Arizona Books

I bought this guide mainly for places to ride our quads. Even though the book is geared towards 4WD vehicles, it still gives you enough information to decide if this is a place that you would also like to ride your ATVs.

This is a worthwhile book if you are looking for quad, jeep or hiking trails. It isn't as complete as I would have liked but it is worth the price.

This is a great book to get off-road with. I haven't tried too many, but what I've seen is very accurate.

I have traveled countless miles of Southwestern trails, and I think these are the best trailbooks available for Arizona and Moab. Wells has selected the most scenic and interesting trails, with concise and simple directions. Some people may find the non-topo maps confusing at first, but combined with the written directions, GPS coordinates, and basic common sense anyone should find their way through without incident.

The book is thorough, with relative charts for difficulty and overall enjoyability of a trail, as well as driving tips and preparation guidelines.

As with any printed book, some of the info gets outdated rather quickly, but he does try to post updates on his website. No matter how good a trailbook is, always use an additional navigation source: topo maps, atlas, land management maps (BLM or USFS) and always check with local 4x4 shops, clubs or land management agencies for current conditions.

Great resource. Good maps, good directions and even GPS waypoints. Couldn't ask for more.

Just returned from a tour of the Southwest. The field guide was easy to use. I liked the fact that it covered so many aspects of the Southwest and eliminated having to tote five or six field guides to cover most of the subject matter.

This field guide is really usefull. It has a basic description of hte animals, plants, geology, insects, and weather of the Southwest.

I initially found this book in the library and enjoyed it so much I wanted my own copy to carry with me when out hiking in the Tucson, AZ area. Informative, accurate, and easy to access information. For such a small field book it packs complete info regarding plants, trees, birds, reptiles and general info on geology and natural history in the southwest. If you want to learn more about the southwest desert - this is a must have field book

This is a good book to have along as you explore the beauty of the region. It is not very comprehensive, but then if it was it would not be small enough to carry with you in the field, which would defeat its purpose. I feel it is well worth the price and will use it on my upcoming venture into the Southwest this October. I will also take several other books on the Southwest because each provides additional information for this region. It's not possible to get all the reference information in one volume, but this is a great book if you can only have one, and it is small enough to carry along on hikes or explorations. It is also bound properly for field use, an important feature.

this is the one to take! Like carrying a park ranger in your backpack to help you know what you are looking at. Trees and wildflowers, animals of the land, sky and water, minerals, stars of the night sky. Increase your knowledge and understanding of the beautiful places you visit and your own backyard. Check out the Audubon Field Guides to Florida and other regions as well. Well worth the money. Lots of color photographs and well organized for easy use.

As a resident of a small, dark, cold and remote place in Arctic Alaska, I join many of our 4,200 residents in protesting the demotion of Pluto to dwarf planet status.
This book shows that as we explore the outer regions of the solar system, we are finding so much more than rock-solid, unchanging frozen outposts.
Even before the New Horizons spacecraft reaches Pluto/Charon in 2015, the authors carefully summarize decades of precise science to learn a lot about this dynamic system
We already know that Pluto has an atmosphere, and may resemble Neptune's surprisingly active moon Triton, which has ice geysers, long vapor and dust trails and evidence of a changing surface.
We learn about the hard work, and frequent frustration as astronomers travel around the world to find vantage points when Charon passes in front of Pluto, or Pluto passes in front of a star.
Imagine the challenges of observing such motions of small bodies more than 3 billion miles away!
Get the book, keep it close, and we will all get ready for New Horizons to finally give us a close up view of this fantastic planet and moon

The reviewer below - An.McCracken - is a fake. He reviews countless books each day but he does not read the books, just paraphrases other people's reviews. REPORT THIS TO AMAZON. Click on (Report this) link under the review, next to the voting buttons.

