Southwest Books

Everett Ruess is a marvelously gifted poet. He writes in elegant lines teeming with passionate imagery. "Wilderness Song" is the most incredible piece and describes nature at its fullest. Any poet can write beautiful lines, but Ruess writes with soul, the soul of an aficianado of the wilderness.

A chilling voice out of the past from one who loved wilderness so much he vanished without a trace in it. I am hard pressed to come up with a book or person who was able to articulate the beauty around him more than Everett Ruess. In a tragic twist this lover of the purity nature gave and continues to give a painter's perspective in words to the American west despite the mysterious circumstances surrounding his disappearance. He left behind not only the beautiful writings of a master (and at such a young age) but also a mysterious tale of intrigue that leaves people guessing to this very day. Was he a victim of murder or did his love for wilderness drive him into the vast unknown to live out his days in the peaceful tranquility only nature can provide? Buy the book and formulate your own opinions. I highly recommend it.

This book represents the viewpoints of a "policing" time for the United States of the North. Without some form of correctiveness, lawlessness and savageness would have ruled the day and Texas would not be a part of the nation today.
It is exciting, horrifying, glorifying, and it is sad at times.
This book must be pulled from the graveyard of literature for open forums to discuss the past. Without actual accounts of yesterday protrayed today, everyone will be able to re-write history to match their own personal or social, economical, and political viewpoints instead. An American treasure is being lost to the dusts of time...James L. Brown

Almost as important as the text are the Preface, Foreword and Introduction (rare to have all three.) Robinson's Preface puts Carter's book into context and prepares the reader for an interesting, but daunting read. Robinson is absolutely correct in his discussion of the importance of this book as it should be read by anyone interested in the Indian Wars of the West.

This book was written by a real participant of those wars, and as such, is hardly a revisionist, politically correct rendition of how the Army and settlers wronged the Indians. It must be remembered, although Carter was ignorant of this fact, that the Comanches had been forced out of the mountains of Colorado by the Utes in the middle of the 18th century, and in turn expelled or exterminated the existing tribes in the plains of Texas. Now the Americans were coming and displacing the Comanches in one of the inexorable changes that history brings.

MacKenzie was on a par with Andrew Jackson as being one of the two most successful Indian fighters in US history. He graduated 1st in his West Point class of 1862 and rose during the Civil War to Major General at the age of twenty-five. His Indian campaigns were fought against a number of tribes from Mexico to South Dakota, and although he sometimes made mistakes, he did not make them twice. He became mentally ill, possibly in part from being maimed at Petersburg or suffering a later head injury, was retired from the Army in 1884 and died in obscurity in 1889 at the age of forty-nine. For his remarkable successes and military innovations, MacKenzie has been roundly ignored by contemporary academic historians. As always, the history we learn is not what actually happened, but what is written concerning what happened. That is why the serious student must read this book.

As Robinson notes, the prose is overblown and sometimes factually incorrect -- a typical problem in eyewitness accounts. Fortunately, the exaggerations are relatively easy to ascertain from the author's obvious efforts to add color (when none is needed.) It should be emphasized that this is a reprint of the 1935 edition, which was itself a collection of stories written by the author as early as 1886. He passed away in 1936 at the age of 91, the last survivor of the 4th Cavalry who had served under MacKenzie.

If one wishes to become acquainted with MacKenzie and understand Army life in the 1870s fighting Indians in the West, I can think of no better book. It clearly corrects the great harm Hollywood had done to this era, and will introduce the reader to a life he will be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Therefore I gave it a 5 rating, in spite of its obvious flaws.

"The Orion Mystery" opens new possibility's of understanding the global implications of precession and the Great Year. What was the knowledge held by the Ancients? How can the re-awakening of this knowledge help us change the course of history? David's second book "Eye of the Phoenix", extends this understanding. Well worth reading both of these exciting and challenging works.

Gary A. David provides an abundance of research and incredible history between Arizona and Egypt in relation to the skymaps of the Orion Constellation with the Hopi-Egyption connection. David's methodical, insightful book reveals the numerous reasons why I relocated to Arizona to live in the Orion Zone among the Ancient Star Cities in the American Southwest. The Orion Zone is a diligent read with plentiful rewards of knowledge and wisdom.

I have this book for one of my college classes, and it is really interesting to have a book that is not just a dry ethnography. I think it holds true to how it describes itself in the introduction: "We want to investigate one central and fundamental theme--the persistence of ethnic identity in the face of constant change...about groups of people who have maintained a strong sense of their own ethnic identity in the face of conquest, persecution, exile, and in some cases attempted genocide." Interesting insights and analysis. Tells of past, current issues, contact with Euro-Americans, and possible futures of these peoples. An interesting read even outside of class.

