Nevada Books

Brian Bruns has written a very entertaining book on the Comstock Ghosts and Hauntings. He has wrapped his own ghost hunting experiences into a book that is spooky as well as historical. It has been a pleasure to pass on my copy (and buy another for myself and also another for my daughter) to my daughter-in-law who also could not put it down.

On visiting Virginia City and the the Comstock area, you can put the buildings and locations together with their ghostly inhabitants thanks to Mr. Bruns. Mr Bruns writing style is refreshing and lively. His experiences are both humorous and well told making you feel like he is in the room talking to you instead of the reader just reading a book. I am still taking photos to see if the Blue Lady will make an appearance on film!

If you are planning a trip to this area or even if you are a Nevadan, this is a book worth reading and keeping as a guide to some of the events and places of our historical past that are evidently still making an impression on our present day.

I am eagerly awaiting Brian's next endeavors!!!!!

Fantastic, hair raising tales of hauntings of a legendary of boom town that is frozen in time in the Virginia mountains of Nevada! Historical references are enlightening and muster intrigue surrounding the wild west days of the mining boom. A must read for those that enjoy chills down their spine!

I have always had an interest in the ghosts and things that go bump in the night. This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I must say, was worth it's weight in gold! Every time I tell people about it and let them read some of it, they want to borrow my copy.

Comstock Phantoms is an amazing look at the history of the Virginia City area. This is no ordinary "I have a ghost story" book. This book has what all those other ghost books lack....historical reference! From the Blue Lady of the Old Washoe club, to the basic graveyard haunts, this author backs up the stories of the area with historical facts. He even takes the time to document his sources.

This book is not only entertaining, the historic sections bring to life the haunted areas, and makes it that much easier to beleive that the ghosts are real, and not just some made up tales to raise the hairs on your neck.

In addition, the ghost hunts the author goes on are wonderfully written and enertaining; closing the loop on the histrical past to the present. His descriptions take you right into the present day buildings and cemetaries.

Does he find a ghost? I'll let you buy it and find out.

5 stars!

I found myself thoroughly engrossed in this book and the writer's style, though I don't usually read that much history. It was engaging and entertaining and I've recommended it to several friends, who enjoyed it as well (come on, guys, write reviews!). I hope all of you out there who have even a tiny interest in paranormal experiences pick up this book and give it a read. It's great!

This is an easy reading book with well written descriptions of the hauntings in Virginia City and it's surrounds. The author's humor keeps the stories lively and his sprinkling of facts about the mine, city and state were both enlighting and fascinating. I'm re-reading it already.

A great western novel.
The gold rush.
The economic boom.
A story of revenge. What stories! A psychological profile of the murderer remarkably painted by Louis L'Amour. In further action on more than 400 pages.
A great western. One of the best.

This was my first L. L'Amour book and I loved it. It was relatively easy reading but very enjoyable. Mr. L'Amour is excellent at developing the characters and weaving them into the story. I had a hard time putting this book down at night before going to bed..
I have already purchased several more of his books and am planning on collecting the entire set.
You will definitely enjoy this book and this writer.

Comstock Lode is classic Louis L'amour. This book is extremely enjoyable and fast-paced. If you are just starting out on Louis, this book will not steer you wrong, it is a perfect example of his genius.

I just finished reading Comstock last week, when I happened to be up in the California gold country myself. I'm a garden writer, author of 5 published books, and I was in Placer County, speaking to the Auburn Garden Club. The town of Auburn, which sits in the middle of the gold rush's richest territory, is a neat place, one to visit if you get the chance. I noticed too that there is still a very busy mining supply store right on one of Auburn's main streets. There's still gold and silver being found up there!
But I digress: All of us who read Louis L'Amour's Westerns have probably noticed that while all of them are fun to read, some are certainly better than others. I thought that Comstock was darn good, and certainly one of the best of his books set in California. If you enjoy a fast-paced, action packed Western, I expect you'll like Comstock. I recommend it!

