New Mexico Books

It is with envy that we European botanists see the publication of bryological books in the United States. The two volumes about the moss flora of Mexico are a superb example of how well written bryological books can be. The Flora is beautifully illustrated, the keys work and the descriptions are excellent. Everybody only remotely interested in this group of plants will gladly welcome it as an addition to their collection.

From cover to cover this guide allows you to follow it's contents easily and affectively. You won't be wasting your ride time figuring out where to go. The maps are easy to read, giving you just the right information. There are graphs that show you distance in relation to elevation, a real helpful tool in guaging if this ride will be what you want. It also discribes terrain and gives a scale of difficulty to aide in the decision making. I enjoy carring this book with me when I ride because it is so easy to use. I would highly recomend this and other Falcon guides to any avid mountain biker like myself.

Mountain Wildflowers Of The Southern Rockies: Revealing Their Natural History" is the work of retired academician Carolyn Dodson (University of New Mexico General Library) and William W. Dunmire (Associate in Biology at the University of New Mexico). The result of this impressive collaboration is a superbly illustrated and enthusiastically recommended field guide to the principle wildflowers most commonly associated with Southern Rocky Mountain landscapes during the high country seasons ranging spring through to the end of fall. This mountain range runs from Taos, New Mexico to Casper Wyoming, and from Colorado Springs to Boulder on the east and west, to Grand Junction. Featuring 201 color photos, 58 line drawings, and a map, "Mountain Wildflowers Of The Southern Rockies" offers 192 pages of informed and informative information including each featured plant's physical description as a wildflower, the plants individual roles in human history, their relationship with birds and insects, their origins and family characteristics, as well as their evolutionary details. From western wallflower, columbine, larkspur, shooting star, and lupine, to water hemlock, primrose, flax, scarlet penstemon, and bluebells, the flowers showcased in this very highly recommended reference include the individual flower's Latin name. Featuring a glossary, suggested references, a selected bibliography, and an index, "Mountain Wildflowers Of The Southern Rockies" could well serve as a template for similar field guides for wildflowers in other sections of the country.

As a former Circus Clown who traveled with a "Mud Show" in the late 1970's, I have read many books on the subject. None of them capture the true sense, and feeling of what is was like in the "back yard" of a tent show as this one does. It brought back many memories, some good and some bad. So if you are looking for a true and complete picture of what it is like to run away and join the Circus from behind the scenes, then this is the book for you.

This is a sweet, tender collection of the author's recollections of growing up in an Albuquerque neighborhood with both a grocery store, where he worked, and the Catholic Church, which he attended. He writes of his neighbors with gentle wit and wisdom and reveals their souls in a manner that will make you proud that such a poet exists to give substance to the bricks and mortar of a neighborhood. Lopez teaches in the English Department of Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. What a wonderful, inspiring poet.

I love the lore of the rio grande valley & this book is a great collection of some of it's stories...

Martinez's book is a gem! Though, I'm somewhat biased since I grew up listening to the stories of my grandmother. Now years later I still do not get tired of hearing trickster stories and adventures. It is quite a treat to have these stories at hand to flip through and read. Chapters are easily organized to read as stand alone stories. My Life in San Juan Pueblo comes with a CD so readers can get a sense of how Martinez paints a story through her words. Whether this book is read by a young child or the young at heart, readers can get a sense of Pueblo life and culture as lived by a respected and accomplished educator. It is through the stories that are read and re-told in which Pueblo culture and story continue to breathe life. And, the stories collected in My Life in San Juan Pueblo embody how storytelling is at the heart of Pueblo existence.

My favorite is The Old Man Bat and the Chickadees. Enjoy!

Fray Angelico Chavez takes us on a tour de force ride through the landscape of the Southwest and especially of New Mexico. This is a magical romp through history of the New World as pertaining to the New Mexico, which is the land, where Fray Angelico Chavez feels at home in. This is a fictionalized historical account, which seems fantastic at time, and it is very addictive read, considering that it deals with history, but does so in very entertaining, and magnetic way. Anyone interested in the Southwest should read this book as it will enlighten, and educate. It contains classical, biblical, and native american allusions, references, and influences. The brethen of Don Quixote also make appearance, and seem very much at home in the strange landscape of the new world. Penitentes walk through bearing their crosses. Read it, and you will never look at the Southwest in quite the same way again.

The editiorial reviews available on this fine publication only hint at its value to preservationists, architects, and anyone involved with architectural design review boards. Wilson provides a concise history of Santa Fe and the cross-cultural influences that have shaped its architecture. Most importantly, the author examines the influence that early 20th century historic preservation philosophies had in formalizing what has ultimately become the "Santa Fe Sytle." This is essential material for anyone interested in examining how historic preservation can impact, both positively and negatively, contemporary architectural aesthetics.

Former New Mexico state historian Robert J. Torrez presents Myth of the Hanging Tree: Stories of Crime and Punishment in Territorial New Mexico, a close study of various criminal cases that tell of the often gruesome role that legal hangings and lynching's had in enacting frontier justice. In these violent episodes lie an indelible legacy influencing America's modern perception of the Old West. Myth of the Hanging Tree sorts truth from fiction. Illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, Myth of the Hanging Tree is a singularly fascinating addition to crime history reference shelves and collections.