Oregon v. Smith contained interplay between citizens, local politicians, special interest groups and high profile members of the judiciary. The intense political positioning throughout this case, was as intriguing as a good game of chess and more enjoyable than a great work of fiction. Bravo!