Idaho Books

A Danish Photographer Of Idaho Indians is a treasury of photographs rescued from history. The pictures taken by Benedicte Wrensted, a Danish immigrant, came from the photography studio that she opened and worked in from 1895 to 1912. Both white and Native American residents of the area came to her, especially members of the Northern Shoshone, Lemhi, and Bannock ("Sho-Ban") tribes; some Native clients chose to wear traditional Native clothing while others preferred Western-style suits or dresses, yet Wrensted always let the choice to be theirs. Many of the Native photographs were later appropriated by books which stripped the names of the subjects. A Danish Photographer Of Idaho Indians restores names to the photographs, and features an extensive discussion of who the photographer and the subjects were, as well as varying Native attitudes toward being photographed. The wealth of quality black-and-white images as well as the thoughtful and objective analysis make A Danish Photographer Of Idaho Indians a "must" for Native American Studies shelves.

This quality book will be a delight for a wide variety of purchasers, whether their interests lie in biography, history, photography, or Idaho Indians. It will serve as a sourcebook for scholarly research because of its very complete set of endnotes, bibliography, and index. Finally, the careful printing on glossy paper of its many high-resolution photographs makes it an art book of the first order. UPDATE: The book has been designated Idaho Book of the Year 2006 by the Idaho Library Association, and has won a Smithsonian Institution Secretary's Research Prize for 2008. (See the customer images.)

I was drawn to this book because somewhere, there was reference to a musical background in the story. Well, the music is mentioned, certainly, but it is by no means a major player in the book. Nevertheless, I was certainly not disappointed in any way at all.

This book isn't exactly a mystery, and it isn't exactly a romance, nor is it exactly a western. It has bits of those genres, and also bits of southern gothic, techno-thriller, adventure, hard-boiled hard-edged 'mano y mano', and not a little bit of travelogue. In fact, the more I read, the more reminiscent the book became to a series by one of my favorite authors of all time--John D. MacDonald. The series, of course, is that colorful one featuring Travis McGee.

This is not to imply that Dead Aim is in any way a take-off on the Travis McGee books, even though Chris Klick, the main character of this book, is very like Travis in many ways. Size, temperament, inclination--an electic mixture of things that make him very endearing. Like most big men, he is basically a very gentle person, sensitive (remember this was originally published in 1988, written even earlier), and caring. He is also an outdoorsman, who appreciates nature and most living creatures, is not overly concerned with the acquisition of 'stuff', but one who won't take very much guff from anyone, either. And, he does know music. My kinda guy, entirely.

He has no fixed abode (no 'Busted Flush' for example) but house-sits in various locations, enjoying and guarding the properties belonging to his friend and sometimes partner, James Chandler Wilshire Lyel III. Lyel is even bigger, smarter and wealthier than Chris, whose income is derived from restoring royalties to 'lost' musicians. For a fee, of course.

As this story opens, Chris is in Idaho, watching a pair of mergansers, when his idyll is interrupted by Nicole Russell, whose husband has disappeared and she wants him back. Thus we're set off on a wide-spread search, in which an amazing amount of plot elements are developed, dropped, picked up, discarded temporarily, then picked up again. The wise reader will make a serious attempt to remember them all, because sooner or later, you'll come across them again. There is no such thing as a 'throw-away' line here, because everything is utilized to good advantage. Especially Idaho, itself. It cannot ever have been displayed in a more appealing fashion. Almost makes you want to call your travel agent. All in all, this was an extremely engaging book, one I suspect I'll re-read at some future point. But only after I've read the other two books featuring these lovable--but very dangerous--guys, all the while keeping my fingers crossed that the author is busily working on the next one!

So, I read this book because I share the fairly amusing, yet compelling name of its hero. Happily, I found the book to be well-written, and Chris Klick to be HIGHLY likable. Symbolism here is deftly and intelligibly employed. The hero is fleshed out well enough for me to identify with him (alright, the name helped, too), but is also familiar as a classic private eye. New to the genre, and very welcome, are the P.I.'s sensitive take on women, and the rural setting. The climax of the story is riveting to anyone who's ever held a gun or has tried to remain undetected. Give it a 4.5 and round that up to 5 stars.

Imagine piling into the car with 4 kids, luggage and 3 dogs for your next vacation and not having any idea as to what you can do with the dogs once you get there. That was us last summer, heading off to Jackson Hole, and had it not been for this book which was refered to us by another friend, we would have never taken our dogs with us. It explains where good areas our to take your dogs, what to expect if you run into wildlife...bears etc. We never did, but we were prepared thanks to this book. The author did a wonderful job of reasearching all the valuable information in this book. Becuase of the information in this book, the whole family, from the kids tro the pets had a great time. If you are planning a trip to the Jackson Hole area with your pet, this is a MUST read before, and during your trip!!!

Does your dog dislike being left alone? More importantly, do you have a hard time leaving your dog, even for world-class travel destinations? Whether you are a would-be traveler to Jackson Hole Wyoming, or a local with a dog, this book will help and inspire you. "Doggy Doings" is, as the title says, a complete reference of information you will find nowhere else. There are chapters that will give you specific and immediately useful information such as where you can go hiking with your dog. For some reason, I particularly enjoyed the chapters with more "surprising" information: chapters that offered the kind of tidbits you like to think you never will need -- such as what to do if you and your dog encounter large wild animals -- bears or moose. The chapter on dealing with any type of emergency made for suspenseful reading. In all likelihood, most of us never will encounter those situations: the majority of the book deals with all the pleasures that you and your dog hope to find and can expect to find in one of the most beautiful spots on earth. This book, like the area it describes and helps you to access, is truly one of a kind. I highly recommend it and wish there were one like it for every area of the country. I liked how the book took into acount and reached for a true community of people, environment and animals. You will both enjoy and use this book.

