Western Books

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.

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 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.

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.

Ably written by attorney, former police officer, and western law enforcement expert Michael A. Crane, A Fistful Of Thorns is a superbly crafted novel about the legendary frontier figures Doc Holliday and Kate Elder. Seamy political corruption, power struggles that escalate to ruthless violence, and a powerful evocation of a western frontier yesteryear fill the pages of this riveting and highly recommended saga of the Old West.

Wow, what an exciting journey! I was captivated by the authors interpretation of the characters and their travels; I couldn't put this book down. It inspired me to want to find out more about the legend they call Doc Holliday. If you're remotely interested in the wild west, this book is a must read.

I am a fan of the 19th century American West but usually prefer histories and personal accounts to fiction. But this book is a pleasant exception. As Doc Holiday is a figure somewhat overshadowed by the Earp saga in most historical sources (and we western culture fans know of the broad range of treatment that legend receives in so called historical text) it was exciting to get some insight into such a pivotal character. Mr. Crane does an excellent job of blending fact (as closely as it can be determined) with imagination in portraying a personality that nearly stands as the greatest example of skilled gunman. What is fascinating about Holliday, and so brilliantly demonstrated here by Crane, is that he was neither lawman nor outlaw but driven by his own personal codes of honor and loyalty. Sometimes, stories of which we know the ending can bog down. But in this case, Mr. Crane keeps you turning the pages because his colorful description of Doc makes the journey of discovery more important than the fateful destination.

I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the importance of the American Western Myth in defining our culture, enjoys stories of heroism and sacrifice, or just likes gun play. It was one of the fastest reads I have had in a while.

This is a wonderfully entertaining story that illustrates just how much courage it takes to stand up to corruption and greed. While most tales of the Old West paint Doc as shady sidekick to the noble and just Earps, Michael Crane shifts the focus and shows us a much more complete picture. We see that while Doc was the hard drinking gambler with a deadly temper that we're all familiar with, he was also a man of immense loyalty, constant chivalry, and unyielding integrity.

True to the nature of the story, the author doesn't take you by the hand and gently lead you along the walkways of Tombstone, but instead grabs you by the back of the arm and pulls you through the saloons, alleys and bloody confrontations that made up Doc's world...it's a hell of tour!

Hold on for a wild and adventurous ride through the Wild West! This captivating novel about Doc Holliday paints a vivid picture of not only his life as a notorious gun fighter but also portrays his more reputable characteristics as a gentleman and devoted friend. Doc's journey through the Wild West tells a story of corruption and law prior to the admittance of the Territory of Arizona into the Union. A Fistful of Thorns is a must read, captivating its reader from the beginning to the end.

This was a great book. Great story. Well written. New information and insite of Allie's life. We should have more books like this rather than a rehash of the same ole information about the sale ole subject.

Jane Candia Coleman has managed to carve a literary niche for herself that seems to be hers alone: the retelling and recasting of southwestern history as seen through the eyes of the women who lived it, not the men. In this case, she breathes new life into the story of the feud in Tombstone, AZ involving the Earps and the Clantons in the 1880's. She focuses on the life of Allie Earp, wife of Virgil Earp, Wyatt's brother. With so much written and filmed about this feud from the male point of view, it's damn well time we experienced this genuinely dramatic story from the woman's perspective. Coleman informs us in an afterword that she had access to Allie Earp's memoirs, which are brought to life with the sharp eye and command of craft of a supremely skilled novelist. Coleman evokes these people and their world with a crisp, vivid style that kept me engaged throughout. But don't get the idea that this is a traditional shoot 'em up western. The author is up to far more than that. This is no less than a vivid depiction of a woman's life on the western frontier from her youth to her later years. It's a breath of fresh air that took my breath away! Highly recommended.

Jane Candia Coleman is one of our most gifted contemporary writers as demonstrated by her latest novel, "Tombstone Travesty." She has an unusual talent which makes you feel the emotions of her characters and envision the environment in which the story takes place.

