North America Books

We were very unhappy we bought this through Amazon.The seller was asked to please put a RUSH on this book because our trip was planned in two weeks. We did not receive a response from the seller indicating it would be longer and we didn't receive out book before our trip to Colorado. It was a big disappointment. Never again.

F. Mitchell

The detailed and varied information in this book far exceedes other comparable travel books. It is well organized and concise. Especially enjoyable are the historical backgrounds provided about each place. Knowing Colorado better than my home state, as I travel there frequently, I would not go without this book!

The Colorado Guide (5th edition) is exactly what I was looking for in a Colorado guide book. Besides giving your usual guide information for Colorado, it also included some of the more unusual places to check out, like the Wheeler Geological Site for example, near Creede, CO. Wonderful history stories of areas of interest, and food and lodging info/ratings also. I use it to find new ares to explore and as a reference. I highly recommend The Colorado Guide, especially if your looking to explore this beautiful state.

I am a Colorado resident and use this book (and the previous editions) frequently for weekend getaways. In all the many times I have counted on the author's advice, they have never let me down. Excellent book!

Jim in Littleton

This book is a thorough review of things to do, places to see, state history, restaurants and places to stay. In brief, there is not a better guide anywhere!

Great book with black and white pix for learning to create various Native American (especially plains style) and pioneering crafts from natural materials the old way. Set up in a nice vintage tone and format. Truly a treasure for anyone exploring survival skills, Native heritage or crafting items from nature!!! Highly recommend!

If you want a politically correct and modern Native American craft book, this is not it. Though the copyright is 1973, this book has a 50's feel and sketches. However, it is a wealth of information with crafts ranging from leather & rawhide making to building your own dogsled. With a simple change of materials theses scout projects go from Hollywood to historically correct. I found this book to have the best set of instructions and illustrations for making an Eastern style roach headdress despite the instructions calling for manila fibers (I used turkey beards). I highly recommend this book to the Buckskinner or Native enthusiast.

Livraison dans un excellent délai, moins d'une semaine. La qualité du volume est excellente, presque neuf.

This book was wonderful. It came highly recommended. The prompt service on the purchase of this used book was great.

Like I said this is a good book and am quite impressed with some of the crafts and projects in this book!!!!!!

This little-known book is, IMHO, one of the greatest books ever written. Reading it as a boy, I was puzzled by how it made everything seem so real in so few words - everything in it seems to have a life off-camera that we had just glimpsed part of.

I've decided to write reviews of the books that not only caught my attention early on, but lived in my memory all of these years, words and phrases coming unbidden to mind occasionally from a literary experience far removed but not forgotten - a spirit residing within your own as an old friend. This book was one that probably never got the acclaim it deserved, although I never spoke with anyone who didn't like it. If your culture or experiences spring from a youth originating in the West or Southwest, you will be enchanted with it because you will recognize parts of it as your own.

This is the "long hot summer" story of two boys, friends since infancy, South Boy, a white youth, son of an Arizona rancher, and Havek, a Mojave Indian boy - whose intertwined trails to maturity took one last summer to complete for them.

During the course of the summer,it takes you through the complex and oftentimes uneasy coexistence between white and indian culture; and the coexistence between the "cultured white" and the "earthy ranch people" is equally tenuous. In the words of the long haired outlaw foreman that ran the ranch for South Boy's father during one of South Boy's Learning Sessions: "Don't put no stock in those wild ideas of you mother's. She's a Lady. Naturally, she's ignorant!"

The adventure begins with the rising thermometer and a youth sleeping in the shade of the grape arbor - he makes his way to the river under the blazing summer sun, goes to sleep on an overhanging limb with the muddy water flowing beneath him; and there Havek finds him "with a dream on his face". Havek is aspiring to become a "great person", is of an age to take a better name for himself in the Mohave tradition; and reads into South Boy's slumber something South Boy is reluctant to dissuade him from for appearances sake, so he agrees to travel "name taking" with him.

