Southwest Books

This is not your typical guide book. "Go here, stay here, visit this museum, etc...". This is a comprehensive field guide with detailed information on every aspect of culture, traditions and history of the people and land of Afghanistan. The book is a daunting 768 pages, but it is very managable. It is broken down regionally with emphasis on ethnicity. This is especially valuable when trying to understand the intracacies of modern Afghanistan, i.e. Dealing with a Hazara is differnt from dealing with a Pashtun as they have different cultural backgrounds. This book has helped me survive two deployments to Afghanistan. It has also helped me to appreciate and respect the people and land, so that I fully understand the importance of saving this beutiful land and vibrant culture from descending back into the darkness of taliban rule.

"A river is not contaminated by having a dog drink from it." Afghan proverb

This is a great informative book about the history and culture of Afghanistan. Lots of nice photos too! It's compact and they fit a lot of info into this fairly compact book. Also has some travel advice for tourists. Paperback.

When I picked up this book, I was prepared for a dense, AAA/Lonely Planet-style guidebook (filled with useful information, but not meant to be read from cover to cover). Instead I was surprised to find a very readable and richly informative book on the history and sites in Afghanistan.

Rather than writing a summarized narrative of the history of a particular city, castle, or mosque, the authors use numerous first person accounts from travelers from throughout Afghanistan's history from Alexander's historians to British explorers in the 20th century. These first hand accounts are fascinating. He also includes poems and folk tales translated from historical documents and local interviews. The combined effect of all of these first-hand accounts is a feeling of intimate familiarity with each region described.

The book opens with the history of Afghanistan and is very detailed for being so concise. The rest of the book is broken down into regions. Some regions, notable Kandahar, are left out due to the fact that security was still to dangerous at the time of writing (2006) for the authors to visit. The northeast area of Badakshan opens the account and it is hard not to want to visit this mountainous area after having read the tales. It works its way around the country counterclockwise hitting the areas around Mazar-e-Sharif, Heart, Bamiyan, Ganzi and Kabul to name a few.

Even if you never go to Afghanistan this book could define the concept of the armchair traveler.

I am currently deployed to Kabul and after reading and reviewing many guides and books this is the best guide and historic account I have found. Another great book is Taliban by Rashid.

This is something betweeen a Planet Earth travel book and an historical compendium of facts and figures. It is quite useful and interesting but some of the material will be outdated rather quickly so a Planet Earth guide, it is not. I like it and am glad I purchased it.

This was of special interest to me since I live near the location of this book. I simply could not put it down until I read it cover to cover.

A fascinating look at our early pioneer families, the hardships they endured, and the genius of their innovations.

A great read.

This is an amazing book about Alex Stewart, an Appalachian survivor. It is told from an interview style where Alex explains how he learned to make different utilitarian items that his family and community needed to survive. He also tells stories of how he learned what plants healed people from illnesses, learned the skills to survive the harsh locations of the Appalachian mountains and loved life with every ounce of his body.
My Appalachian born grandparents read it cover to cover over and over and then had to travel to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn to see the common items they remembered with Alex throughout the book. John Rice Irwin, the founder of the Museum of Appalachia is a gifted historian and this shines through in any of his books, written to remember the people of Appalachia. He also seeks to capture this throughout his living Appalachian village, the Museum of Appalachia. A MUST visit and A MUST read for any Appalachian native.

i recently read the book about alex stewart and i have to say that it was so good. i loved it. alex was so talented and as the book stated "he was a national treasure." i would liked to have met him. any craft the author asked him about, he responded that he could make it. what a unique human being. he was warm, endearing, and a very kind and gentle man. he told completely the life of the pioneer to john brice irwin and the book is so well written. it was a joy to read and told in detail of the hardships the people of that era had to indure. i felt by the end of the book the sadness of alex stewart's death and that i had gotten to know him well.

One reason I bought this book is because my Greatgrandmother was Alex's Aunt. I visited Alex as a child with my Parents and Grandmother. Alex was always sending my Grandmother items , such as walking canes. He made my mother a rolling pin, which she still has. Most of all the book gave me many names of my relatives that ive been searhing for.