Louis L'Amour's Comstock Lode is a brilliant, fictional novel based on real events that will suck you in as soon as you start reading. I'm not one for westerns at ALL, but I was recommended this book and told myself, Why not? It sounds alright, nothing really better to read as of right now. I'll admit, the first few chapters started off a little dull, but then, you get deeper and deeper into the story and you can't put the book down. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure novels or Louis L'Amour in general.
Val Trevallion was a son of Tom Trevallion and his wife Mary, who lived in England until finding a large amount of gold and, moves to the States. While in Louisiana, Val's mother and the mother of another girl named Grita Redaway are brutally murdered by a group of shadowy characters, one of which Val will never forget the eyes of. Val and his father set out for the Wild West, but on the way there, his father gets murdered as well. A name on a gun gives Val a clue as to the identity of one man from the group of men that murdered his father and possibly his mother. Val goes to the Comstock where he is known as the toughest, most feared man around. While there, he will remeet Grita, a beautiful, budding actress and the memories come rushing back. His main mission: to kill those who killed his parents. But not everyone seems to be who they are, and Val has to come face-to-face with the man whose eyes haunted him years earlier in this edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Good selection of places in and near Las Vegas to go hiking with your dog and rates them for how difficult they are (great for me since I'm a fairly new hiker). Also has sections on what to include in the first aid kit for your dog and hiking tips (preparing for your hike, etc.), and tons of maps. It divides the hikes into different areas around Las Vegas and within each area goes into detail about each hike. I definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to "Best hikes with dogs Las Vegas and Beyond," I am much more adventurous and take my dog to new trails often. Directions to trails and details of terrain have helped me choose which hikes are best suited for my dog and I. The book takes "guessing" out of the equation. A must have for anyone hiking with or without a dog.

This book is great, it's so hard to find out about trails in the Las Vegas area (outside of the heavily populated areas). As a bonus, the authors are local and lead hikes every now and then around the valley. The web-site address for the guided hikes is printed in the back of the book.

I love, love, love this book! It is easy to read and all the hikes I've done (with my two dogs in tow) have been great. I would recommend this book to anyone (even if you don't hike with dogs). It is so hard to find a quality hiking book for this area. This is the BEST!

Chewbacca (25 lb pup) and I really enjoyed using the book on the trails! It was nice to know what hiking-obstacles we could expect. The first-aid section for dogs was really great too. If you've got a dog you blaze the trail with... then check this guide out.

I tried every way shape and form to lose weight. I thought I'd give it a try.

This is the way weight loss should be approached - by a real person with real emotions. Carole is so honest that you can't help but laugh in recognition of your own foibles. But she found a path to fitness and the rest of us can do it too. Better yet, our whole communities can become supports for health. Highly recommend!!!!!!

This book offers a lot of information for any reader who has struggled with their weight. Its filled with great ideas, and a whole host of professionals to give you motivation to loose weight the right way, the healthy way. Carol Carson's story of her transformation is one we all should read and use it for motivation to get fit and stay fit.

Carole Carson took our already wonderful community and made it even more wonderful! She has struggled with issues many of us have had throughout our lives. Her book has humor, helpful suggestions, and examples of people challenging themselves. Not to mention a map on how to loose weight and stay fit.
A must read for people interested in being fit.

Susan Michalski

I actually met Carole Carson and THEN read her book. Believe me, seeing the "after" first had a great impact on me. I never could have imagined the "before" Carole. She went from a pleasantly round grandmotherly type to a toned, energetic, athletic and strikingly attractive woman who looks like she could take on the world! Oh, did I mention that I met her on a tennis court in the Hawaiian Islands? My group was so impressed with her play, confidence and effervesence. Imagine my surprise when I read her book. After only a few chapters, I decided, "I want that!" Her ideas are easy to implement and I love hearing, "Are you thinner--you look great!" Better yet, I have new-found energy and confidence. Her story can be your story. You'll laugh out loud as you read how an entire town jumps on board as Carole motivates them to healthy living.

Three cheers for Cal Brantley! Lise Baker's new private detective is smart and funny and not afraid to speak her mind. Her cool demeanor is the perfect foil for the bizarre and deadly circumstances she finds when she investigates the death of a child in a Nevada casino. The Losers' Club is a great beginning for a wonderful new series.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know what the life of a real Private Investigator is like. This book could not have been written by anyone who is not a working PI. "The Losers' Club" is certainly the best PI mystery that I have read in a long, long time. Cal Brantley doesn't carry a gun but a cellular phone, a camera and a knowledge of people are all the weapons she needs. I think she one investigator I would like to work with and I am looking forward to hearing more of her story. Thank you, Lise S. Baker for writing this wonderful book.