The author and New Horizons Principal Investigator, Alan Stern, is obviously excited (i.e. worse than a creationist zealot) about Pluto and Charon. But he doesn't fairly tackle the other side of the debate: who really cares? Yes, scientists can make up reasons why the American government should waste millions of dollars to send a spacecraft to Pluto, Charon, and the Kuiper Belt, but what startling science will be advanced by two pieces of ice that we already have a pretty good understanding of after Voyager 2's trip past Neptune's moon Triton in 1989? Even if we lack a fundamental understanding of so-called ice dwarf class planets, is the extraordinary cost really worth the benefit? Any scientist will admit that it is extremely unlikely that we will find life on Pluto or Charon. Can we finally solve the debate about whether Pluto is a planet or a KBO? Wow. What a great use of over $700 million. I think that Stern and other Planetary Society members need to focus on more important, and less selfish, world problems, such as genocide and starvation in Somalia or Al Qaeda. Or at the very least, spend the money on a worthy objective, such as sending another craft to Jupiter's moon Europa, a place where we might actually find life.

If you don't know much about the "King of the Kuiper Belt", read this book, and you will have a very clear scientific description of this "massive comet"...

This book is complete, starting from the historic discovery (blind luck, really) of Pluto, the subsequent observations that kept on shrinking the planet, then the suprising discovery of Charon, the fortuitious Pluto/Charon occultation, and the latest HST results.

Easy to read, and yet technical enough, this book will probably make you love this planet, even though it's only a big comet saved from destruction by its orbital resonance with Neptune... and will make you hate NASA (or the US Congress) for not going forward with their Pluto Express probe.

This book is a well-written and enjoyable summary of what we know about Pluto and its relatively huge moon Charon. However, the fact of the matter is we don't know much because we have yet to send a spacecraft to this fascinating double planet! Stern and Mitton do a great job presenting the timeline of our discoveries about Pluto as well as the latest theories on the compositions and origin of these bodies.

I was especially impressed with the discussion of Pluto's atmosphere changing as a result of the planet's greatly elliptical orbit around the Sun. In addition, the authors give a great detailed breakdown of the discoveries gleaned from the mutual occultations in the late 80s. Also, this book was written several years ago but we have since indeed found many more Kuiper Belt objects that lend great credibility to the theory of Pluto simply being one of the largest of that family.

Too much time was spent on describing the birth and continuing struggles of the Pluto Express project. This discussion would have been more appropriate if the spacecraft had even launched, let alone successfully completed its mission. But the fact is that NASA's funding issues have kept the project grounded for now. Hopefully it'll fly in the next couple years. If it doesn't, much of the mission may be compromised because Pluto is getting farther from the Sun each day and as a result its atmospheric activity is dying.

Overall a great effort and worth your time. Don't expect incredible revelations and photographs though, because we still have yet to visit the place!

I had such a great time reading this book! This author definitely knows how to capture your attention and hold it! This one, I would have to say, is one of her best!

The novel is set in Stone Creek, Arizona Territory, in 1905. Two people have arrived in town. Lark Morgan came to town a few months earlier and took the vacant position as schoolteacher in the local school. She is obviously well educated, but seems too well dressed to be a typical schoolteacher. She is boarding at Mrs. Porter's Rooming House. Then Rowdy Rhodes arrives in town, summoned there by an acquaintance to serve as town marshall and help in apprehending train robbers operating nearby.
He arrives at Mrs. Porter's Rooming House to rent a room for the week.

It is a small town where people gossip and speculate, but everyone has hidden secrets. Even the nosy madam at the local bordello does not know everything (although she does keep private records of her clients). Lark is obviously running from something. Rowdy has things in this past that he will not talk about. There is the question about Mr. Porter, who is not there, but who Mrs. Porter seems to be expecting at any moment. There is young Lydia, daughter of the local doctor, who does not get along with her stepmother. And there is the Chinese couple - the wife works as Mrs. Porter's maid.

People's pasts start to catch up with them. There are tales of spousal abuse, white slavery, child abuse, and reformed outlaws. The novel has fairly strong sexual content, and some amount of violence consistent with the story. There are a few surprises.