I bought this book at the Museum of Appalachia (also founded by the author) on my first visit to Tennessee. The book is almost entirely a transcript of a dialogue/interview between the author and Alex Stewart. At first, I thought this would be a strange format, but as I read on, I discovered that this would be the only way to authentically capture the mind and spirit of Alex on paper.

If you're not from the South, you might find Alex's dialect charminging unusual. A few times I had to read a passage over and over again to fully understand what words Alex was saying. Here is an example where it took me a while to realize that Alex meant "Lord" when kept saying "Law":

"They didn't have no men folks, but they had several children. Making liquor was the only way they had of making a living. Law, they had it hard."

The author cleverly asks questions to get Alex to reveal his pioneer wisdom. More than that, though, the author's selections and chapter arrangements helped to organize the sprawling encyclopedia of Alex's mind.

By the time I reached the end, I was sad to have the "conversation" over. I felt I had known Alex a bit personally, and I mourned at his passing. It was joyous reading while it lasted and my heart ached to know more of Alex.

This is a fabulous book I can't recommend enough. 10 STARS.

Beautiful pictures and interesting, informative articles make this book a must for anyone who is allured by the beauty of turquoise. I read the book in one setting, and while it is a good place to start, I found myself wanting more information. If you collect turquoise or just wear it because you love it, do yourself a favor and get educated about vintage, pawn, and newer creations; natural stones vs. stablized stones, and even fake stones. You'll find this book helpful.

"The Allure of Turquoise" is made up of a collection of articles on turquoise, its history and the Native American mythology surrounding this stone. I was particularly fascinated by one article about ants and their relationship with turquoise. Nevertheless, although this is an informative and interesting book, if you are looking for a guide to collecting turquoise or turquoise jewellery, I'd begin withTurquoise Unearthed: An Illustrated Guide (Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones), which focusses more on purchasing turquoise and the different types of turquoise. "The Allure of Turquoise" is a relatively short book (only 107 pages in length), but contains color pictures throughout. Be aware, however, that this book does not contain an index, a major drawback, as far as I am concerned.

I found this book very thorough as far as the knowledge of the types of turquoise. But, I also found a lot of good info about traditional jewelry selling, info about fakes and treatments and historical knowledge. Gorgeous pictures.

This was a birthday gift for my husband. He loved it. He said it was the perfect present since he loves turquoise and making turquoise jewelry. It even arrived on time, gift wrapped. If you love turquoise, the color pictures are worth it. The content is very good too, my husbands states.

This is the same review I gave to "Turquoise Unearthed"...and for all intents and purposes, they could be classified as companion volumes...both doing an exceptional job in words and images!

"I have been a gem and mineral dealer for over ten years...and a rockhound for a lot longer than that...but this book taught me more in a single sitting than all my years in the buisiness and in the hobby.

I have dug, traded, bought and sold a whole bunch of "Turq"...natural, treated and "color-shot"...and this book instantly became one of my favorite references for the rest of my life.

If you are planning on investing in real American or Persian turquoise jewelry or stones...and it is an investment...then this book is a "Must Have!"

No sooner did I put this book down than I called up one of my suppliers and bought all of the Blue Gem and Turquoise Mountain stones they had left in stock...I am sure they are wondering what precipitated that call!"

My many thanks to Mr. Vigil for his labor of love, a compilation of articles from New Mexico Magazine...on everything from the Lowry "Turq" Museum...to the history and significance of the Cerrillos Mines...to the myth of "Old Pawn" jewelry...and much, much more!

Conquering the Food Chain: Living Amongst Animals Without Becoming One is a "feel good" read. Ms. Mantle brings readers into her domain by sharing her unique experiences with the pets she loves. The content is captivating and touches the emotions of all of us who love and respect our pets as family members. Some of the excerpts will make you laugh and others might make you cry. Whether the reader is already a pet owner or contemplating a new addition to the family, this book is a "must read."