She also has the uncanny ability to combine her novel writing talents with historical accuracy in such a way that anyone interested in the Old West will enjoy the story immensely while picking up some additional historical points about the Earp families not mentioned by others.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to experience the talents of this outstanding author. I assure you that it will be difficult to put this book down until you have finished reading it.

It was so nice to read about the events from someone who was really there. I have a whole new take on several of the people involved. What a feisty lady Allie must have been. I love her.

Jane Candia Coleman, in her heavily researched Tombstone Travesty: The Memoirs of Allie Earp, has finally set the record straight about this side of the Earp family. Like her stunning Doc Holliday's Woman, Coleman had access to numerous records direct from family sources. For many years the media had canonized the Earp family, particularly Wyatt Earp. Then along came a writer who, having access to the still living Allie Earp, set out to debunk the family, making himself the "revisionist historian" who could "tell it all." Worthy of note is that he did not publish it until after her death, when no family member could come to her defense. Now, Coleman has risen to that defense in this highly readable and enjoyable work. I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about the Earp family, the western experience and its tough and resourceful frontier women.

I am new as an Inquirer to the Secular Franciscan Order. This book is a must read and was recommended by a Franciscan Priest.

If you are interested in Franciscan Spirituality this book is an absolute must; but beware this is St. Francis and St. Clare full force from a fire hydrant. Watch out! If you are used to getting St. Francis via an eyedropper you are going to get soaked! The editors have added scriptural references to the text. This allows the reader who has a Bible handy to go from St. Francis' or St. Clare's words right to Holy Scripture. That is a powerful combination. Don't read this book in a week, take a long, long time. You will be glad you did.

Frequently, to suit the author and their own agenda, translations of Francis' and Clare's works are either watered down or misunderstood. Regis Armstrong is one of the rare authors who truly understands the Franciscan mentality. He is, therefore, able to do outstanding translations that allow the true spirit of Francis and Clare to emerge. As a former Poor Clare (Poor Lady of Assisi), this book was highly recommended by our Mother Abbess (who is a highly valued Franciscan theologian in her own right). If it were possible to rate this book with 6 stars, it would be well deserving of it!

"Francis and Clare: The Complete Works" is a collection of the Rules, Letter, Prayers and any other writings believed to have been written by these two founders of the Franciscan movement, Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi. I say "believed to have been written" because the authorship of some of the writings is based on the best scholarly research available, not on a reliable canon collected during the saints' lifetimes. The writings of Francis are presented first, followed by those of Clare.

Because the works consist of a collection of unassociated writings, they do not provide a guide to holiness, as do other works, such as St. Francis' DeSales "Introduction To The Devout Life" or St. Ignatius of Loyola's "Spiritual Exercises". This is more like a law school case book in which one reads the material in order to discern the important themes.

The important themes are not difficult to ascertain. One obvious one is the well known Franciscan emphasis on poverty. From these readings the reader gets the idea that the virtue of poverty is the detachment from things of earth so that one may concentrate on the things that truly matter. A second theme, which I had not associated with Francis, is that of reverence for and adoration of the Holy Eucharist. The prescriptions made by Francis in his day resonate well in our time with its struggle in maintaining a balance between Eucharist reverence and accessibility.

This book serves well as a tool in a study of the life of St. Francis. We look to biographies to learn from him through an organized rendering of his life. We look to "Francis and Clare: The Complete Works" to learn from the saint himself.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the writings of St Francis and St Clare. The Classics of Western Spirituality volumes are generally well-researched, relevant, and well-introduced selections, and this is no exception.

This is the autobiography of John Bunyon and his life. It is about his life before and after Christ and the grace of God upon his life. John wrote this classic while in prison. He went to prison for preaching the gospel.