They spend one last glorious summer together as adolescents blundering through the Arizona mesquite and greasewood, in a variety of scenarios, some curiously noble, some ill-conceived and dangerous - before the final departing from the comfortable innocence of childhood, where a friend is a friend regardless of anything else; and moving into the complex world of the adult where nevermore will their friendship be as simple as it was on the banks of the slow-flowing, muddy river that day. It is evident in a very poignant scene as they are returning home after the adventure of death, rituals, ignorance, survival, all stunningly woven by Mr. McNichols into a tale spawned from the living of some of it, you can tell. The mesa is awash in rain water dropped by a violent storm after a long draught; South Boy suddenly applies the teachings of the "Foreman" to his immediate reality and comes up with the idea that he can make a lot of money putting weak, cheap cattle on it. Havek, on the other hand, is on his way home to celebrate his new name with his people, and "financial gain" is of absolutely no interest to him - and there they go their separate ways, each to the world he springs from, the same physical world, but in all other ways as different as the ideals and teaching that shaped them.

One feels a certain sadness that it should be so and most of us probably secretly wish that we could reside in our youth forever, never growing up.

McNichols crisp writing, detailed knowledge of Mojave Indian and Colorado Desert ranching, and realistic plot make this a genuinely timeless work., My tattered copy was given to me 45 years ago by the writer Madge Harrah. Every half decade or so I dig it out and read it again. It taught me to write and, in a way, was a model for my North Of Nowhere. Bravo Charles!

South Boy goes with his friend Havek on a Mojave name-quest. It sounds simple -- but under the surface is a breath-taking wealth of experience, mythology and understanding of the many personalities in one person, or one horse, or one culture. Every sentence of this book is laden with knowledge of its time and place. Even the mention of the "little yellow catfish," about which no more is said than that they "make good eating," reflects the fact that in this period the US Government seeded the Colorado river with the Yellow Catfish, a transplant from Texas. This is the key to the book -- that everything is in flux, as two cultures melt together, and new ways try to live with old ways. The ending seems to be a conclusion -- until you realize that it's only one more step to escape from final decisions. The book begins a long way before the first sentence -- and would finish a long way after the last. Dreams and visions reverberate through the telling, and Great Things are done.

Having recently moved to Mohave County in Arizona (not far from the Colorado River), I was interested in reading "Crazy Weather" to get a little of the "flavor" of the area, and to learn something about the Mojave Indian culture as well. The book lived up to my hopes in both of those respects, but what surprised me was how absorbed I became in the story itself. On one level, it's a simple adventure story involving South Boy (who's actually white but was partially raised by Mojaves and was given that name by them) and his best friend Havec (a Mojave) as they travel up the Colorado River into Piute territory --- and in some places it almost reminded me of Huck Finn travelling along the Mississippi with the runaway slave, Jim, and meeting an assortment of characters along the way. On another level, though, it's really about the challenges of truly understanding another culture and way of thinking --- and in the end the pull of their respective societies is too strong and the two friends inevitably have to part and follow their separate destinies.

The author seems quite knowledgable about Mojave culture and history, as I've confirmed from subsequent readings on the subject. If you're interested in the American Southwest, the Colorado River, native American cultures, or just a good story, I think you'll enjoy this book.

I love this book. It was so exciting to be reading his journey into Native American Medicine. My sister, Debby Cody, is a reader of the Medicine Cards and I admire David's expertise and his boundaries of what is best for him.