In this humorous and touching book about living with a large assortment of pets, author Stacy Mantle had me chuckling out loud to myself more than once.

The book is composed of small essay-like chapters that are an excellent way to relax and end a busy day with a smile on your face. One of my favorite chapters was "Falling Into The Food Chain", where Stacy happens to fall while vacuuming and cannot get up (this is not the funny part...yet). Her pets think that this is quite a fun game, and are seemingly amazed at how "into" the game she is as she crawls to the nearest telephone. What fun!

This book makes a wonderful gift for yourself, for all of the pet lovers in your life, and for all of the people who don't know they are pet lovers... yet.

You don't need to be owned by multiple animals of different species to appreciate and relate to Stacy's book, but it will make it all the more pleasurable. Her writing is witty and full of heart, punctuated by endearing animal antics.

This book had me laughing and crying. Through her humorous, sad, tragic, and poignant stories dealing with the experiences she's had with the various animals in her own life, Stacy Mantle has provided an excellent glimpse into the minds, hearts, and souls of dedicated animal rescue workers all over the world.

The world needs more books like this one!

Ms. Mantle's down-to-earth writing style and her unusual experiences with animals makes this a fascinating read. Emotional without being maudlin, it offers a kaleidoscopic and often humorous perspective on living with wolf-hybrids, dogs, cats, and other animals. Animal lovers will enjoy reading this; non-animal lovers will likely be converted. Her book deftly analyzes pet ownership and its responsibilities and foibles without any sugar coating. Highly recommended!

A few additional remarks besides the excellent review by Mr. Marold:
Even if you are not up to cooking these great dishes, this book is one of the most useful books if you plan on going there. Wolfert covers many specific places you may want to visit. She locates some important restaurants and chefs (even in San Francisco). She tells you what to eat in many cities. She tells you about things you may want to bring home, including some of the specialized pots which are very hard to obtain here; one exception is the U.S. maker of the pot on the cover. You can order the "Diable Charentais" by Googling and selecting the translation of the potter's page. Wolfert shows you how much diversity there is within short distances across this region.
For the cook as well as the traveler, no book in English is so perceptive, comprehensive and accurate. With attention, you can reproduce "the truth". She is also helpful to those of us who cannot assemble the authentic equipment and ingredients.
The importance of this new edition is the current information on people and places, and especially on the sources now accessible from home.

I would join with the other reviewers here in recognizing this work as a tour de force in the field of authentic, regional French cooking. I have owned the earlier edition for a number of years and have used it to produce successful, one-of-a-kind results. I would also echo the comments of others in warning prospective purchasers not to expect any simple, quick, or uninvolved recipes in this book. Many main courses require several steps of preparation spread over more than one day. It is also true that many of the recipes still call for ingredients that are hardly on the shelves of the average (or even above average) pantry (e.g., ventreche, piment d'Espelette, rendered duck or goose fat, etc.). Having said all that, there are some wonderful recipes here. However, the changes worked into this new edition sometimes leave me baffled. To take one example, both the old and new editions include a recipe for duck "ham," an air-cured preparation that, when it works, produces a prosciutto-like result. The substantive difference between the old and new versions of this recipe call for the cook to "shave off the duck skin [from the duck breast that is used to make the ham] leaving the fat underneath intact." This really calls for an illustration or at least some additional explanation, in my opinion, because the skin and subcutaneous fat on the duck breast I examined after reading this instrucion are, as I expected would be the case, as one. Note that in the earlier version of this recipe, the skin was left intact. I've found a few more such amendments to recipes that didn't seem to make things any clearer (not to mention easier), and while I cannot say that there aren't any recipes that have been improved by revision, they haven't jumped out at me yet. A few of the new recipes look interesting, but they rise to the same level of challenge as all of the other recipes in this collection always have. Still, for those willing to invest a great deal of time and attention in the preparation of authentic Southwestern French cuisine, this is THE text in English.

After visiting the southwest of France 3 months ago, I fell in love with their rustic cuisine. This book, the recipes & writtings, is just like reliving our fabulous 10 day vacation. This is a true gem, I can't wait to use my first recipe from it!

