Idaho Books

Terry Johnston writes like a man who was there as events unfolded. He leaves no doubt that he was there--not during the events, but at the locations. Weaving contemporary newspaper articles and original letters throughout the text firmly roots this novel in time and space. This, plus occasional historical footnotes quenches a historian's thirst for authenticity. It made me want to go and visit these places for myself, equipped with Johnton's literary visual aids.

Terry Johnston's "Lay the Mountains Low" is a must for the avid fan of western history. Part of the Plainsmen series, we are not gifted with the rugged Irishman Sheamus Donnegan, as he is on duty miles away trying to quell a different Indian uprising (this makes Johnston's writing less fictionalized)instead we fall in love with numerous characters both Native American and European. This is the second part to a trilogy about the Nez Perce War of 1877, focusing on the drama which occurred after the Battle of White Bird Canyon and culminating with the tragic Big Hole Battle. Johnston takes you to the campsite, the fort, the trail ride, the battle ridge, and makes you consider how you would stand up against the elements, enemy and morality. Without a doubt, this is Johnston's best piece of work and is a must read for all fans of the Great American West. Make special note to read the afterword as Johnston provides information on his fact-finding trips thoroughout the West. Johnston provides valuable information and insight to battle sites, cemeteries, forts and historical road-side stops...again, Johnston gives the reader a seat on the fifty yard line to some of our nation's most famous locations.

As always with Terry, a great book, an excellent way to learn about the history of the American West. If you are looking for a typical shootem up western this is not the book for you. This book is not for the faint hearted, there are few heros here, just a people fighting for their freedom and their lives against impossible odds. There is a lot of pain and and heart break here for both the Nez Perce and the whites, but mostly for the Nez Perce. This book really got to me, it was heart breaking reading what happened to the innocents on both sides. My family,s history goes back over 150 years in the west, so Terry,s books have special meaning for me. Read this book and you will never forget it.

This handsome volume opens with a few pages of introduction about the Wasatch Mountains, followed by forty pages discussing the progress of the Painters of the Wasatch Mountains; an account illustrated in colour with examples of the artists' work which often highlight interesting comparisons. The text is informative accessible and well written in a conversational style. The last thirty pages of the book provide brief individual biographies of the artists.

However the real delight of the book is the nearly two hundred and thirty pages comprising the Portfolio of Images, full colour reproductions, one or occasionally two to a page. The large almost square format of the book allows for good size images without the need to turn the page to accommodate those of landscape proportions; and a few pictures are even reproduced life size. The quality of the images is excellent often revealing the texture of the brush work in the original. Most artists are represented by quite a few examples of their work, they provide for a range of painting styles; the majority of the paintings are in oils, with a few watercolours, and date from around the 1850s to as recently as 2005. In total there are about two hundred and seventy five artworks in colour.

This is a sumptuous work, what an art book should be with the emphasis on the beautifully reproduced paintings and the text kept to a minimum.

A stunning book. Anyone who is a fan of the mountain wilderness cannot help but enjoy viewing this book. It takes you back to the time when 'white eyes' first happened upon these mountains. The delicate color, the wide field, and the land itself breathes life. A treasure.

A big coffee-table book, with exactly the kind of panaromic images you expect. You can while away an afternoon gazing at these cooly complacent views of an idealized West.

Okay, so she's one of my best friends BUT EVEN SO, I never knew she could write this well. Her memory is sharp, her observations hard and clear, and her insights are not for the polite or faint of heart. Koskela's early life in the harsh world of Idaho farming country is told with wit and clarity. It may not be gracious but it is REAL and you will find yourself laughing, tsk, tsking and looking back with a new vision on your own childhood. I've known Alice for over 20 years--she's incapable of telling even the most innocent of white lies and so understandably she has written a book of truths. This will by MY Christmas gift this year!

I thoroughly enjoyed this graceful, sweet, honest and sometimes heart wrenching memoir. As the illustrator, I was honored to be a part of it.

A beautiful intimate story of a young girl growing up in rugged Idaho.This is not a story full of sweetness, but of the tough life small farmers and their family encoutered in their fight for survival. I loved it from beginning to end

This beautifully illustrated book explores the physical and ecological roots of Idaho's civilization by following its longest river from Henry's Fork, through desert landscapes, cutting deep through ancient rock formations flowing out through Hell's Canyon (deepest in North America)... (I may have stole part of this from some other review I read.) If I did I apologize!

An excellent book on the Snake River Plain from pre-historical archeological time through to critical water and people issues that confront not only that area but the world as a whole. The format, design and layout were excellent and the written content moves through beautifully. The pictures and insets greatly enhanced the message of the book.