This book resulted from a mourning heart being put to pen. This was Pastor Arnold Ruby's way of releasing some of the anguishing pain while at the same time honoring his most beloved son-in-law, Mark Stall. Few people hold such immense love.
I read the book when he was our pastor. He, his wife Kay, and their daughter Cheryl are very humble and gracious Christians.
Mark was the first policeman to perish on duty in the City of Boise, which occurred in '97. He was an outstanding Christian citizen and officer who was not reluctant to defend our community's safety.
John MacArthur of "Grace to You" ministries offered to perform Mark Stall's memorial service. Pastor Ruby is a friend of John MacArthur's and previously served as a fellow elder at Grace Community Church. Mark attended John MacArthur's Master's College where he met his wife, Cheryl. This was a gracious gesture; however, Pastor Ruby so loved his son-in-law that he desired to lead the service. This was the right decision as he touched many a heart. (This is not included in the book)
Pastor Ruby planned to perform the service in a small church, but he was wisely told he would need something far larger--The Boise State Pavilion, our immense coliseum. It was the right choice as multitudes of people packed in. Thousands of citizens also lined the streets in honor of him to witness the hearse and motorcade pass. Many officers from other states traveled distances to attend. I believe there was never a funeral that was more attended in Idaho than Mark Stall's.
It was televised throughout the northwest and touched the empathy of people as far as Seattle.
Countless tears were shed in honor of his bravery, Christian witness, and his arms...which where open to anyone he felt needed a friend. I shed many tears as I read the book's account.
God had a purpose in this tragedy and this resulting book, that of bringing honor to Christ's name. This manuscript thoroughly covers Mark's life, family, his personal belief in Christ, and his police service. It also covers his impact on the community before and following the tragedy.

I went to high school with Mark Stall. We lost touch after graduation, as most people do. He moved his family to a small family town to get away from the "mess" of the big city. This book is about his life and tragic death - in the line of duty. But it's about more than that. It's about one man and how he affected so many people. It's about life changing moments that teach you to cherish every day.

Where we're headed next. Taking the motor home north this vacation. This is a thorough book that tells all about the where to's of fishing Idaho. Grampa who loves to fish the wild is going with us. There'll be no needless driving, just zeroing in on the trout. This book took about two weeks to reach us.

Wow! A truly superior guide for fly fishing Idaho. The author has assembled extensive maps, seasonal information, local regulations, hatch and fly recommendations, and numerous practical tips presented in a very user-friendly format. Great for both novice and seasoned anglers. It exceeded my expectations in every way and sets the standard for regional fishing guide books. I will definitely purchase other "No Nonsense Guides." If I don't catch fish armed with this information, I should just buy 'em at the supermarket!

I bought this book as a last minute item before our trip to the Grand Tetons. We traveled with our 7 and 10 year old children. We had the best family vacation and I contribute much of that to this guide. Each day we explored a new place and we were never disappointed. On our last full day in Wyoming, we found String Lake and it was breathtaking. After that find, none of us wanted to go back home. The author's description of every trail turned out to be true. We loved it. We didn't get through half of the trails we wanted to see so next year we will return with this trusty book in hand and continue to explore this beautiful part of our country. If you want to hike with your kids, this book is worth the money!

This book was the most well used and helpful of the several that we took along on our Teton vacation. It was absolutely exact in everything from its trail descriptions, to which forks to take for what results, to whether or not insects would bother us on a particular hike. We used it daily to plan our upcoming adventures. I appreciate having a hiking book geared toward young families, and this one surely enabled us to enjoy many great and unforgetable hiking experiences with our 3 children. I love the off the beaten path and hidden places that the author so expertly describes. Many times we felt that we were the only people in the park.

I found this book at a library book sale, it is now my favorite cook book. Every recipe I have made out of this book has been delicious.

My husband and I just ate a lovely lunch at a friend's home on the river here in our beautiful little valley. As not a crumb was left on our plate, I inquired ... the recipe was from this wonderful book, which my friend showed me. I shall be ordering one now. Thank you.

Somehow this book slipped my attention - but it's got it now! These photos give a fresh perspective to places I've been and places I wish I could go.

See Idaho as you've never seen it before through the eyes of photographer Mark Lisk. He has captured the essence of the State's diversity -- from the beautiful plains to the majestic mountains. This is an exceptional book and one that stays on my coffee table for guests to enjoy! I give this one five stars.

WE TAKE THIS BOOK WITH US WHEN WE GO CAMPING AND IT IS GREAT TO MARK THE FLOWERS WE SEE AND KNOW THE NAMES!!

Now in an updated second edition, Idaho Mountain Wildflowers: A Photographic Compendium has been expanded with the addition of 225 more plants, almost doubling the size of the catalogue. Beautiful full-color photographs of every flower's entry, along with its common and scientific names, and an extensive paragraph of descriptive text, distinguish this wildflower compendium accessible to lay people and professional botanists alike. The entries are arranged in alphabetical order by scientific family for easy reference, and an index enhances this captivating, easy-to-use guide.

Great little stories about Idaho. Perfect for anyone who enjoys Idaho history but isn't interested in dredging through volumes of it to get to the fun stuff.

If you have an interest in more obscure Idaho topics, this is the book for you. Rick's style is quick and quip. A good gift to send to your Idaho visiting friends.