Since we just returned fro southwest France I wanted to find some receipes to make our favorite foods. The Cooking of Southwest France did just that. Great receipes and simple to make.

A revised edition of the 1983 book, this is a very authentic tome of sw french cuisine. Paula is one of our greatest cookbook authors, and you cannot go wrong with a single one of her books. The only draw back to this book is that not every recipe is 'doable' to the average home cook, as some ingredients (mainly animal fats) are very hard to find.

There is no doubt in my mind or on my tongue that this cook book has absolutely the best recipes for SW Territorial Cuisine. When you dine in Santa Fe or Taos, this is the food you eat in private homes or at the best restaurants. The meals are totally authentic. Dent takes you through time and tradition providing descriptions of ingredients and preparation methods that are sure to get your juices flowing! There isn't a better reference. I've given over a dozen of these books to people who have commented on my enchiladas and green chile. Go for it without hesitation!

This is a splendid book that is both entertaining and informative. The advice on how to choose fresh, ripe produce is very helpful as many of the ingredients mentioned may be foreign to readers.

I have had this book a few years now. Every recipe has been great. The spare ribs with peanuts and chipotle chile sauce are wonderful and completely different. The carne adovado is wonderful served over spaghetti noodles instead of the usual spaghetti sauce. If you are tired of making the same old thing, buy this book.

A good cookbook must be a regional one. Huntley Dent's book, The Feast of Santa Fe, is the gem in this class. Most important, all the recipes I have tried in this book have been a success.

The author is straightforward when advising extra effort when a shortcut will not do, such as grinding your own chili powder. Dent is equally candid when convenience is more practical, such as purchasing flour tortillas instead of making them.

I appreciate the author telling how to best prepare the fillings for burritos and enchiladas. The resulting quality you will be hard pressed to find even in the most prestigious New Mexican restaurants. The sauce recipes found in the book are certainly a match for those establishments.

There have been some recipes I tried with a less than authentic but convenient substitute suggested by Dent; the result was still quite good. A perfect example is Chorizo made with kielbasa. It was so easy. The flavor is very New Mexican. Dent's real specialty is in authenticity. There is a recipe for authentic Spanish rice that is easy to make and authentic. This is certainly better than what is served in restaurants.

The book offers so much. I still have some suggested techniques to try with chili sauces. So many recipes are offered with multiple variations. I'm sure it will take years for me to try them all. But I am determined, this is a fun book.

I have used this cookbook for over 5 years and I still find new things to try. Today I showed this book to my in-laws and they were so excited to see long forgotten recipies from their childhood. I will now buy another copy to give my father-in-law otherwise he will have me make all his favorites everytime he visits.

Horn's work is well-written and provides insight into both the English and the local Indian population in early Virginia. Solid details are provided along with a fair assessment of both English and Native culture and religious underpinnings. Highly recommended for research and presentations.

Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the first permanent settlement established by the English in what was later to become the United States. But more attention has been given by most Americans to the 1620 founding of the Plymouth colony, partially because it is more easy to romantically mythologize the story of the Pilgrims who came seeking "religious freedom" than the largely commercial interests of the Jamestown colonists.

However, the Jamestown story has its own set of myths, the most obvious being the supposed saving of John Smith's life by Pocahontas. Horn does an effective job of demonstrating this to be a likely falsehood. Instead Smith is shown to be an arrogant leader who was despised by most of the colonists and ended up returning to England a failure. He was replaced by Sir Thomas Dale, who turned out to be a somewhat more effective leader. But it really wasn't until the discovery of tobacco as a viable cash crop that Jamestown became anything approaching a commercial success. Prior to this the colonists lived on the verge of starvation, dependent on the Indians for corn in order to survive.

But Horn also shows the high level of tension and violence that existed between the English and the Indians from the beginning. The Powahatan chief, Wahunsonacock, viewed the English with great suspicion that later grew into contempt and a desire to prevent any further incursions of English into Powahatan territory. This resulted in the Indian uprising of 1622, where hundreds of English were killed in a single day. But the English settlers continued to arrive in ever greater numbers and the colony was made permanent.