It's hard to believe that this is this writer's first mystery novel! Lise S. Baker's style is very polished. Her extensive personal experience as a Private Investigator bring realism to this suspenceful insurance investigation of the death of a child in a Nevada Casino. It's one of those page turners that is usuall written by well established authurs. If the right Hollywood screen writer reads this one, it could actually end up as a big screen box office hit! As a Practicing PI myself, I was not only throughly entertained, but even learned a few trade secrets from a much more experienced PI, Ms. Lise Baker. I can hardly wait for the next advanture of Cal Brantley, a "new school" San Francisco, female PI.

Hard-boiled private-eyes have evolved from the Sam Spades ofthe 1940s, to the Mike Hammers of the 1950s, the Jim Rockfords of the1980s, and even to Rick Deckard in BLADERUNNER's futuristic film noir setting. (In the 1970s, Woody Allen spoofed the type in PLAY IT AGAIN SAM and his short stories "The Whore of Mensa" (in WITHOUT FEATHERS)and "Mr. Big" (in GETTING EVEN). In THE LOSER'S CLUB Lise Baker adds a new twist to the type with Cal Brantley, an attractive, tough but vulnerable female P.I. who distrusts corporations and macho men, is loathe to come off a job, relentless in her pursuit of truth, and very good at what she does. She is loyal to family and friends, with a soft spot for her demented ex-boyfriend.

Cal's new assignment partners her with an obnoxious ex-LAPD cop, an acquaintance of Mark Furhman. They travel together to Nevada, land of legalized gambling, prostitution, New Age spiritualists, and UFO fanatics. Baker deftly weaves all these elements into Cal's quest to investigate the death of a little boy, while she simultaneously tries to save her ex-boyfriend from self destruction. The character of Cal well drawn. Baker manages to avoid cliches as places Cal squarely in the genre of hard-boiled investigators. A professionally adept, emotionally scarred, love 'em and leave 'em sort, Cal's ambivalence about meaningless sex provides an interesting contrast to the private-eyes of yore. Unlike Sam Spade, Mike Hammer, and her other antecedents, Cal is the child of '60s flower children, with a passion for Led Zeplin. And this gives a different perspective to the seedy people and sordid things she witnesses.

Baker's rich imagination is well complemented by a fluid, engaging writing style that has no rough moments. Like Cal, Baker is a professional investigator, and she knows her stuff. Altogether, LOSER'S CLUB is a provocative update of the genre that keeps you turning the pages.

I am an avid mystery reader--Connelly, Crais, LeHane-- and this new novel is right up there. It's rare when I actually laugh out loud in the middle of a page--her dry humor really is appealing to me. Her writing is tight and evocative and Cal Brantley is a great character. I was definitely disappointed, though, in the last 1/4 of the book. Things got predictable and unbelievable, particularly so because the majority of the book was of such a high caliber. I thought there were too many characters in the novel--too many to be well-drawn and some of them (Violetta in particular)came out to be caricatures. The subplot about the ex-boyfriend could definitely have been left out and improved the book overall. But I am very much looking forward to her next book--hope there is one.

I neede to buy this book for a class/trip I am taking over spring break. I was very surprised that it was not a dry text book , but a very readable information guide to the entire area. Great book if your interested in the geology of the area.

I read it after I came back from a trip to Owens Valley, so I can't speak on using it for directions, but it is a great book. I began reading to find a few facts to label my trip photos with but found myself reading the entire Owens Valley half, even the places I didn't see. There are some crazy things in Owens Valley! A gravity deficit, piles of rock in neat columns, lava cooling into glass, water issues with Owens Lake... I couldn't stop reading even though I had work to do - bad bad, but so good!

The chapters on each location are longer and geologic feature are more detailed than your average guide book, so you understand the background and science, but there's no technical jargon, so it's very easy to understand. Very clear simple writing by people who obviously have a genuine appreciation for what they're writing about.

Most years we vacation in Mammoth. This book describes a number of convenient and interesting side trips to take with the family. We wander around, sometimes visiting the same features, sometimes visiting a new site. Always appreciating more & more of the world around us. My children have a much better feel for geological processes and their impact on the landscape than do their peers.

The book starts with a five page description of Eastern California's geological history, then jumps into 30 sites of interest, nearly evenly distributed between Death Valley & vicinity and the Eastern Sierra & vicinity. A glossary, "Sources of Supplementary Information," and an index round out the book.