David Carson is of Choctaw descent and has studied Native American spirituality since growing up in Oklahoma Indian country, but his latest CROSSING INTO MEDICINE COUNTRY is something more than spiritual reflection. Here he pursues initiation as a ceremonial healer with Choctaw medicine woman Mary Gardener, studying plant and animal forces and human energy manipulation for three years. Health and spirituality blend in a survey of Native teachings and health insights which blends a memoir with a set of special reflections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is one of the wisest books to come down the pike in a long while in my humble opinion. Mr. Carson is a great story teller, Medicine Man, who understands the power of humility and transformation. This book is a wide ranging exploration of events in the authors life working with some powerful healers, elders, and medicine people. He documents the road of the healer and what is required to advance on this path of solitary intent, finding pain and suffering along the way, but also openning one to some astonishing vistas of spirt. This book is probably for healers and others who have already embarked off of the shores of a status quo sensibility to find and recover the authenticity of one's soul. It certainly is not a journey for the weak of heart. As the author notes, not everyone is called to this path, but for those who are, a vigilance of courage is required to walk the winding road ahead. As one goes further down this road mystery opens to reveal something not everyone is capable of understanding at this moment in time.

This is one of the best books on Medicine Power I have read in a long time; and Mr. Carson is a guide worth the price of admission. This book speaks to more than just one's mind, it grabs hold of one's soul and teaches it something profound.

David, Thanks for sharing your gift of Storytelling!!

The entire book was incredibly mesmerizing -- couldn't put it down. The experiences Mr. Carson writes about with his teacher Mary Gardener are quite an adventure and very thought provoking. This book helped validate for me that there is so much more beyond this 3-D world we live in and to trust and accept what we see and feel in all of our experiences.

Mr. Carson speaks to bringing back our awareness to living in
harmony with the natural world and in so doing to see and feel the sacredness in all life. Maybe in reading this book more people will be able see the separateness we as a whole have created from nature and how being at One with all of life brings forth healing on all levels-- individually and for our dear Mother Earth.

This book really inspired me and touched my heart on so many levels. Great stuff!!

I've had some extraordinary experiences reading this book. It feels like I'm there on the journey with him and some really amazing synchronicities have popped up again and again. Something like a holographic journey, this tale strikes a chord that goes straight to the heart of the reader. Great work, David Carson!

Graciela Limon has continued her tradition of giving us the real story from the point of view of indignas rather than settling for an accepted view of history. Just as she takes the Hummingbird god of war in Song of the Hummingbird and makes him the female diety Huitzitzilin, she invokes the male diety Xipe Totec and makes him female. Limon rewrites traditional mythology and gives power to the female. Her choice to call the Tarahumara tribe, Raramuri, the name they prefer rather than by the name the Spaniards gave them allows these people to have their own voice. On top of these accomplishments she gives us an innovative story and tells it so well we. Limon's descriptions compliment the quality of her storytelling. Some are so effective that they give you chills, as when she describes a young girl's horror of the shadows caught inthe corners of windows. She says, "The shadows that clung to the vaulted ceilings like giant blackbirds scared her (76)." Limon's treatment of the different faces of silence gives her story strength. From the silence that the protagonist's sister weilds to the silence that the scheming plotting protagonist Flavio maintains, and the silence of Isadora after she meets with a fateful demise, silence is a mechanism for mystery and intrigue. Day of the Moon is definitely a book you can't put down. To read it is to be transported to another world, to another place in time, and into the lives of a type of people most of us have never even thought of.

What a wonderful book! Once I had started, I could not put it down. I see it as a combination of Romeo and Juliet (but this Juliet tries to shoot her father), Othello (but the "general" here is jealous of his sister's love for his wife), and maybe even some Cask of Amontillado thrown in for good measure (yes, someone is walled up). Classic themes, however, are treated in a fresh way-lots of them, including family secrets, murder, dismemberment, casting out, imprisonment, forbidden love, racism, and a quest for one's place and identity. What is particularly interesting is the way the novel is set up with sections devoted to most of the main characters. All are told with the omnicient point of view except one, this one almost in the very middle of the book and coming from the voice of Ursula Santiago who by speaking in a letter appears to be talking directly to the reader. Graciela Limon has written a wonderful novel illuminating the situation of the Indians who escaped the Spanish Conquest by fleeing to the mountains and caves, a place called El Cañón del Cobre. The Spanish called the people the Tárahumara, but their name for themselves is Rarámuri.