But this permanence was hardly inevitable. Spain was keeping a close eye on Jamestown as well. They sent several ships up from Florida to investigate. These were all turned back. But still the Spanish could have likely destroyed the Jamestown colony if they had made it a more significant priority. But they chose not to. The two primary reasons being that they had recently concluded a peace treaty in the Netherlands and didn't want to risk further hostilites as well as the fact that they thought it probable that Jamestown would fail on its own without any Spanish interference, an entirely reasonable scenario at the time.

Overall, Horn manages to tell the true story of Jamestown, sharing his vast knowledge in a way that brings this period of history to life and captivates the reader. I also enjoyed reading the numerous quotes he included from John Smith and other primary sources. Perhaps some more attention could have been paid to the arrival of slaves from Africa as well as the distinct class differences between the colony leaders and the workers, many of whom arrived as indentured servants. But still this is an excellent book and comes highly recommended.

As other reviewers have stated, most Americans know precious little about this early English colonial attempt in America; even fewer remember Roanoke, but many recall the Puritan landing at Plymouth Rock.

James Horn has attempted to correct this imbalance by writing this clear, lucid, and colorful history of the settlers at Jamestown - the only thing missing from his title is that this story is almost one of the colonial efforts of the Virginia Company more than just the story of Jamestown. However, the book does focus on the exploits, trials, and tribulations of the early settlers in Jamestown and surrounding plantations.

The book largely focuses on the early years of the settlement, including the exploits of Captain John Smith and the interactions with the native Americans, but runs all the way through the bankruptcy of the Virginia company and the transition from a private enterprise to a royal colony. Horn speculates as to the value of the Jamestown settlement at the conclusion of the book - although his speculation is well reasoned, it would take multiple additional volumes to bring to fruition his thoughts.

Like many people, prior to reading this book my knowledge of Jamestown and early American colonization were quite limited and could have fit in a thimble. Author James Horn has done what will soon be considered a classic and a masterpiece on this subject.
From the initial foothold onto American soil in 1607 by John Smith, Captain Christopher Newport, Bartholomew Gosnold, John Ratcliffe and a total of 144 adventurers, we develop an understanding as to the trials and tribulations of colonizing and conquest in a foreign land spanning two decades of time. Hunger, disease, Indian hostilities and moral fiber are at its tautest for establishing settlements in such a vast unexplored region.
Horn's respectable character analyses of Powhatan Chief Wahunsonacock and his brother Opechancanough, along with the great many other personalities involved on both sides, gives this rendition a profound and discerning look into how America began.
An authoritative and lively read.

I found this book to be most informative and interesting. Horn paints a picture of a dysfunctional settlement that barely endured long enough to become a colony. The conventional wisdom is that the Jamestown settlers were adventurers and younger sons of nobility who sought easy riches and refused to do the work necessary to sustain a settlement such as building and planting. In contrast, the Puritans in New England were hard working, pious, and a much better model for American colonization. I don't know whether the Puritan myth is true, but Horn seems to agree that Jamestown's myth is fairly accurate.

He seems to be ambivalent about John Smith: while he doesn't seem to like Smith much, he describes him as one of the few seeking to get the settlement self-sustaining rather than putting up with idleness and depending on the Indians for food. In this portrayal Smith is very arrogant and makes some serious mistakes, but no more than others, and he does try to establish productive relations with the Indians, which subsequent leaders failed to do.

I particularly liked the author's liberal use of quotations from source material. They made the narrative more lively and more personal. I hope Dr. Horn keeps writing.

Excellent reference for hot, arid OK gardening. Appreciated the beneficial characteristics listed for native plantings and wildlife and bird attraction.

This is the best book I have ever found on OK landscape/planting. I have used it to plan grant funded work in public areas like schools, around my house, and have recommended it to Scouts working on their Eagle projects. It's very user friendly and full of useful information and pictures. Don't let the title fool you into thinking it is just about gardening--it covers trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses.