I bought this as a textbook for a class, but would highly recommend it to anyone interested in southwestern American Indian cultures.

After researching and skimming through other books written about the Oklahoma City bombing and Timothy McVeigh, this book by far takes the cake. I started reading the first chapter and before I knew it I was half way into the book! Author does a great job laying out the timeline, facts, and events that lead up to the Oklahoma City bombing- even after the event! Anoter recommendation would be "American Terrorist" by Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck.

In the rush to keep America safe, this book reminds us that the country inadvertently nurtures terrorism amongst 'all-American' types.

Both McVeigh and Nichols never would have fit the profile of a 'suspected terrorist'. This is because they were military veterans without prior arrest records who lived in middle America.

But Middle America feels alienated from its government. Come to think of it, they ultimately don't trust the government at all. Coming back after a military service, they were drawn into a gun show underground where restrictions on weapons are conveniently unenforced.

The going mantra at such events appears to be "If you want it, there is somebody who is just as willing to sell it to you". And coupled with the presence of equally chilling materials, this ultimately spelled out a recipe for disaster.

Serving as a consultant to Timothy McVeigh's defense team, Stuart Wright did not actually come across as somebody championing his client. Rather, I came away with an objective account of the tragedy.

I also compared his thoughtful examination against our ongoing public paranoia against 'outsiders' particularly those with certain-sounding names. The former seems like it offers the more reasonable strategy for effectively addressing and then winning the war against terrorism--international AND domestic.

This book offers a mountain of useful information on technical, environmental, and artistic aspects of perennial gardening,
presented in a manner that is simple and understandable, without being condescending.

This could almost be a "coffee table" book, the pictures are so beautiful! There needs to be a paperback version that can be taken outside.

Gardeners (and gardener "wannabes" - like me) all over the midwest can use this book.

The best new gardening book I've seen in a while. Instead of being a repeat of other high-quality Texas books (Native Texas Plants by Wasowski being the best IMO), a large part of the book is devoted to categorizing the plants by their forms (clumping, trailing, climbing, etc.), their prefered habitat (shade, boggy, etc.), by color, and by their ability to attract bees, birds, and other wildlife to your yard. I found these categorizations to be extremely useful. For further information about the plants, you can then look at the alphabetical listing of all the species mentioned in the book. The pictures in Wasowski's book are better, but the categorizations makes this book more useful for selecting plants for your particular landscape.

As an Arizona resident, I love this book by Ansel Adams. I have visited many of the places he photographed and photographed them myself...with less impressive results. That is why he is a photographer and I take pictures.
If you love this part of the country, this book is for you.

This is a collection of magnificent pictures by America's premiere photographer, sadly marred by the pretentious twaddle of a chronic kicker from Tucson who faults everyone in the Southwest except his own redeeming presence.

It's beautiful work by Ansel Adams, well worth whatever you pay for the book. The pretentious twaddle by Lawrence Clark Powell is typical Tucson, people who manage to find fault with everything.

First, the pictures. Photography was part of my job for years, and I have visited probably half of the places included in this book. For example, consider the picture of White House Ruin in Canyon de Chelly, taken in 1942. I've taken dozens of photos of it, and hiked every foot in the vicinity. Nothing of mine comes close to the mastery of Adams beautiful black-and-white photograph. I suspect that even if I copied his picture as precisely as possible, mine would still look dull in comparison to his artistry.

Adams' mastery of the camera and the art of making prints is such that even in black-and-white, his pictures sparkle with a luminosity that puts color to shame. In recent years newspapers have wasted a great effort on color pictures. Adams' work shows how superior the old black-and-white photos could be in comparison to modern newspaper color. Any photo editor would weep to have such quality today. More's the pity the newspapers do not emphasize quality instead of glitzy novelty.

It's more than a book about the Southwest; it's a book about how to see nature and the world around us. Adams had an eye for natural beauty. I've no doubt he could find beauty and art even in a junk yard. He knew what to include in a picture, and how much to leave out, and the precise moment when it all came together. His pictures of cacti, aspens, rocks and adobe structures will cause anyone to look again and more closely at their surroundings, to appreciate the beauty of detail in a grander setting.