I've been looking forward to reading this book for years ever since I read Bunyan's classis Pilgrim's Progress, I've wanted to read Grace Abounding to learn more about his incredible man of faith. I also recently read The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper who introduces the reader to three incredible men of God including Bunyan. So actually reading the journey of Bunyan himself in his own words was thrilled...but difficult at the same time. Bunyan struggled greatly with the concept of grace; he wrestled with understanding how God's grace could be sufficient to save a sinner as great as he. Grace Abounding is a peering into the soul of Bunyan as he goes through this deep personal battle wanting to believe that God was able to cleanse him of all unrighteousness, but constantly confronted with the holiness of the divine.

Just over half way through the book, Bunyan surrenders to the will of God in his life. He finally and fully grasp that the grace of God was truly sufficient. Then his heart is set aflame to share this grace with others and he becomes one of the great preachers and writers of all time, even though he goes on to spend a dozen years confined to prison for preaching contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Personally, it was interesting to see the cultural battle Bunyan faced at the time looking back from my vantage 500 years later to see that America is the beneficiary of his great struggles with the prevailing church of the day. As Bunyan sat in prison, he wrote about the great journey from a metal worker to a pastor of the gospel of Christ - in allegory form for the Pilgrim's Progress and in autobiographical form in Grace Abounding.

I can understand why many believe this book is a classic - the thoughts and insights that Bunyan has into the Word of God were profound and significant. It was amazing to read how Scripture flowed through his mind irrigating every thought so that his life bore much fruit. I wouldn't recommend the book to a younger reader, it is a difficult read, but well worth the effort.

Grace Abounding....is an excellent autobiography of John Bunyan and his spiritual struggle to obtain assurance of his salvation in light if his belief that he had committed the unpardonable sin. Recommended to anyone who may be facing the same struggle with this question. Each paragraph of the text is numbered and, thus, it is easy to put the book down at any point and pick it back up later without losing train of thought. Since the book was written over 300 years ago, it is interesting to have insight into the thoughts of a Christian who lived during that time and to compare with current Christian thinking.

A lot of us are familiar with John Bunyan as the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, whose influence in Christendom is second to the Bible. Bunyan was a preacher, a prolific writer and a shining saint for God. However when we read this book we find out that he was an atheist and infidel in his youth, enjoying sin and rebellious towards God. Inwardly he suffered from tormented nightmares of demons and judgment, but outwardly he went on pretty much as any other sinner, taking delight in sin and being the ringleader of mischief. Several times he nearly lost his life, and even though there were several close calls, still he did not turn to God. After his marriage, he participated in religious activities, went through the motions of attending church and generally lived as he pleased, each time successfully shrugging off pangs of guilt. One day, after church, while playing a sport, a voice seemed to call out to him from heaven to his soul, which said, "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell?" Bunyan was convinced it was the Lord Jesus looking down on him in displeasure. What follows details his sinking into despair, his desparate attempts at working his way into God's good graces, and his struggles with temptation and doubt. In a strange sort of way, it is comforting to read about Bunyan's struggles and identify with them because you can see how he turned out so greatly used by God. He rationalized, made excuses and tried every way to justify himself. Bunyan did not try to gloss over his motivations but gave an honest account of his struggles from avowed sinner, to religious hypocrite before he was finally converted. He describes in great detail his doubts and despair, his yearning to be converted to Jesus Christ, and then being assured of his salvation by reading the Bible and praying. Reading this book will help you realize how God's grace can abound and save even the most wretched of sinners and gives us abounding hope.

I can't say that I have read this book...yet, but what I can say is that anyone who endeavours to read any work of Dr. Haykin is in for a real treat. He was my prof. for Church History, and a man whom I am thoroughly impressed with. He is a humble, diplomatic, professional person with a strong heart for God and His glory.
His knowledge on Church History is incredible, especially his understanding of the Reformation, the Puritans, and the Particular Baptist movements. But he cannot be limited there even. I could literally listen to him speak for hours.
I strongly recommend anything by Dr. Haykin as you will become well informed on the topic that he writes about, whether it's Cromwell, Bunyon, Edwards or anyone else.