Each site receives its own chapter, replete with photographs, maps, geological diagrams, and even driving directions, as needed. I'm not a serious geologist, but landscape features fascinate me. The explanations that the authors give work well for me: I can understand them well enough to explain them to children.

If you're interested in how the land has been shaped, if you're willing to turn off the tube & make contact with the natural world, then this book is for you. One of the best "field guides" to geology I own. One of my favorites, too. (The companion volume, GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, is also an excellent book).

Great to take along any drive through the area. Have your passenger read as you go, stop along the way for a closer look. Easy to read, not too "intellectual". This was my favorite guide to the area when I moved here (and still is)!

The southwest United States is a geomorphologist's dream... There's not a lot of green stuff covering up the beautiful geology! This book details the geologic features of Death and Owens Valley, CA. It gives the geologic history of features while succinctly describing the details of the processes that brought about these features. The Tufa Pinnacles in Searles Valley, the alluvial fans in Death Valley, the interesting history and development of Gower Gulch, the mysterious ascent of desert pavement, the glacial morraines and routes of the Tahoe and Tioga Stade glaciers at Convict Lake, the Mono Craters (Domes), Fossil Falls, the Alabama Hills and more. You'll even get the heebee jeebees when you read about the monstrous explosion of Ubehebe Crater! Certainly one of the most interesting and pleasurable books I've read in ages! Highly recommended for ANYONE who plans a trip to California's awe-inspiring Death Valley and environs! A must have!

Jud's look at how faith and God are moving in Las Vegas is truly fantastic. When we moved here several years ago, we were not sure if we would be able to find a faith community and church to be a part of. Turns out that faith, God and christianity is actually discussed more openly here than in California where we came from. I highly recommend Jud's book to get a good look at what he terms not "sin City' but "grace City". As the bible says, where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.

I loved this book so much, I bought 10 more copies for friends, then bought another one of his books! Ive never done that before. Great stories from people living in LV, where I lived 28 yrs.I worked with, and knew Henry, the story of whom is also in the book towards the end. Great chapters, but so are all the others! Great job Jud! I went to Canyonridge, the sister church of Central, great churches, great people, I go back and see them when Im in town! Great book, to read and to share, with "the message" very clear.

This is a great book, easy to read and hard to put down. The stories are life-changing and touching, wonderful job, Jud and Bill. Watch out world, "What happens in Vegas, is changing the world!"

You the know the commercial - "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." A great marketing campaign promoting you to come to sin city and indulge your wildest fancies, because who will know? I'm glad Pastor Jud didn't buy into this with the stories of gospel-renewed lives he has witnessed living in one of America's most notorious cities. What I love about this book is that it showed me how often I write off people because I feel they are beyond hope. This book shows that God's love in Christ can penetrate deeper than our deepest sins, and this has given me a lot of courage and compassion to view others as Jesus views them - with love and forgiveness...and of course, grace. Check this book out. It'll do your heart some good.

This is an awesome book about real people in Las Vegas who find Gods amazing grace...the stories are very touching and inspirational. I recommend it for all of us who live in Las Vegas and those who know of our city to gain an understanding of some real people who find hope and love the Lord here!

The full-color, glossy photographs of major landmarks and points of interest along the Emigrant Trail from Springfield, MO to Johnson's Ranch in Bear Valley are stunning. The color photos, all taken by Marilyn Newton, are grouped together in the beginning of the book, comprising 20 slick pages of almost 50 photos. It's hard to believe that wagon ruts from over 150 years ago still exist in places; happily, our continuous farming, building and paving haven't obliterated all traces of the route that so many people rode--and walked--in order to reach California.

Portraits, maps, drawings and sketches from the period are interspersed with sepia-toned contemporary photographs, some taken by Newton and some by other photographers, and appear on every page of the book. "The Donner Party Chronicles" is visually rich and stimulating. The area around Donner Lake and the route the relief parties followed are depicted in all seasons of the year. Even in black-and-white, the photos of Donner Lake and the surrounding mountains demonstrate the ruggedness of the terrain and deeply impress upon the reader the hopelessness the members of the Donner Party must have felt upon being snowed-in at the lake.