Snake examines this unique region in southern Idaho from the perspectives of geology, history, anthropology and current politics. Snake combines excellent illustrations, graphics and photos with a very informative text. The book is a must buy for both natives and visitors who want to know more about the region.

For anyone who has ties to the Salmon River this is a must. Gives a person a sense of what life was like on the river. If you're going to float the salmon take it along and relive what life was like for all those spirits that now drift with the waves on the salmon river.

Though K. Deinhardt's main focus in writing Spirits of the Salmon River may have been to give respect to those who lived there, her book offered something different to me, someone not as interested in history as the present. It interested me because I know the author, I know Idaho and I have experienced the Salmon River from taking rafting trips on it. Spirits of the Salmon River deepened my feelings for the River, as it recounted story after story of persons who lead adventurous, brave, hardworking and often short lives there. I was drawn to the stories of the women on the river. Reho Wolfe's story was especially impressive with it's combination of tradegy and success and a spirit that would not be defeated. Ms. Deinhardt offers detailed desciptions of not only what has happened to the people living on the River, but also easy to visualize pictures of the weather, the surroundings, the cabins lived in, the work that was done, family dynamics and challenges. I appreciated the simple, straightforward and well-researched writing that allowed me to experience this part of Idaho history in such an enjoyable way.

Deinhardt writes as a person who has personally climbed, reached, dug and slid through water and mud to uncover not only the graves but the lives of those who came before. Her careful research is apparent as she shares some discrepancies found in various other publications. Whether read cover to cover, or about one individual at a time, it's an interesting take on the brave and somewhat eccentric individuals who chose the Salmon River as their home. Enjoyable and relaxing. It would be a terrific book to take along on a river trip on the Salmon or for all who may have visited the river in the past.

A great book discussing the gold fields in Montana and the difficulties of getting supplies to and from. Great book to read before crossing the Magruder Corridor.

"This Bloody Deed" is a well researched look at Idaho's first murder trial. Hamilton relates the known facts with a novelist's license for imagined dialouge and motivation. While historians may shudder, this makes the book highly readable.

Three thugs from Sheriff Henry Plummer's gang befriend and then murder packer Lloyd Magruder and party as they are crossing the Bitterroot Mountains from Bannack( now western Montana,then Idaho Territory) to Lewiston Idaho. Magruder's true friend Hill Beachy tracks the killers to San Francisco and returns them to Lewiston to face Idaho's first murder trial, if he can keep them from being lynched.

I grew up with this story as a folktale and as good as the narrative is the best parts of the book are Hamilton's asides into everyday life on the Idaho frontier, boom-bust economics of mining and territorial politics.

My only historical quibble is that my family always accepted that the prosecution's chief witness was also a Plummer gang intimate.

A solid picture of the frontier as it probably was.

Ladd Hamilton puts to paper one of the most compelling stories of the old west. His writing keeps you glued to the pages by vividly describing how life was 130 years ago. This murder mystery that takes you from the Bitterroot Mountains of the Idaho territory to the city of San Francisco and back is a must read for all.

Margaret Fuller is an exceptional writer that combines how to get to some of the best locations in Idaho with a little history of the areas you might explore. I own all of her guidebooks and would recommend them to anyone. One of my favorite pieces of information that she includes is how long a hike will take which makes it nice since I can plan better. This book surprised me with some of the hikes found within. I grew up in Salmon and spent my summers hiking the mountains nearby yet Margaret had some hikes into areas I hadn't explored before which comes to show you that it takes a lifetime or more to discover all of Idaho's secrets. Pick up the book and find some great places that not many know about. I would recommend some hikes into the Lemhi Range for starters.

I find this book very helpful in locating trails. It has good descriptions of how to locate trailheads, including milage and Forest Service road numbers, but it lacks important comment about scenery and how one area compares to another. Also I would like to know the condition of the trails. Are they used by those repulsive four wheelers? Is this area a non-motorized use area or not? But other than that the descriptions of trails if very informative.

I find this book very helpful in locating trails. It has good descriptions of how to locate trailheads, including milage and Forest Service road numbers, but it lacks important comment about scenery and how one area compares to another. Also I would like to know the condition of the trails. Are they used by those repulsive four wheelers? Is this area a non-motorized use area or not? But other than that the descriptions of trails if very informative.