God bless and enjoy.

This book is not only gorgeous to look at and page through, but you are also drawn into the stories. The generations and real people doing the hard work of ranching are portrayed in pictures and in words. Often the pictures speak as loudly for themselves as the written words telling the story. It's as if you get to look at the scrapbooks of the greatest ranch families in the U.S. in modern day times. Wonderful!

I was very excited and grateful when I opened a 50th birthday present from friends and found this beautiful book. I was even more delighted when I began reading the stories and looking through the stunning photographs. I am completely captivated! I have had a longing in my heart since I was a small girl to live the life of a rancher. The stories and pictures take me away and make me feel as if I am working the ranch alongside these extraordinary Americans. It is my prayer that all who see this book will appreciate the history of ranching in the United States and understand its role in the our past, present and future. Thank you for such a wonderful work.

We have thoroughly enjoyed reading the wonderful stories and viewing the spectacular photographs of Jim Keen. The book gives you real insight into the plight of the family-owned ranches. Do put this out on your coffee table, but unlike most coffee table books, this one will be read over and over.

Great pictures and stories about the ranches all across the West - 17 states! I did get to visit the Nottingham Ranch in Colorado (unfortunately no relations). Even though I have lived out West (Texas and Colorado) for much of my adult life, I have never been able to even visit very many ranches. This gives me inspiration. But having horses as a kid kept my love of horses, cattle, and ranches/farms alive. I highly recommend it as a coffee table book that will not stay on the coffee table.

We have thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed the excellent photographs and stories
in this book! Of particular interest is the Bledsoe Ranch where my husband, John, has stayed numerous times while coyote hunting in the area. Personally knowing the Bledsoe family made that section our favorite part of the book. Mr. Keen captures interesting pictures very artistically with beautiful color.

John Spivey is a new writer emerging from the eastern part of Tulare County. He was raised in Exeter and though he currently lives in Santa Barbara, the terrain of his early life is at the heart of this, his first book.

The Great Western Divide is a traveler or trail walker's kind of literature. This is a book to carry in a one's back pack as well as to read in a comfortable chair at home. Within its text are eloquent, intimate descriptions of the section of the Great Valley that spreads out between Tulare Lake and Mount Whitney. The author knows the history of the area as well as its geography. He is a descendant of the Mehrten family, the great grandson of a German immigrant who settled near Yokohl Valley in1864. A good researcher, Spivey uses material from the early day explorers of this region. With respect to its original inhabitants, the author shares the old Gaweah, Tulumne and Wuchumne Yokuts' terms for places like Visalia, Badger Hill, and Moro Rock. He thereby gives his reader a new/old vocabulary, encouraging deeper appreciation of these localities and also of a time before our present time.

Some shorter inserts in the book, short poems and small fables, are quite charming and include a wide range of creatures. Crow and Coyote exist in text as well as title. Old Dutch Bill Mehrten finds his way into sections of the book, as does Lao Tsu. The latter philosopher seems less appropriate to the book's purely central Californian physical context, but his words suit the author's purpose and so this persona too blends comfortably and finds his place.

The book is an account of John Spivey's own life's journey. It is very much a spiritual book, a tale of awakening and an urging to Spivey's reader also to awaken to nature, his history and his own nobility. However, this pragmatic, non-spiritual reviewer was never offended by sections of the book which contain preachment and parable. The tone of the book is more sensitive than righteous.

Though the author does give the reader gentle exhortations to live better and see more clearly, he also gives the reader a richness of history and landscape. Spivey writes in an accessible and fluid style. This book is well recommended for anyone interested in the spirit and the cartography of California.

sr/5-2006

"I want to inspire you to some deep feeling, but can't tell you what that feeling should be."

John Spivey invites us to explore the landscape of our minds in this inspiring and thought provoking journey through California's Sierra Nevada. Part autobiography, part environmentalist, part history, with much philosophy, this book takes the reader on an adventure not soon forgotten.