Sadly, the words fall far short of the pictures. Fifty years ago, Joseph Wood Krutch wrote in praise of the Southwest, "the combination of brilliant sun and high, thin, dry air with a seemingly limitless expanse of sky and earth [that] my first reaction was delighted amusement. How far the ribbon of road beckoned ahead! How endlessly much there seemed to be of the majestically rolling expanse of bare earth dotted with sagebrush!"

Such beauty still exists in the Southwest, even today. I have often driven such roads.

In contrast, Powell is an old grouch. The only things he finds to praise are his own presence and ruined adobes. He seeks the negatives, such as Gallup, New Mexico, where "the Indian may be seen in the stages of disintegration -- drinking, fighting, staggering and falling to the sidewalk and gutter. Here is the place to read 'Laughing Boy,' LaFarge's lament for a people debauched by an alien race."

Powell ignores the fact Gallup has established one of the nation's outstanding alcohol rehabilitation programs, far superior to anything in Tucson. His ugly words are a contrast to the beauty of Adams' photographs.

It doesn't matter. Buy the book for the photographs, they are worth it. Ignore Powell's whiney complaints. You'll get a gem in terms of wonderful pictures, and for laugh's you'll see Tucsonian political correctness run amok.

Outstanding history of relegion being brought to Texas. The hardships, difficulties, dangers and frustrations are presented in an interesting and informative way. It really makes you appreciate the freedom to worship we now enjoy. These stories of those who brought the gospel to Texas cover the whole State during those early years of settlement...from pre-independence to early 1900's. Very enjoyable reading! A must read for lovers of TEXAS.

it's not a Hollywood twist to some boring local facts... it's true versions of popularly known men and events. I'm not through reading this book yet, but it's hard to put down, once I pick it up. Trying to read it thru the Holidays is quite a task with all that's going on and all the responsibilies this time of year... but like I said, I can't put it down.
The best thing about this book, is that everyting in it is True... man those surely were the Wild times of the West... good thing some brave men had God on their side to make it thru... The Wild West was not won with a gun alone... but by faithful followers of the Bible... just how the Eastern side of our Country was founded back in 1776

Living in Las Vegas, my water concious conversion from grass
to drought tolerant plants and landscape had to be well
thought out. It also had to be an efficient, long lasting,
and effective action.
This book helped in all of those areas.

Judith Phillips books are a godsend to those of us who garden in the high desert. She understands our highly varied zones and which plants thrive in each area. The illustrations and codes are very helpful. I am a public librarian and have bought many copies of her three books for our library and to use at home. Rather than hitting your head against the wall and wasting precious water trying to make something grow that does not belong in your area, Judith helps you create a great garden that will thrive and be relatively low maintenance. Her suggestions on plant combinations are particularly useful. The only criticism I have is one that happened at the printers: the pages in the back of Plants for Native Gardens which lists a chart of adaptive plants are not numbered. I highly recommend all three of Phillips' fine books.

Stephen Augustus Hurlbut - forger, card cheat, extortionist, profiteer, and falling-down drunk - Lincoln's and Grant's politician general. His personality shortcomings illuminate military campaigns, occupation, reconstruction, and politics in the Civil War years - before, during, and after - and hold lessons for future "administration" of occupied lands.

Stephen A. Hurlbut was a controversial figure throughout his whole life. He seemed incapable of giving anything more than mixed results in all his endeavors. Born in South Carolina, he practiced law in Illinois beginning in 1845. He served as a Whig in the state legislature just prior to the Civil War, and then was appointed brigadier general of volunteers in 1861. He served in northern Missouri for a time, but had little understanding of guerilla warfare. He did much better at Shiloh defending the Union left. He also commanded well at Corinth and Meridian, but failed to seize the initiative after the Confederates were defeated at Hatchie's Bridge. Although he was loyal and dutiful, he was not a strong leader of men. He was also a heavy drinker, which got him into hot water. He was extremely harsh toward southern sympathizers, blacks, and Jews, and it was a mistake making him commander of the Department of the Gulf in September 1864: he was charged with corruption and was antagonistic toward the Louisiana authorities. His drunkenness was also becoming a major handicap. After the war he became a Republican leader in Illinois and helped organize the GAR. He was a minister to Colombia, 1869-72, and then minister to Peru during the Peru-Chile War, where he drunken behavior was an embarrassment to the US. He died in Lima in 1882. Jeffrey Lash's account of Hurlbut's life is informative and well written and pulls no punches. Except for having the ability to organize for his political causes, this southerner with a Yankee heritage was only mildly competent in as well as out of uniform. Lash's efficient and well-fitted biography is better than Hurlbut probably deserves. Recommended.