Southwest Books

Actually, I am not done reading this book, and I don't think I'll ever be done reading it. So far, it looks like it will be a part of my personal reference library. I can hardly believe that someone actually went through the process of writing it.
I do feel this is an awesome book.

James Street writes meticulously researched historical fiction that introduces us to the daily lives of men and women who settled the United States, moving westward from the coastal areas. He includes encounters with Native Americans including historical characters who aided or impeded the settlers. The plot develops around a brother and sister orphaned by an Indian raid on their homestead and follows them through several generations with succeeding books including Tap Roots which was made into a movie in the forties or fifties. Street writes compasionately about the custom of indenture, relations between Native Americans and Africans, the struggles of ordinary people to establish a life on the frontier.

Wonderful photo collage of Oklahoma City. This book is jam packed with great historical photos of Oklahoma City. As a lifelong resident of 54 years I was pleased to see pictures of many places I remember from my childhood. My parents are in their 80's now and they were so thrilled with this book they couldn't put it down. So many pictures of the places they knew and loved! Each photo is accompanied by an informative summary. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing the history of Oklahoma City and to longtime residents like myself. Jill Winkler Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Everybody loves animals and stories and picture books, so what's not to like about Oklahoma City Zoo: 1902--1959? Zoo naturalist educator, Amy Dee Stephens, has put together a delightful collection of stories and pictures about some of the zoo's most colorful creatures. Her project began as an attempt to uncover information about the zoo's past for use in publicizing the zoo's centennial. Soon a dozen or more docents were involved in searching old newspapers, the archives of the Oklahoma Historical Society and antique stores.

The research began to reveal a quaint and colorful array of unlikely stories of animals gone AWOL, animals purchased with pennies, and animals given as gifts. Children and other animal lovers were an important part of the menagerie, participating in the rescue, selection, purchase, and naming of some of the zoo's most famous citizens.

Selected as an Oklahoma Centennial Project, Oklahoma City Zoo: 1902--1959, will take you back to those years when a trip to the zoo was considered wildly exciting entertainment.

Historians and college professors W. David Baird and Danney Goble present Oklahoma: A History, an in-depth, narrative history of America's 46th state. From the geological and tectonic creation of Oklahoma's landscape to both well-known and oft-overlooked historical events, Oklahoma: A History narrates in a down-to-earth style accessible to historians and lay readers alike. "The collapse of the Socialist Party and the end of World War I brought no tranquility... High among the reasons for this political turmoil was the bitterness felt by former Socialists. Their party had not survived the war, but neither had the high farm prices that the war produced... On top of that, the former Socialists carried a bitter grudge against the Democrats, whom they blamed for destroying their party. Unable to vote Socialist and unwilling to vote Democratic, their first recourse was to vote for the one remaining alternative, the Republicans." A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this excellent addition to Oklahoma and American history collections, highly recommended especially for public libraries.

Ol' Slim's Views From the Porch: A Plethora of Punditry, A Wonderment of Wisdom is an anthology of twenty-six of Slim Randles' timeless columns, originally run in New Mexico Magazine. Charming, sketchy black-and-white illustrations by Grem Lee illustrate this tongue-in-cheek funny allotment of reflections from who's going to wear the Universal Wrestling Foundation crown to the marvels of dutch oven cookery to why China is more fly-free than America, to why it isn't truly spring until you see concrete blocks flying about in the air. A delightful sampling of homestyle American wit.

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.