Oklahoma Gardener's Guide is an awesome, very user-friendly guide. I would highly recommend it to others.

covers all types of plants from ground cover to trees and every thing in between. how to treat them, where to plant them and how they will grow in Oklahoma.

Great book for us that are new to the wonders of gardeing in Oklahoma. There are tips on plants that can handle windy conditions, drought and blistering sun but will come back after the blizzards of winter.
I also like the symbols that tell the plants attributes such as fragrance, attracts bees or birds or butterflies, native plants, etc.
This book goes with me on plant shopping trips.

I put off reading this book because for some reason I did not think I was going to enjoy it. Boy was I wrong!! Great book, well written, excellent characters. I enjoyed it immensely.

I loved the very real characters in this book. From page two I was so hooked I knew I had one wonderful book in my hands. And it was! I'll be reading all the Alafair Tucker mysteries by Donis Casey. Life is too short to miss out on such an enjoyable experience.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the genuine seeming characters and accurate historical (1911) setting of this mystery novel. The book's unique title and Oklahoma setting (where I once lived) attracted me to the book. Farm wife and mother Alafair is a very appealing heroine and though I never quite got all of her nine living children totally straight most of the other minor characters are also well developed. The book has an authentic flavor of rural Oklahoma from the "down home" cooking to the speech patterns. The mystery is solid (though my eyes may have glazed over a bit when it concerned guns) and though I guessed the real murderer well before the book's end I didn't predict the full circumstances surrounding it. I am glad to see Ms. Casey has all ready published the second in the series of Alafair's detective adventures (HORNSWOGGLED) and according to her web site a third will be published this fall.

I usually don't care that much for mystery books but the time period & the title drew me to this book. I wasn't disappointed. I loved the family & all the children. A little romance mixed in makes this book really good. Don't miss the next one by this author with the same family & another good mystery.

This is a great story. The characters become real immediately. Interesting. Smiles. Real life. Surprising, but reasonable, ending. I first checked this book out from the library, scooping up a bunch of new mystery books. I got a kick out of the title. Liked this one so much, I bought it. Looking forward to this author's subsequent books as well. My mother at first refused to read this book (she didn't like the title). Later, after I'd purchased it, she started to read it, became engrossed in it and hardly put it down until finished.

Octavia's Fried Chicken is the best, most foolproof fried chicken in the world. Octavia: whereever you are out there, thanks for making me EXTREMELY popular!

Being born & raised in Southwest Louisiana, I learned how to cook from generations before me. This cook book is the closest thing to real Southwest Louisiana food. I have had my copy for numerous years and have worn it out but continue to use it. I give this book as a gift on every occasion that is appropriate (& some that are not). This is the only book I would recommend to anyone with an interest in Cajun food. It's awesome! Karen - Lake Charles, Louisiana transplanted to Omaha, Nebraska.

I've had (earlier printing - plastic bound) version of this cook book for at least 25 years. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, after much use the binding broke and my cook book was a total mess, although I still frequently used it. I actually went online to order one for my new daughter-in-law and was delighted to see it in hard cover. So, I bought four (my daughter-in-law, my daughter, one as a gift for a friend and another for myself). I am delighted with the quality of this cook book. I come from a long line of great cajun cooks (my mom and both sister also have the cook book). I've eaten cajun food all of my life. These recipes are delicious, truly cajun and easy to prepare. The informative welcome to each section is a delightful extra. I would strongly recommend this cook book for anyone who enjoys cooking delicious meals. I will purchase them again for gifts for friends and family.

I think every single woman I know has this cookbook. It's as if you get one after a certain age as a "right of passage" or something in this town. I have this cookbook, my mother has it and my Grandmother had it. We have never ran across a recipe in this book that was not great! Buy it! You will NOT be disappointed.

I have had this cookbook for many years. I first purchased it back in 1977, and it is without a doubt the best in authentic Cajun cooking. My original Pirate's Pantry finally fell apart from many years of use; but, although I recently replaced it, I still have my old original stuffed into a manila envelope. I love this cookbook!!!