Colorado Books

This collection of 14 shorter pieces by Tim Robinson, mathematician, teacher, artist and cartographer, gives a portrait of the west of Ireland which is unrivalled in recent writing from that country. Its' integrating device, and central metaphor, is the map. A map, stripped bare, is a distillation of topographical knowledege about an area. Onto this rudimentary two-dimensional scaffolding layer after layer of detail can be added. These are the details of culture, of history, personal memory. Robinson navigates the process of regarding a landscape with the notion of the fractal -- the notion of self-similar structures at multiple levels of observation (in "A Connemara Fractal"). He enjoyably talks us through the technical details of making maps, and has some wonderful stories of his mathematical training. I will not attempt to summarize the various chapters but would urge all those interested in landscape, biography, Irish history, coastal walks, fractal theory, natural history archaeology, literary fiction, and "home" (and that, I suppose, includes just about everyone) to read this. In a time when many find themselves living at some distance from their homeplace this book shows how a fresh intimacy with new landscapes can enrich and invigorate. As an Irish emigrant I am both compelled to return to Ireland after reading this and yet am encouraged to persevere in understanding of my new homeplace in the United States. I have loaned this book to friends in Costa Rica, in the American Northwest, and here in Georgia. All have felt its power. It should stimulate the reader to get his larger works on the Aran Islands. Be warned however these books, the present one included, eccentric masterpieces, will make you want to crumble soil between your fingers, circum-navigate your local terrain, and fumble into the interstices of your jaded soul. Liam Heneghan (heneghan@sparc.ecology.uga.edu; Athens, GA)

Those of us who live and ride in or near Salida have known for years that there is much more to love about the area than the famed Monarch Crest Trail. But we would be the first to admit that some of the best of the riding in the area is rarely seen because it isn't necessarily easy to find.

Salida Singletrack has helped me to know the Upper Arkansas Valley better than I knew it before. I expected riders visiting here to benefit from a good guide book, but I never expected to have the book help me find new great rides right close to home.

Nathan's section for every "The Ride: Mileage Log" can help anyone with an odometer find the route. His descriptions are enticing and full of background information. Salida Singletrack is a fun book that's also very accurate and useful.

Pick up a copy of Salida Singletrack, then pay us a visit and find out just how good is some of Salida's lesser known riding.

Enjoyable reading; especially if you are interested in past history of silver mines.

I have been using Rosebrough's climbing and hiking guide to the San Juans for over 20 years and it has served me well on every mountain. While some other guidebooks tend to describe the route in painstaking detail, which is impossible to follow, Rosebrough gives you the general idea (calling your attention to any specific problems) and lets you figure out the details. An outstanding guidebook!

"The cranes called to me one windy autumn night. I lay on the couch, absorbed in a novel when a distant sound--compelling, familiar--propelled me upright to listen. There it was again, faint but unmistakable: 'khrrrrr, khrrrrr,' the throaty cry of sandhill cranes."

In "The San Luis Valley: Sand Dunes and Sandhill Cranes," as in her earlier books, Tweit is a poet. Her opening paragraph, quoted above, compels the reader to listen and read on. Luminous reflective passages occur throughout the book, passages in which Tweit explores such subjects as the meaning of "home" (25) or where our "profound and courageous" visions may come from (43).

These exquisitely wrought personal responses to some of the mysteries we share with our fellow creatures, as well as with one another, are woven into beautiful descriptions of the birds and the landscapes they inhabit, along with a lively and detailed history of the San Luis Valley--a stunning tapestry.

This book is no. 23 in the prestigious annual publications of the Colorado Railroad Museum. It details the arrival of the AT&SF Railroad in Colorado with the major portion of the book being dedicated to the history of the Raton Pass section of the line. It is heavily illustrated with excellent black and white photography, including a section on the steam engines that worked the area. Photography is almost exclusively of the steam era. No history of the Santa Fe and specifically Raton Pass is complete without this volume. Hardback, 296 pages.

Deborah Hammond has done a masterful job with this book. If you are a practicing systems engineer or academic that believes in "holistic" systems engineering then this is a book to read.

She handles a complicated topic extremely well. Understanding the history of the underlying foundations for work in systems is a must. If you are working in Systems of Systems this book is even more powerful and may provide important insights.

Kevin MacG. Adams, Ph.D.

This imaginative book is a lovely introduction to the variety of opportunities in the southwest. Well organized and cross-indexed, it presents an inviting description of not only where, but also when, to find spectacular natural events. The well-written Seasonal Guide is a pleasure to read and indispensable for planning an itinerary.

It seems difficult to find good, solid, archaeological literature that is also easy to read. Seeking Center Place does both very well. The collected articles are highly informative without being weighed down by complicated writing. I recommend this book for both scholars and the general public. The Crow Canyon Center has come a very long way in their research and their publications are really a must for anyone studying or those curious about the Anasazi of Southwestern Colroado.

I used this book extensively in my PhD research and found that all of the articles had something of use, either by direct correlation or by broader generalizations. Add this book to your library, I don't think you will be displeased.

Burns picked a great selection of routes for this book. Not just the old classics, but the newer, unknown gems that will become classics in the future as well. He really knows his stuff.