Without sounding preachy, Spivey challenges us to see things differently; not to abandon already held religious or metaphysical beliefs, but rather to dig deeper and to question How we came to believe these things, and Why.

Open your mind, traverse your own landscape, and learn the Truths about our world, your life, and yourself... all across The Great Western Divide.

"The Buddha once delivered a sermon by holding a single flower aloft. Kashyapa saw the flower and smiled. He understood as the others only puzzled and because of this became the first Zen Patriarch."

As with much of John Spivey's hypnotic, multi-dimensional tale of personal redemption offered to us a way to also cease being one the Living Dead, the answer to this riddle on page 104 appears at the beginning of the book. The Great Western Divide is a story of immense beauty and power, ebbing and flowing like a river, bending and heading back when meeting a barrier, rushing frantically through rapids or over cliffs to form a waterfall, or barely discernable through dry river beds.

There are multiple narratives woven through this tale interspersed with Native American, Zen, and Confucian, Tao, and other religious or philosophical thoughts. Spivey proclaims none of them as Truth but rather offers them as lessons and guides to live life fully and completely.

It is fascinating to watch-and perhaps engage in-the weaving of this tapestry without at first having a clear sense of the end product.

Spivey's is a gifted writer. He is a master story teller, creating characters and drama simply and effectively, reaching a critical point and then moving on only to return at the appropriate time later to continue the story. The same is true with his multiple narratives and themes which are taken to a critical point, only to be temporarily abandoned while he works on another pattern in the tapestry. In effect, he skillfully lays emotional, intellectual, and spiritual traps for the reader to sustain suspense.

He clearly understands the power of nouns and verbs over needless adjectives and adverbs. He has the ability to not only create a powerful and visual sense of place, but also shows, rather than tells the importance of place to his journey.
And while he is brutally honest with his personal suffering, struggles, and yearnings, he isn't seeking sympathy but rather uses them as motivation for his search. He describes without self-pity his family's long and difficult history in California just north of Sequoia National Park, but he never succumbs to the cheap writer's trick of manipulating the reader emotionally. His path through the pain of his past is offered as an example of how others can make the same journey.
Spivey's thesis is simplicity itself. "Is your mind abundant? How has it come to its present state of being? Is it full of the nuance and fluidity of life or is it rigid and barren, painful and lonely?" He seeks nothing more than to find out who he truly is. One of his martial arts teachers once told him that anything studied can be a Way, but if the end isn't an understanding of who you really are, then "it's just clever behavior. Clever, clever monkey business. Do you really Know, or are you just clever?"

To him, the lack of spirituality in the business world turns most of us into clever monkeys. There are myths and stories about the way of the king, the way of the warrior, the way of the priest, scholar, and farmer, myths and stories that explain how their social roles can lead to a spiritual path. But there are no myths or stories about business people. "Perhaps it's because there is no motivating principle of being of service to the people and to the truth beneath the surface of things. It's all very, very clever monkey business."

Spivey's lament is the lack of spirituality in modern life, that linear thinking and literalism have replaced spirituality as the dominant forces. It doesn't matter to him which myths or symbols one uses to discover one's spirituality; it matters greatly that, without them, we are "The Walking Dead." Too many of us are not whole. We are comfortable in neither camp, and we've "left so many little pieces of ourselves behind as we have drifted through the landscape of our lives." The task he has set for himself and challenges us to undertake is to go back and find all those shards to recreate who we are and present one face to the world.

One can argue about myths and stories, but it hard to disagree that our society is shrinking from one that encompasses land and people, a sense of place and of community, to one that concerns only ourselves, frightened because we long to control and dominate but find it increasingly impossible in a world that refuses to obey linear, rational thought.