Read this excellent book. It will capture you completely.

a skillful portrayal of "forbidden" loves!

from the first page, graciela limon takes her readers by the hand (and heart!) and leads them deep into a mostly misguided world where secrecy and shame shroud and shackle life's inhabitants -- but where real and true love will be neither silenced nor denied anymore!

thanks to well-crafted and meaningful writing -- you, too, will fall in love! ... with a character, with a belief, with a cause! the power of the passion that has been poured into these pages will ignite in you a fire, and incite you to rise up alongside these courageous "underdogs" -- and to fight against a man/society who/that so cunningly, coldly, and diabolically plots, schemes, connives and contrives to control those, who by virtue of nature and gender, have been born and are considered to be lesser/weaker, by condemning them to living deaths - for loving those who are "forbidden" -- and, in one way or another, by taking the lives of their "forbidden" lovers.

who can read, and not feel, the pleasure and pain that seduces and sways the lonely brigida as she first lays eyes on her brother's betrothed? only to be forced to succumb to an empty life devoid of her existence. -- and -- who can bear witness to, and not be affected by, the finish of the raramuri's race - in which isadora's too-brown-skinned young lover will, quite literally, run away forever with her heart!

yet, there is the promise of triumph amidst the tragedy -- the novel ends with new hope in the form and character of alondra, isadora's daughter, for this "bird that sings sweetly and flies to unknown distances" becomes intrigued by the passion(ate stories) of her past/ancestors, and returns to her roots in search of a better and brighter (a more enlightened) tomorrow.

as one of limon's characters reminds us: "some spirits are made for one another" -- and, until the day comes when we are free to live and love without fear, condemnation or reserve on THIS side of the sierras, we have our/The Day of the Moon = a must read! especially for anyone who has ever been tormented by and/or lived a "forbidden" love!

Limón's novel spans almost a century in the history of a Mexican family, beginning with Don Flavio Betancourt, a man who has nothing until he wins his boss's hacienda in a card game. The story revolves around two forbidden loves; one between Don Flavio's wife and his sister, the other between his daughter and an Indian. Limón begins her story during Don Flavio's final days, and his memories lay out the general course of events within the first few chapters. Then, using a mixture of flashbacks and mysterious discoveries, she allows her characters to slowly reveal to each other (and to the reader) secrets which have been hidden along the way. This extremely well-written novel will entertain until the final page.

Limon uses a historical setting in Mexico during one of the many Mexican revolutions to spin a tale of forbidden love, jealousy, and opression of native peoples. All readers from teen to adult ages would enjoy it. Beautiful language is used in description of characters and setting. The reader can really picture the people and places. I highly recommend this book, not only for the story, but also for the important underlying themes concerning the Raramuri people of Mexico.

I found this book while browsing in the library and came on here in hopes of finding one to buy for me and for one of my cousins. I guess I'm going to have to look in some second-hand shops now. A wonderful story, I admit I cried in some parts. Definately one to keep.
A young girl named Irina lives out in the country with her parents, helping on the farm. Her parents told her a while ago that she was getting to old to celebrate christmas and so they have no tree, no decorations and she is only allowed to buy one gift for herself. Trying to pick something to please her mother she ends up spying an old wooden horse in a junk shop window that she wants to save because it's being crushed. Her mother is not pleased with her choice,("probably a mass of wormwood!" claims her mother)but they allow her to take it home. That's where the story continues from(for that is truly the start of the story), but, it's hard to love an enchanted thing.

A wonderful,enchanting story.A little girl named Irina is sad and lonely.She discovers a giant horse figure in an old shop and begs to keep it.Irina loves her pretend horse so much that it turns into a real live horse!!Then it runs away!!

I thought The Enchanted Horse was a cool book.I liked it because it is easy to read and it was about a horse. It is a story about a girl and a magical horse. I liked reading it lots. If you like animals and magic I think you will like this book.

I picked this from the library to do a reading project on fairy tales. I didn't know how it was going to turn out. But, it was a great book.

