Southwest Books

Archie McDonald is one of my favorite historical research writers. His works are always easy flowing and well documented.
I prefer his books to the more current crop of writers who have a personal axe to grind. The Old Stone Fort played a part in the history of Fort Anahuac in a round-about way. In late July of 1832,Colonel Piedras had marched from Nacogdoches to the relief of Colonel Bradburn, who was under attack from the Anglo rebels in Anahuac. By the time he arrived, the garrison was ready to surrender. Returning home, Piedras feared another Anglo insurrection and ordered the civilians to turn in their firearms. This led to a confrontation and a running skirmish on the Angelina River. The "Old Stone Fort" was captured by the rabble and Piedras was forced to surrender several days later. The Battle of Nacogdoches was just one of the many early clashes against the Centralists.

John Archer has written an amazingly interesting account of Renaissance travel literature. He uses the concept of "paracolonialism" to discuss a range of Renaissance texts, some well known, some not. The intelligence of Archer's prose and analysis make this book an welcome oasis in the increasingly arid desert that Renaissance studies has become. Old Worlds will also be of deep interest to anyone working in colonial and post-colonial theory.

We have always enjoyed all of the regional On the Road Again with Man's Best Friend guides, and bought the Southwest version last summer for a trip to Santa Fe and Taos. We had trouble choosing between the 15 inns and B&Bs in Santa Fe - they all sounded wonderful. We stayed in a lovely pueblo style inn where each day our dog was presented an afternoon treat, while we enjoyed tea and freshly baked sweets. We used the book to find out where to hike with our dog, or take her in and around town. We loved traveling through New Mexico with our dog, but wouldn't have attempted it without this terrific book!

A moving critical study on those silences that confronted women artists in the West, focusing on professional, non-professional, and traditional women artists' struggles to find voices and to cope with markets for their work. Jensen discusses several artists whose careers were shadowed or distorted by husbands, some of whom were themselves artists or collectors. She also treats extensively the history of a Native American basket maker's struggles with market forces, traditional cultural artmaking and art-using practices, discrimination, and family forces. Covering late pioneer days through the rise of Hollywood and spanning painting, photography, literature, dance, and crafts, the book surprised me with its concise and compelling portrayals of many societies and art worlds. Jensen communicates immediate and personal interpretations of the "lifeways" of silenced and near silenced women artists, as well as some who succeeded--at their great cost--in finding a voice.

I been living in Arizona for the past twelve years and have enjoyed the countless courses that we have in our wonderful state. I seriously thought that I knew all of the best courses in my state until last Christmas when my wife bought me this informative book. Since then I've discovered numerous courses that I may not have discovered if it wasn't for this well thought out book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in dicovering the vast resources of golf courses throughout my home state. By the way... Jimmy Shacky writes beautifully.

Having known little about this fascinating aspect of American history, I was warmed and amused and interested by the combination of genuine historical information about this amazing tribe as well as truly enchanted by the personal references of the author

Mr. McCord has captured the special essence of New Mexico, which is nominally part of the USA, but really almost a separate country and culture all to itself. One could put the case that N.M. is really 2 countries:
1. N.M. in the summers and 2. N.M. in the winters. Both of these countries have a special charm like no other place and deserve a visit with care toward preserving such a vital resource. Buy the book!

this is a nice change from the cartoon related books my kids usually want to read.

First read this one in the mid l980s and enjoyed every page and word. This is a loosly attached group of stories, one man's expierences living in the Ozarks of Missouri. Having grown up within a few miles of the setting of this work, I found the author captured the spirit of that wonderful place perfectly. It is a shame that this is considered a "regional work" as the author's wit and observations could quite well fill any setting. If you can get a copy, this is certainly one you will want to add to your library. Recommend this one highly.

Outlaws & Desperados: A New Mexico Federal Writers' Project Book is an anthology of vignette essays, biographical sketches, and fascinating true tales about outlaws and desperados of the New Mexico Territory in the American West. Colorful figures featured include Black Jack Ketchum, the Apache Kid, Curly Bill, Devil Dick, Billy the Kid, the Dalton Brothers, and much more. They robbed stagecoaches, trains, prospectors, and settlers; their often murderous exploits were feared by many and glamorized by a few. Between 1936 and 1940, field workers in the Federal Writers' Project (part of the government-funded Works Progress Administration, or WPA) collected and wrote down numerous testimonies to provide an authentic account of outlaws in New Mexico. Now the original documents are published for the first time. A candid portrayal of New Mexico's unruly condition, as plagued by banditry and retaliatory hangings, as invaluable a primary source today as it was over six decades ago. Highly recommended especially for college and university libraries.