It would be unfair to describe the various narratives-it would rob the reader of the joy of discovery, of watching the tapestry woven into a complete whole, but there is one element of Spivey's quest that needs to be related. There is a refreshingly selfish quality to his tale, and it's worth quoting at length if for no other reason than to reveal a master writer at work:

"If you have not made it through the demon night and faced the darkest of things, then as you walk down the street and notice some disheveled haunted person at the margin of life, stop and bow silently in their direction. In your mind ask for forgiveness. The darkness that you have ignored, your fear compounded with all other fear, echoes and vibrates through them. They suffer in part for you, for your unresolved sins.

"I cannot be fully enlightened till everyone is. We share a common mind. As free as I might be from my own fear, I am still privy to your fear, to everyone's fear. I work to keep my mind clear. It is far easier if we did it together."

The Great Western Divide is not another New Age Manifesto, filled with rigid, solipsistic, or meaningless philosophies, healing gems, or pet rocks. Personally, I hate New Age blather and treat it as a collection of lies spread by modern-day hucksters looking to make a quick book.

At the heart of The Great Western Divide is a simple message of self-discovery, but Spivey understands too well that finding one's self in the modern world is a complex, painful, time-consuming task. If one is receptive, the first reading will begin to create life change, and it will become a book that one will return to again and again for guidance.

John Spivey's book The Great Western Divide is compelling and refeshing reading. It is a potent educational tool, conveying the author's profound respect for the Natural World and remembrance. Spivey takes us on a journey, and it made me feel connected to the Land that once thrived and will thrive again. The experience is well worth it !

The book is partly autobiographical, going back several generations to his roots in the San Joaquin Valley farmlands and the still-unspoiled lands around him. The story is subtly spiritual in his weaving of geography, Native American cultures, and our current views of development. He does all of this in an honest and witty way, while revealing his own intellectual conflicts.

The subject matter is compelling, his story-telling is gentle and engaging, and his use of language conveys depth of thought in a direct, economical writing style. It's one of those books you can savor just for its craftsmanship.

He's had some great reviews in the local media. It seems he's tapped into a subject (much of it regarding being transplanted to Santa Barbara) that will resonate with many readers.

John Spivey is a teacher at Santa Barbara Middle School. With a son entering the 10th grade this year, I feel like I missed a fabulous opportunity by not having him in a classroom with John. I can think of no higher praise.

How could one not love the civilization that has contributed the foundations of the West and so much to the world we live in? Bruce Thornton analyses the achievements of the glorious Greeks, from their earliest history to their attitudes toward homoerotic love. This book is a must for all classics, history, anthropology, art history, philosophy, and political science students......or for anyone who wants to be enlightened. There is something Greek in all of us!

This book should be read by anyone who wants to get a clearer picture of the contributions of ancient Greek society to our modern world.

The author does an excellent job of showing how modern day revisionism is nothing more than short-sighted "dribble", which chooses to ignore the timeless ideals of ancient Greece.

The controversy about whether Greek civilisation was the main source of western civilisation's ideas about freedom, rationality etc... doesn't rage as much here as in the US, where a number of writers have, unconvincingly in my view, sought to argue that the Greeks borrowed much of their ideas on rationality, logic, freedom etc.. from other civilisations and in particular from Egypt.

So when I wanted read more about Greek influence on Western civilisation I dreaded a book which was merely a defense against these and other politically correct theories. Instead, although the author makes reference to this controversy, the book stands on its own in describing Greek civilisation and its enormous influence on today's world. The author does not pretend that the Greeks formed a cultural monolith, where everybody was convinced of the power of reason. But his very wide range of sources is persuasive enough that many of the ideas that were necessary building blocks for the rise of Western civilisation, such as that there should be a rational explanation for natural phenomena, originated with Greek thinkers. The fact that some of these paid for their ideas with their life (like Socrates) does not diminish the fact that the Greeks were there first.