This book was just a guess; I picked it up at the book fair with no expectations a few years ago. It turned out to be a beautiful, involving book that enthralled me. I still remember it fondly and always will as a glowing story of Christmas.

There is so much information in this book it is ridiculous. I have found new sources just by flipping through this book. Every entry is detailed. Many different facets of the war are covered such as political, military, and socioeconomic issues. This is a true all encompassing source to the American Civil War! It is well worth the money.

This is an absolutely essential book for anyone with an interest in Civil War scholarship. The scope and breadth of this work is utterly astounding. Over 250 Civil War scholars have joined to create over 2700 pages on 1600+ entries in this massive book. As advertised, this book is a political, social and military history, as pretty much nothing is missed. Makes a phenomenal starting point for information and research on about any subject or person relating to the war that you can think of. Each entry also includes a list of recommended books and articles for further reading for each entry in the encyclopedia. Several appendicies to the book are made up by important documents realted to all aspects of the conflict, a civil war chronology of events and a state by state battlefield location map. This is a book you will constantly refer back to for information. And, at the seldom instance you are not using this book for study, you can use it in your workout program, as it is darn heavy for a book.

This humongous encyclopedia is easily the best reference I have ever seen on the Civil War. The thing is 2600 pages long, has 1600 entries, and weighs about 7 pounds, and is quite well written and edited. It covers military, political, and social events, and biographies equally. The articles are generally well written but short and introductory rather than exhaustive. Has lots of photos, illustrations and maps (the maps are OK but not spectacular), and a wonderful bibliogaphy section. I can't recommend this book enough. I learn something new every time I open it.

As a writer and public relations practitioner where the Civil War is concerned, I've found Heider's Encyclopedia of the American Civil War to be a top-notch source of information about the War Between the States. Thorough, yet concise, there is information on all aspects of the conflict ranging from pre-war issues to its ultimate consequences. Although it's impossible to cover all skirmishes and engagements, it's amazing how many are included. The Documents section is impressive and all entries contain excellent cross-referencing. I recommend this encyclopedia to anyone interested in the conflict between the North and South.

This is a massive book. It will soon be "THE REFERENCE" to most all Civil War debates.

If I were to pick just one book to go to, for a search of Civil War information, this one would have to be it.
From Battle, Politics, Leaders, speechs, debates, economics, literature, etc., IT IS ALL IN HERE.

This is one book that everyone would be proud to own. ( As well, as the kind that almost caves your chest in, laying in bed reading--It IS A BIG BOOK.)

There is such a wealth of information, and every thing is solidily backed up with excellent references. It's a fantastic book.

My copy of this book is in tatters, because I have read it so much. Since buying the book I went on a canoeing expedition to one of the northern rivers Cliff talks about in the book. I would agree with most of what Cliff recommends. This book or the newer edition is a must if you are going to do an extended canoe trip in the wilderness.

Good reference book, interesting read. The section on BEARS pays for the whole thing. Here I thought I was doing right, but now I find that I am lucky I ain't been et yet.

This book takes you through the planning, paddling, and post adventure stages of an expedition canoeing experience. It is a very thorough collection of expedition canoeing issues, from one of the leading authorities on expedition canoe travel.

A terrific read for novices and pros alike. The writing is easy to follow and accompanied by detailed diagrams and photos.

It is required reading for all of our guides and clients taking part in one of our expeditions.

This is not a book for the novice. I suppose it would be enjoyed but to really apprieciate the excellent ideas and tips, I think one would need to have many wilderness miles in your log. I rank this book with Colin Fletcher's [The Complete Walker] from back in the 70's at the top of the advanced "how to books" list. Well written with just the right amount of stories and humor. This is not to be read by just those useing canoes or traveling the far north. If you spend as much time as you can get away with "out there" you will love this read.