A Wanted Man Book (2) could stand alone. Although, I would
recommend to read The Man from Stone Creek (1). In this
book Rowdy Rhodes and Pardner were introduced. Pardner he's
a dog! I loved how the author intermingle him into the story
line. Almost all the characters in The Man from Stone Creek
played a part in A Wanted Man. Schoolmarm Lark Morgan and
sex Rowdy Rhodes had an instant attraction (physical chemisty)
when they first laid eyes on each other at Mrs. Porter's
boarding house. Both, sense the other were hiding a secret.
I also, like the secondary characters as well. Rowdy's brother
Gideon, (Sixteen) he played a sufficient role. Lydia a sweet
eight year old stole my heart. LLM hinted at their own story.
I hope it does materialize. Another secondary character
Mrs. Porter the landlady. I don't what to give anything away.
Throughout the book Mr. Porter was mentioned. The ending
that involved Mrs. Porter I was rather surprised!

"A Wanted Man"
An absolute keeper. Explicit Sex.
At the beginning of the book Linda Lael Miller wanted
to tell everyone about a special group of people with whom
she recently become involved. The Humane Society of the
United States, specifically their pets for Life Program.
Adding Pardner (dog) played a medium key role
in, A Wanted Man, I thought he was cute...

I highly recommend!
Rose

I love Westerns, whether books or movies. Just like historicals, they bring you back to a place and time we can only imagine. LLM's books do this with a light reading and a fairly good story. Sensuality is a 9 and you kind of have to get around this for historical fact.

Both Rowdy and Lark were good characters. Rowdy was the perfect man; bad but extremely good inside and out. Lark wasnt a simpering 18 y.o. I dont like books where the heroine is that young. The book was a very good companion on an overnight business trip. Will read more of LLM.

Lark Morgan is a schoolmarm with a secret she can't afford for anyone to learn. New to Stone Creek, Arizona, she teaches in a one-roon schoolhouse in clothing more befitting a woman of wealth and stature than a poorly paid single woman.

Rowdy Rhodes is the new marshall of Stone Creek and new to town as well. He's been hired by a fedeal ranger to keep peace in a small town, as well as help find the gang of train robbers who are disrupting rail sesvice and scaring passengers away. Rowdy has a secret of his own and being found out could mean the end of his freedom.

When Rowdy's father and younger brother show up, it spells trouble for the new marshall. Lark has trouble of her own on the horizon when the owner of the railway gets held up by the train robbers, one who has eyes the same deep blue as Rowdy's. Rowdy needs to put a stop to the robberies, and Lark needs to find a way out of town before the train's owner finds her. And both of them might be better off if they weren't so darned attracted to each other. But, who can they trust?

Throw in an elderly landlandy with secrets of her own, a little girl left to fend for herself, a 20-year-old third grader, and a Chinese doctor and his wife--and you have an ensemble sure to make for an entertaining story.

You can expect to laugh, sigh, and feel the pull of your heartstrings with this one. A well-written tale from an author who knows her way around a horse and a dog. Highly entertaining read.

Armchair Interviews says: Once you read a Linda Lael Miller book, you'll look for others.

First of all, let's get something out of the way. While some have criticized this books credibility, the author clearly details his vast and unparalleled access to sources who know what happened, and even has pictures of himself with some of the contributors. Having studied the field of Earp and the Old West, I can confidently state that I believe that what is in here is just as accurate or more so as nearly anything else I've read. For example, some authors' works are deemed "credible" if they cite newspaper articles from the day. Okay...take Tombstone for instance. It had a number of newspapers which gave wildly different accounts of events, depending upon the political persuasion of the editor. Hardly a 100% accurate source (i.e. SOMEONE was lying!) So why is this book any less credible than others? If you want a book that cites a bunch of dry newspaper articles, and gives a black and white chronology of events at Tombstone, there are plenty to choose from. If you want a book that is very well written and answers a lot of questions previously unknown, I recommend this one. I couldn't put it down. Perhaps the best book I have read on Earp/Tombstone history, and will likely read it again. Dave in Iowa

When this book was first offered to the public, it was not clear exactly whether it was radically new historic material, or the author's imagination. Without recounting the explosive battles between Earp historians that followed, when the dust shook out, it became clear that fiction it was. As fiction, my own opinion is that it is rather average--Boyer is not a prose master. But it does have some fun and fine moments. If you like educated speculation on how the past might have played out, it will not disappoint.