What did I miss in this book ? I would have liked more about the transmission of Greek ideas to the West, i.e. how we lost much of this philosophical heritage only to regain it at the time of the renaissance. Secondly, although the author on a number of occasions asserts that other contemporary civilisations had not reached such and such a level, I would have liked to see more detail on this. I also thought that it was odd to devote the first 2 chapters (almost a sixth of the book) on sexual relations in ancient Greece, an area where I think Greeks did not influence the West much. I also think that the long section on the Greek's treatment of slaves has to be seen more in the US context (anything to do with slavery is highly sensitive and pays to be seen to have been good with slaves) than as an influence on Western culture.

Although J Roberts' Triumph of the West sets out a more eloquent case for the rational influence of ancient Greece, this book makes argues for a much wider influence, i.e. not just Rational Man, but also Political Man, freedom of expression, etc... For this it deserves to be read. It is far from perfect, but it is also fairly concise

The author is a relly good writer. I read this book a couple of years ago and it really awoke my interest in the classics. This book should be required reading for college students.

I was truly enlightened while reading this book. Not only did it give me new information, but it also got me interested in reading other books about the Greeks.

Ephraim MacIver is escaping his one time lover, following the course a wise man has advised him - a course to discover himself - when he encounters an Indian Singing Heron. Singing Heron already knows Ephraim's name, and begins to instruct him in the ways of the Loon Society, and before sending him further on his journey of discovery they fall in love. As Ephraim's quest continues he meets more Indians as well as Cyrus, and he fall in love with them all.

As Ephraim learns more of the exclusively male Loon Society, and their ways of unselfish love, he tries to understand how he also can love more than one person. Yet at the same time he learns that he may also find a special partner from among all those who have fallen in love with him while on his quest. For this is what marks those of the Loon society out from others, they can share their love while still holding to one partner, they do not know jealously.

This is quite remarkable story, especially considering it was written over forty years ago. At its core is the thought of free love along with its unrestrained physical fulfilment, without jealousy. The story has the feel of fantasy about it as everything falls perfectly in place as Ephraim continues his journey, and with the meaningful dreams. The story is contains many explicit passages of love making; passages which manage to avoid being crude and put to shame much of what is written today.

The story does raise concerns though. The men all seem to be handsome and well equipped, and readily declare undying love within a few days or possibly hours of meeting and before they have had a chance to really know one another. It is easy to get the impression that this love is built on physical attraction; although in fairness it does also speak of the beauty within, and Ephraim at least does not restrict his attentions just to the young. And maybe this is part of the fantasy, this ability accurately to read one another so quickly.

There are two sequels to the Song of the Loon: Song of Aaron and Willow Song.

Given the age of this book, and the fact that it was revolutionary when it was published, this book is well worth reading, if only for the "historical" perspective. The writing is STILTED, the situations, CONTRIVED, and the sex, PREDICTABLE, but...and I must hesitate here in reviewing this book, in it's HISTORICAL CONTEXT, i.e., the period in which it was written and published, it is ground breaking. Is it a scorcer?..Nah!...is it entertaining?...Yes!...will it have you breathing heavily?...uh..that depends upon your imagination and libido. Read it and make up your own mind.

One of my all time favorite gay stories. I'm glad it's back in print for the youger people to read.

Even if the book wasn't attached, Michael Bronski's introduction would be reason enough to buy this edition of SONG OF THE LOON by the late "Richard Amory."

But this way you get the novel too, a groundbreaking, yet oddly ultra traditional novel--really a romance in Northrop Frye's terms--in which the white man and the Indian meet on a field of Eros rather than Thanatos. Yes folks, this is the real Brokeback Mountain in which buckskinned pioneers meet up with and pursue Indian braves on the banks of the "Umpqua" in a territory of long ago. Thinking about the storyline, you realize how ridiculous the plot is, for there aren't very many people on the frontier and every last one of them is a man and every last one of them is either openly or secretly a member of the Loon Brotherhood. Yes, it strains plausibility but Amory's power as a writer is such that while it is taking place you don't really quibble, Sybil.