In 1995 my Dad, Ben Benthien, allowed Stephen Lyons a glimpse into his world. Today (May 2008) I gave him this book for his 66th Birthday. Prior to today he had read a short magazine article about his time with Stephen. Through laughter & sadness induced tears he read the essay about himself. It was a joy to watch him bluster over the author's embellishments. He was pleased with the number of pages dedicated to him and his story. Mom and I watched him carefully as he read the "hard parts." Enough time has passed to ease some of his pain. He was ready to revisit those painful memories. Through this book I got to know my Dad a little bit better, embellishments and all.

I bought, read and reviewed Stephen's previous book a few years ago, and now I'm happy to do it again with his newest book. As before Stephen's writing is excellent. No matter the topic he writes with insight and clarity; he's also bitingly funny when he needs to be. Like me Stephen is a fan of the late, great Edward Abbey, and Ed's skill as a writer has rubbed off on at least one of us. I hope Stephen writes some more books. I hope he's doing okay Back East. I'm still Out West, but I'll buy Stephen's books no matter where he writes them. Chicago's a great place; two of my favorite musicians came from there - Terry Kath and Joe Farrell - though both ended up dying in Los Angeles. And the great writer Charles Bowden is from there, though he remains Out West. And you've got the Cubs and Wrigley Field. So, Stephen, please write some more books! Meanwhile I am enjoying this one, savoring each essay, each story of an America I can relate to.

The Inland Northwest might best be described climatologically and geographically as the rain shadow of the Cascades.

Lyons presents a series of miniatures, crafted essays about the people who live here and their interactions with this land.

He punctures some Western myths without being a deliberate cynic, and gives his own take on the Inland Northwest's version of the decline of extractive industries and explosion of population, often for second homes, along with environmentalist conflicts with both these groups.

But this is ultimately a more-intimate level social history of the area, and here Lyons is at his best.

I was so impressed with the content and writing style, I have made 3 of my friends read it so far. It is written with such description and clarity, I absolutely loved it. Thank you for educating the public collective on such an important subject.

I was raised in Southwestern Idaho with an interest in the history of the Native Americans of my area. Finally, I have encountered all of the information that I always wanted but had never found: IN THIS BOOK. This book is not limited to the "Weiser" Indians, but includes all of the cultures that traded or traveled through this area. It tells of a gathering area where an annual regional rendezvous allowed peaceful cultural and material exchange from the West Coast to the Great Plains. And it tells of a band of Shoshoni who had the foresight to quietly embrace the forces of change and thus avoid the genocide that destroyed so many others. It brings together historical accounts which are carefully annotated, and it includes the lives of numerous important historical persons. Thank you, Hank Corless, for providing this delightful book. It is good, readable storytelling, organized by timelines. This book combines readability with academic research, and it avoids romanticizing. I hope it gets reprinted. At the time of this review, it is out of print and only available used, but still well worth buying.

A fascinating study of how land molds people and forges alliances between groups who should be enemies. My sisters and I grew up in the Weiser Valley, never knowing of the existence of this group. When we studied Idaho history, we never learned about this hardy band who walked where our parents settled dozens of years later. The steep, formidable mountains which rise from the Weiser Valley still provide remote shelter to hardy souls who can survive in a non-electronic world. It pleased me to read this story and know that the white settlers in the upper mountains made their own alliances with the Weiser Indians and helped them keep their whereabouts unknown for many years.

This is very informative book - we are thinking about moving to Idaho and it has really helped out reading about the state. out of all the books about Idaho, this is the best by far

I believe that "Idaho" has to be the definitive guide for anyone interested in things to do including historical information. My wife and I purchased this guide book to find out that it is more than a mere guide book, it is more of an almanac on the Gem State.

I've always been fascinated by the Gem State for its remoteness, rugged beauty and for the lack of information I've had on it. It certainly is one of the more hidden secrets of America and I'm sure that Idahoans would like to keep it that way. There's much more to the place than potatoes!

Gottberg breaks the book up into five regions and gives a good break down on sites, things to do and general interest points whether off the beaten path or mainstream. In his book includes information on natural history, geology, geography, wildlife, climate, maps, getting around, annual events including rodeos, ski areas, cultural attractions, historical sites, park and wilderness areas, sources of information, lodging, restaurants including maps and more. There are beautiful photos both past and present and the book is certainly up-to-date (second revision, current last printing is (C)2001. It is a paperback book but it stands up very well against wear and tear (waxey coating on the cover) and it has good bounding that doesn't flake off. Trust me, we used and abused the book when we traveled throughout Idaho last autumn and it's still in relatively pristine condition!

If you are planning on a venture to Idaho, this book is a must. Heck, if you live in Idaho, you are likely to learn things you never knew before with information that will give you something to do and get away from the television set!