Due to a degree of personal experience with the production of this book by a basically amateur publisher (at that time) I took particular notice of the review that commented that the book was "aptly categorized" as juvenile literature. This category, of course, is not applied by the copyright office, but by the publisher. In this case, his secretary assumed that this would rope in even kids in order to sell more books.

While the writing is so clear that most kids could understand almost any passage, this is definitely a mature presentation. Also, in my opinion, the best ever written. As for errors of fact, the facts in this case, and there must be some, are so controversial it would be hard to get a consensus about any assertion that aspired to be a fact. What are presented here as facts are presented so credibly that this book rates higher as factual than any I have seen in the Earp field.

It appears more likely that criticisms of this book, which were so heavy when it was first issued were by adversarial Earp researchers who have since gone down the road suggested by this major inquiry and discovered that perhaps the signs were all pointing in the right direction to begin with.

And one must never overlook motivations of jealousy among competing writers. This book has been saluted as a classic of the writers art by a good number of professinal writers with no ax to grind. Try it out. So many have commented that this book transports the reader into the time and place. This is probably since the author is both a novelist and a great researcher, old enough to have rubbed elbows with the participants and their contemporaries.

I read Wyatt Earp's Tombstone Vendetta for the first time--and enjoyed it--shortly after I became interested in Tombstone, Arizona and the people who lived there in the early 1880s. I read it for the second time after I had become much more familiar with the history of the town and the story of Wyatt Earp, and I enjoyed it much more. The more knowledge one has about Tombstone and its "players," the more they will come to life in a reading of this book.

As another reviewer has written, this book will grab you on Page One. I have never read a better Historical Novel. This is Boyer's true masterpiece and should be owned by all Western Buffs!!! The insight in which Boyer rights of the Earp's is legendary and he puts it all together in this gem!!! I have read this at least 5 times and find something new with each visit. Buy this now!!!

The Moon handbook was an excellent resource for my recent trip to Arizona!! I constantly referred to it. I traveled from Bisbee to Page traversing the state from South to North. I agreed with most of the "Must See" places even though it tends to recommend "elite" sites and restaurants (at least in my opinion). I always enjoyed the restaurants they suggested but stayed away from the "Must See" ones as they were quite expensive. If you're going to Arizona you must see Sunset Crater National Monument. It was incredible!! Happy Travels!

Alas, the 9th edition of Arizona (2005) is the last one that I will write in the Moon Handbook series. The publisher has contracted a new author to write a smaller, more opinionated 10th edition with new text. It should not be judged--good or bad--based on the previous editions.

--Bill Weir
(Moon Handbooks Arizona, Editions 1-9)

I've been relying on Bill Weir's Moon guide since it first came out in 1986. I still have a first edition in storage somewhere (I think). These comments apply to the 9th edition, published in early 2005 -- which means a 10th edition is likely in preparation as I write this review.

In addition to the 9th ed., I have in front of me the 6th ed. of 1996. It's interesting to compare the two. The older book is a "svelte" 488 pages; the new one weighs in at a hefty 650 pp., and is a bit larger-format, too. The newer book has, well, more stuff, better paper (less show-through), better maps, but doesn't appear as sturdily-bound as the older one, and lacks the nice rounded corners.

I've lived in Arizona for 30 years, but always learn something new thumbing through Weir's guide. About the only weakness is the occasional dodgy restaurant review -- and in fairness, these are 2-3 year old reviews.

If you live in Arizona, or plan to travel here, you need this guidebook. So, what are you waiting for?

OK, you can wait for the 10th ed. if you live here. Others, grit your teeth, fork over your 15 bucks. Money well-spent: half a tank of gas, a cheap restaurant meal....

Happy travelling--
Peter D. Tillman
Rimrock, AZ (winters)
--
The site for the future University of Arizona was donated to the
Territory by two professional gamblers and a saloon keeper in 1886.

We have purchased about 7 Moon Books with Arizona being the latest purchase. Good refernce books---up to date and easy to read. We find them better than the AAA Tour Books. A fair price. Needs to be kept up to date with changes occurring so often,it is a good idea to check the "published date"

For anyone planning to visit Arizona, this is definitely the best guide you can bring with you. Although I wish it had more photos give a clue as to what you'll be seeing, the excellent maps, detailed descriptions, and sheer volume of information provided more than makes up for it. I had only a few days in Arizona and didn't have time to waste, so it was important that I find the best places to see while I was there. This book proved to be absolutely vital for my trip. Without it I would never have found many of the interesting sights that I visited. In short, don't go to Arizona without this book.