He was a great poet as well, and the book gets a haunting resonance from Amory's descriptions of American nature, its flora and fauna, in the days before heavy industry moved in to shovel it into parking lots. The skies are an amazing blue, the rivers swift and clear. Over the great forests you can hear every animal's step in the fallen twigs, and the insects hum. "Darker green, the waters of the Umpqua fell in tiny crystals from the paddle--the waves from the canoe sighed in the shadows of white elders and lacy vine maples. A pair of jays screamed high in the treetops, then streaked far into the woods, crying hoarsely."

And because it is porn, it has men galore, all of them with heavily veined, vibrant, pulsating members under their loincloths. Ephraim is a white man on the run from a miserable relationship with Montgomery, a self-hating homosexual who could only have sex when he was drunk, who showed his naked form only to taunt the besotted Ephraim. Breaking free, Ephraim is on a long canoe ride into Indian territory where he meets one man after another, each more luscious than the last, and the members of the tribe teach him about polygamy and the joys of giving up your virginity in the scented wigwam rings. If it isn't Singing Heron, it's Bear Who Dreams--even an elderly medicine man, nice to see that old people have sex in the porn of the 1960s. And finally Ephraim meets his opposite number, the dreamy Cyrus, who is so big it takes three hands to hold all of him steady.

The book comes packaged with a dossier of contemporary reviews, interviews, photos and other invaluable documents, just as though we were reading some "classic" by Dreiser or Balzac or Cather.

It is a wonderful version of time travel and comes highly recommended by thousands and thousands of one-handed readers. What a way to kick off this promising series from Vancouver's estimable Arsenal Pulp Press in tandem with the venerable Little Sister's bookstore of BC.

I have two copies of this book, one a tattered original Greenleaf edition, and the other this wonderful reprint. I've never read a book like "Song of The Loon." From the perspective of history, it's clear that Richard Love anticipated some of what later became major aspects of so-called gay culture - the Radical Faerie movement, the Bear movement, the reaction against monogamy. This book is highly political - inbetween the steamy hot (but always tender) sex scenes is a fairly explicit blueprint for how the author felt gay men should conduct their lives. What will strike most readers - and which certainly struck me - is the unbridled celebration of male-on-male love and desire. How refreshing! It's unashamed. There's no self-consciousness. There's nothing the least bit apologetic. And no trace of the word "queer" anywhere. Totally affirming. There should be a lesbian counterpart to this book. There should be a new film made of it, either for screen or television. There should be far more reviews of this reissue in the gay media. EVERY GAY MAN NEEDS TO READ "SONG OF THE LOON!!!!!!"

i read gray eagles bride after i read Hunter's bride and i must say that i am disapointed in this book it did not have the same strengh about it don't get me wrong the book was good and it was nice to get reaquanted with old friend but in Hunter's bride there was more action and fun this book could have been better

This was a fantastic and heartwarming story from the beginning to the final page. I was entirely caught up reading this book. I thought Jessica did a great job of making the events and characters life like. This was one of my favorites of hers so far.

This wonderful heartwarming story of two devoted and believable lovers is hard to put down. The intelligent way Ms. Wulf handles Diana's introduction to the Cheyenne culture, makes us wish we had been there too. I was not aware until I read other reviews that there was a Beaudine saga. I must get the rest of the books. I enjoyed this one from cover to cover.

Can a book of this category be any better? Read it, it's a must and definitely a keep. Jessica Wulf not only creates a wonderful, truly romantic story with lovable and adorable characters (Grey Eagle is perfect and a believable character), she also gives an insight into Native American culture - thus giving the story additional depth. Wish there were more books of this quality. If someone has read any equally fascinating romance novel (which I doubt), let me know!

Just when I thought that Orion Beaudine was the man of my dreams, in walked Grey Eagle Beaudine, with his bronze skin and waist-length black hair. He is simply magnificent. Jessica Wulf writes beautifully and makes you feel like you are a participant in the story, and not simply a spectator. My heart broke when I finished this book because now the story of the Beaudines has been told. I can only imagine what masterpiece Jessica Wulf has in store for us next. This is a fabulous book - a MUST!