The book reads like a journal that would have been kept by one of the emigrants traveling with the Donner Party. The text is reprinted from installments journalist Frank Mullen, Jr. published in the weekly newspaper "The Reno Gazette-Journal" over the course of an entire year. The daily routine followed, problems encountered, and decisions made by the Donner Party are chronicled in a concise manner. The entries are short, most three or four paragraphs in length.

One very interesting feature of "The Donner Party Chronicles" is the map of the Emigrant Trail that appears on every left-hand page of the book, with the progress of the doomed emigrants clearly marked with a red dot. As you read along through the book, you see on every other page exactly where the emigrants were as the day's events took place. I found this map extremely helpful and fascinating. Watching the movement of the Donner Party as they traveled on foot at the pace of slow, plodding oxen made me better able to understand how great an undertaking their overland journey was. I shared this book with my husband, my Dad and my father-in-law, and they enjoyed it almost as much as I did!

This book is well worth the price, for the interesting text as well as the terrific photos; you can easily find what you're looking for in the pages, as each page is dated and the day's entry fairly short.

If you only read one book about the Donner Party, make it this one! The Donner Chronicles tells the story of doomed pioneers and their struggle to survive. It keeps the reader at the edge of his seat and provides great detail of the period and the people. Highly recommended for history buffs who want to read history as though it's a novel instead of a dry textbook. Great photos, maps and graphics add to the text.

Frank Mullen has added an important book to the history of Donner Party. The tragedy has been the focus of writing since the spring of 1847, but Mullen has found a fresh way to make the story understandable and, perhaps more importantly, human.

The book is a daily chronolgy of the year that it took the party to travel from Illinois to California, and each two-page spread of this large book is carefully laid out and presents a mix of graphics and text. It is rewarding if read straight through, yet very accessible if your reading style is more "grazing" than linear.

Mullen clearly has done his homework. The sheer volume of detail and complexity in the story can be overwhelming, and Mullen includes the details that are needed to clarify and develop the people in the story. He includes wonderful quotes from diaries and supporting material, and drawings of interesting side issues such as an analysis of the probable shape of the "Pioneer Palace Car." Additionally, Marilyn Newton's photographs of the trail as seen today make it real for a modern reader.

When I have given this book as a gift to anyone with an interest in American History, it has been very well received. A truly great book.

What a great account of a tragic historical event. I felt like i was right there with them. The day -by-day account made for easy reading and let you understand the exact timeline of what the Donner party went through. Frank Mullen and the Reno-Gazette did a great job and should be very proud to keep this history alive.

Yesterday I flew to California from Charlotte,NC. I spent my time in a jetliner, sipping a cool beverage, watching a movie on my laptop and towards the end of my journey, occasionally pertaking the beauty of snow-capped jagged mountain tops of the Sierra Nevada.

But, it was so different a mere 150 years ago. One had to travel in animal driven wagons carrying enough food and other necessities for the long and perilous journey, which could be brutally and tragically cut short by wild animals, unfriendly Indians or any natural calamity. No maps, no rest areas or highways or motels. Luck was the chief ingredient of success those days. This book tells the story of one such journey, where the travellers ran out of luck when they chose to use a shortcut and got snowbound in the Sierra Nevadas. What followed was a struggle for survival with human emotions running raw.

This book narrates this story on a day by day basis and is adorned with a lavish collection of color as well as black and white photographs of the trail and artifacts from those days. It takes one back all those years when one almost feels like a member of the doomed party. I recommend it highly for anyone with or without any interest in the events described!

On a personal note, I found one photograph especially poignant where the proven and the shortcut trails clearly branched. I could feel the indecision in the minds of the emigrants which sealed their fate.

Good DVD about what takes place in Burning Man. If you have never been there (which I have not) but plane to go. This DVD lets you know what you are in for.

This book will take you back to Burning Man but it's the DVD that I want to rave about. Watch it over and over. Beautifully done. A wonderful effort. Thanks to Holly and thanks to Bam Bam!

Kreuter's photography really captures the diversity, creativity and 'out of the box' off the wall craziness of Burning Man. The CD is first class too.