This "pocketbook" and I say that loosly due to the heavty size is a must have for any echo tech. It is a life saver when trying to recall pathology or getting an accurate classification of pathology. Well worth the money.

This is a great reference book for any Cardiac Sonographer... its a must. The only complaint I have about the book is that it does not have an index.

I received the first edition of this book during my cardiovascular training and thought it was the perfect book for helping with the various criteria and findings for various cardiovascular conditions from the point of view of the echo exam. When I came across this second edition, I found that Reynolds did the impossible; he improved on this perfect book. The criteria and findings are supplemented by numerous images depicting the item described (example: mitral flow patterns). This definitely helps to reinforce the material. By no means a stand-alone text, but when combined with Otto or Feigenbaum, a ready reference and review tool. Highly recommended!!

I have been in the field since the 70's and find this reference to be one of the best. I always find what I want quickly and also use it for a teaching guide with students doing their externships with me. Anna Wynott B.S., R.D.C.S.

This book offers a wealth of information but the format is terrible and misspelled words are a frequent find. Mr. Reynolds is extremely inconsistent throughout the entire book, interchanging words such as univentricle and single ventricle anatomy within the same chapter. There is no index which makes any quick search impossible. The binding used for the handbook is of very poor quality. Both the front and back covers ripped within 4 weeks of normal use and had to be taped on.

My children read this when they were small and I bought it for my grandson.

This is one of those children's books that grownups love to read to children and children love to read over and over again. We're into a third generation of Beverly Cleary fans. This book is especially great if you've been struggling to find something to read to a six year old boy!

Oh how we love Henry Huggins! My daughter (age 8) just adores these books! Our most recent read, Henry and Beezus didn't disappoint. Told in the same chapter style as the previous books, we start out with Henry and is dog getting into more trouble...this time with the neighbors and their roast and where Henry swears to his friends that he'll have a bike as nice as Scooter's. From there we follow Henry on a raccous, fun-filled set of adventures which involve him striking gum gold, untraining Ribsy to fetch the paper (hileraious), a dog and his parking ticket, an awesome and funny bike auction, and finally the boy who ate dog food! In this group of stories, Ramona and her sister are also key players in each adventure and they lend a nice touch to this particular set of stories. Will Henry get that spiffy red bike he's got his eye on? Will he ever save enough money...or will Ribsy and Ramona "help" him right out of his chance to get it? Since this story, like others in the series, was written in the 1950's, it has a dated "leave it to beaver" feel...but that's also a great deal of the charm. They are clean cut, the kid's respet their parents and take their problems to them...and whey they get in trouble, even though they somtiems lie...there is always discussion and rational solving of the issues. I like that and apparently so does my daughter. I give it an A+, another classic that is sure to keep right on pleasing kids for years to come!

Are you bored of mystery books? Well, get Henry and Beezus. It's the most funny book ever. It's about Henry wanting a bike and earning it. Henry finds lots of bubble gum packages and sells them. But a lot of kids at school are tired of them. Then Scooter goes to camp while Henry is taking his route to deliver Journals on the neighbors' front door step. Then Henry is dared to eat Woofy Dog Food. After that Henry has won beauty tickets, so Henry sold his beauty tickets and got his bike. --Andrea Arauza, Aimee Lopez, Shelly Newman and Diana Ruiz in Ms. Marik's 6th grade class

On a scale of one to ten Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary is a twenty. That is why I am going to try to persuade you to read this wonderful book. The first reason you should read this book is because once you pick it up you just cannot put it down. It has so many funny things that happen to Henry, Beezus, and Ramona that you cannot wait to read what happens next. Now I am going to tell you a little about this book. It is about a boy, Henry, who wants a new bicycle. His parents cannot afford to buy him one so he decides to find a way to get the money himself. If you want to know how he gets the money you will have to read the book. But don't think that reading a book about a boy that gets money to get a bike is boring. In this book Beverly Cleary makes it so much more interesting. So if you want a book that you can read that will bring the kid side out of you again, read Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary.