Cliff Jacobson has once agian set a new standard for canoe tripping literature. In his most recent publication, Expedition Canoeing: A guide to Canoeing Wild Rivers in North America, Jabobson goes where no other book of this kind has gone. The book is a thorough and comprehensive collection of every aspect of expedition canoe travel. Jacobson covers everything from choosing a river to the meals that you can prepare in barren land, but what sets this book apart from others is that he includes his own novel concepts for the trail alongside time-tested techniques that only someone with his experience can add. This book will surely become the standard against which all other books of this nature will be measured. The book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to venture north with a canoe.

I found this book to be an excellent overview of Falcony. It has a good section describing the different types of raptors suitable for the sport, and some interesting descriptions and drawings relating to training and equipment. However, I would not attempt to use this book as a "how-to" manual. It doesn't have nearly enough detail on any subject. In places it can be a little difficult to follow. I am pleased with my copy and will be happy to add it to my library.

This is a great little book. Frank Beebe packs all the essential information around hawk training into this book, drawing on decades of practical experience and research. Beebe writes with the authority of someone who has actually practised what he is preaching, rather than some authors who seem to have written a falconry book for the sake of personal aggrandizement. He also writes in excellent English, almost with an academic eloquence.

He deals with all three classes of falconry birds: buteos, accipiters and falcons, and draws very useful comparisons between them on temperament, character and hunting application.

Note however that the book is mostly a training manual, and with the exception of a very interesting chapter on the history of falconry regulation in the US, it about trapping, furniture and hunting. If you want a book with detail on hawk care, dog training, breeding and housing then choose another one (I recommend Emma Ford's for all except breeding and dogs, Nick Fox's for the former and Diana Durman-Walters' for the latter). Note also that its a North American text - the chapters on trapping and bagged quarry are of no use to a UK falconer.

This is an excellent book for people who are intrested in falconry. At one time falconry was the sport of the noble gentry. This book does a real service in describing these intelligent, beautiful birds of prey and how falconers work with them.

A must have for prospective falconers.

This book has very good information for beginners who are a little confused. A very good profiling on individual species. Also good section on equipment. I found it very informative and worthwhile the price.

I am relatively new to the world of falconry. As a result, I am reading just about everything I get my hands on. Frank Beebe is an undisputed master on the subject of falconry. I found that Mr. Beebe's style of writing, presents the information in a very easy to read & understand format. After having read this book, it convinced me that I should order his major work entitled "A Compleat Falconer". I am certain that it is most probably "The Bible" for falconry. An excellent book by an excellent author.

I am neither a Native American nor anyone who has suffered from substance abuse but I am an animal lover and I LOVED this book. I loved the characters, the story, and the way it was written. I had a hard time putting this book down. I think this story would make a good made-for-TV movie.

Regardless who you are or what you read, you can't be anything but 100 percent into this Native American story. I wish I had a "ghost in the rainbow." We should all be so blessed by our "ancestors".

What a fabulous read! Woodruff deftly intertwines her thrilling search for a serial killer with the internal journey of Native American writer Myra Whitehawk as her life disintegrates around her. The book never loses momentum and provides us with moments of genuine feeling and insight. I highly recommend it!

This is a thrilling story of one woman's determination to learn the truth behind the murder of a young child. Her search for truth plunges her not only into the world of a psychotic killer but into her own inner world where she must confront personal relationships, alcoholism and her desperate search for spiritual peace. This is also a story of the bond between a woman and her dog that transcends both time and bounderies of this physical world. Myra Whitehawk is one of the most compelling characters in my reading experience, and Ghost In The Rainbow is a book you won't want to miss. I'm glad I didn't!

Ghost in the Rainbow is a compulsive read. I couldn't put it down. Because of my own battles with alcoholism and substance abuse, the path the heroine takes touched me deeply and even helped me to confront some of my own demons. That I should be so spiritually and psychologically helped by a book of crime fiction illiustrates how deeply real is Ms. Woodruff's understanding of life. After the vapid musings of many of the current bestsellers, Ghost in the Rainbow explores the extremes of human emotion with courage, humor and the rare sensibility of a Native American worldview. Without a doubt, one of the best novels of the year.