My husband and I starting our Burning Man experience in 1997 and have gone every year since. We've had 4 different theme camps alone or in collaboration with friends. We will have to miss the 2005 burn, as we will be relocating, so we bought books and DVD's to remember the fun times until we can come home again. Holly's book is wonderful and the DVD is sooo much better than anything else out there. It really just blew me away! We popped it into the DVD player one morning and were mesmerized and drawn in by the music, the images, the clouds and the incredible artistry of the whole production-it brings back the feeling of being there. I appreciate that she separated the interviews from the flow of images in the main movie.

A must have for anyone interested in Burning Man!

Based on the images of Holly Kreuter, Drama In The Desert: The Sights And Sounds Of Burning Man is a book and DVD set collecting full-color visuals and personal memories drawn from the harsh desert of Black Rock City, Nevada. Capturing the sometimes quizzical, sometimes cruel, sometimes dramatic art and documentary efforts of seventy contributors, Drama In The Desert is strongly recommended as an eclectic, unique, and vibrant experience impressing its fiery artistic message upon the reader's spirit.

Hard Road West is beautifully written and a "must" read for fans of American Western history. In my opinion, the most informative and comphrensive telling of the saga of the Oregon/California trail and the overland journey during the Gold Rush. The trail and geology maps alone are worth the cost of the book. This is a book I will keep in my library and will enjoy for many years.

As we make our way west Mr. Meldahl enlightens us not only to the features we pass but how we ourselves came to inhabit our planet. As we absorb the latest gripping geology we imagine with regret how much this knowledge would have pleased the pioneers. I know and love many of these places and now my excitement is magnified by this narrative. The inclusion of the photo of his dog Scout is one of the author's brilliant human touches. The merging of interjected historical records, romantic and unromantic impressions of travelers then and now with broad but incisive academic detailing into an even flow of narrative is astonishing. Superb drawings, maps and photos supplement and enlighten the text. I cherish this book. John Weiler

If you like geology, you will love this. Not a quick read and all the better for it. This discussion of how the West was formed makes the travails of the travelers West in the mid-nineteenth century seem superhuman. Every other chapter enlivens the material with excerpts from emigrant diaries. These are memorable! The book is well sourced,has helpful photographs and drawings and has a glossary of geologic terms. I found it hard to put down and even inspiring.

This is a very good geology book. The American west is hideously complicated, and Mr Meldahl does a great job explaining it. He develops his concepts and uses aerial and satellite photos along with diagrams to illustrate. Being young and hence having completed his education recently, he brings to the text all the latest ideas and vocabulary.

And it does look as if we are getting a solid handle on it. His discussion of the horizontal subduction of the Farallon plate, and of its extra thickness suppressing vulcanism, was particularly timely. Just yesterday I read a story on Science Daily (dot com) about an area of Alaska lacking volcanoes. The authors of the paper gathered data indicating that the plate being subducted there posessed an extra thickness and was sliding along horizontally without actually sinking. I knew exactly what they were talking about, thanks to Hard Road West!

Many such prizes exist in the text. Read this book to get up-to-date on this complicated topic.

In 1985 the PC game "Oregon Trail" became available. My daughter and I played it when she was in grade school around 1988. I learned that about 135,000 people took the Oregon Trail. Mr Meldahl tells us that a total of 400,000 people took the California Train and Oregon Train together from 1841 to 1869 when the railroads went through. That leaves around 265,000 gold rushers. Was it really the greatest mass migration in American history? (preface pp xv) An average of 300,000 vehicles passed over the George Washington bridge every day in 2002. (NYSDOT 2002) You be the judge.

But why quibble? It is the journey that interests the author, and he uses his sources well. The many first-person quotes really were good, as were the contemporary illustrations.

So let's join Keith in raising a toast. I'll open a Heineken in their honor, and his, tonight. "Hey, I liked your book, man!"

This is a really good book, a great read. The author is a gifted writer and he beautifully weaves the tales of the emigrant travels to California with the landscape geology that they had to cross. I am a big reader of geology books and this is one of the best that I have read. With all due respect to Mr. Mcfee who pioneered this genre (and I have also read and enjoyed over the years), I think this book is at least as good and maybe even better. First of all, Hard Road West uses numerous pictures and diagrams to explain complicated geological principals which are invaluable for understanding the geology. And Hard Road West lets the emigrants themselves tell the story though their travel journals. Its a wonderful approach and makes the geology jump out of the page as you follow the emigrants almost step-by-step through their many travel hardships crossing the west to reach California. He is a really fun writer and I look forward to many other books by him in the future. Highly recommended.