This book give to the reader and future traveller an unique vision of the history of this country. the writer help us to understand the people that inhabited this country and the geological features of this land of enchantment. For an european like me is the first and essential step to the visit of a country.

This is a great travel book, providing quick and easy to reference to the lay-of-the land in the four-corners region in the style of a virtual tour of the area. The author takes you along his journey, showing you what to see and do, how to get there, where to eat, sleep, shop--or simply soak up the sublime beauty.

My wife and I plannned a trip to the Four Corners area and at the last moment received Journey to the High Southwest as a gift. We read it during the plane ride and made immediate adjustments to our travel schedule. The results were so good that we continued, chapter by chapter, to use Mr. Casey's guidance and suggestions. For those uninitiated in the region, or even experienced Four Corners visitors, we strongly suggest this guide. It will provide very accurate and useful information to anyone who uses it. Read the entire book - before you go!

This book give to the reader and future traveller an unique vision of the history of this country. the writer help us to understand the people that inhabited this country and the geological features of this land of enchantment. For an european like me is the first and essential step to the visit of a country.

This is a serious guidebook for travellers who take their touring and sightseeing seriously. It covers the Four Corners region of the southwest (UT, CO, NM, AZ) and is divided into four geographic sections. It includes information on the history of each section (in detail), points of interest (fully described), and where to stay/eat (fully annotated). Chapters focus on the canyon country of Utah, the Indian country of Arizona, the Rocky Mountains, and the Rio Grande country. There are also a full index and a substantial bibliography. It's everything you could ask for in a guidebook and should be taken along by anyone travelling in this region. Highly recommended.

I read one of Ms. Miller's McKettrick books last year and found it ok. I picked up "The Man from Stone Creek" a couple of weeks ago, in the need for a good book on a long weekend (and I love historical Western romances) but couldn't find anything in the bookstore that really caught my eye. This book is a definite winner. The build up to the main conflict and the character development are great, including the conflict that builds between the main characters. I can't wait to read the sequel to this one!!

I'm never dissapointed when Linda Lael Miller's name is on the cover. Excellent book!

With an impressive number of audio book titles to his credit stage actor Buck Schirner has established himself as a first rate narrator. His reading of the story of Ranger Sam O'Ballivan is arresting (no pun intended) and vital as he effectively captures Sam's first impression of Haven, Arizona, as well his gradually growing attraction to postmistress Maddie Chancelor.

Sam arrives in the border town of Haven in search of a rough gang of thieves who have been wrecking havoc throughout the surrounding territory. He comes disguised as a school teacher whose first order of business is to straighten out the ranchers' undisciplined children who have been creating a little havoc of their own. One of the most unruly young ones is Terran, Maddie's younger brother.

The self-sufficient Ranger is in for a surprise when he meets Maddie, a very pretty and proper young woman who has a temper and toughness all her own. She doesn't take kindly to his comments about her brother, yet finds the newcomer strangely appealing.

Before long Sam becomes aware of a planned train robbery and pulls out all the stops to capture the brigands before they make off with a load of Mexican gold. The surprise is in who the robbers turn out to be.

For those who like romance and skullduggery served with a Western flavor, this one's for you!

- Gail Cooke

I am a recent fan of Linda Lael Miller and I really enjoy her books because she has a way with making her characters alive and interesting. The Man From Snowy River is about an under cover G-Man who is poseing as a school teacher of all things and the female lead is a shop owner with a young brother to support and of course they clash over the brother who the teacher feels is spoiled by his sister, you then have the bad guys who the G-man is out to get, i will not get into the nitty gritty of the story as it would spoil it for the readers but in a nutshell, it is a great story, the characters are well done and it will leave you with a smile on your face.

I've read many books by this author. The last two books have been my favorites. The Man From Stone Creek is a western story that's beautifully told. You can picture the Arizona setting. Maddie is strong and vulnerable at the same time. Sam is everything you want in a hero. He's tender and caring, but he's all man. I could not put the book down. Very much worth the hardcover price, excellent read.