New Mexico Books

The Little Ghost Who Wouldn't Go Away/El Pequeno Fantasma Que No Queria Irse is a bilingual (English and Spanish) storybook for young readers, about Rebecca Garcia, a young girl determined to learn why a little ghost continues to quietly haunt the mountain community of El Rito in New Mexico. A warm and engaging story about discovery and emotion, The Little Ghost Who Wouldn't Go Away is nicely illustrated by Kris Hotvedt with a handful of black-and-white drawings.

Having lived in northern new mexico for most of my life, I can relate to this book. My kids love it and ask me to read it to them again and again and again.

Marc Simmons has done a wonderful job documenting the Southwest through many of his writings. In "The Little Lion of the Soutwest" he brings to life Manuel Antonio (Duran y) Chaves. Manuel lived through a drastically changing political environment of what he considered his homeland since when the Duran y Chaveses first found their way into what is now the American Southwest in the early 1600s. Simmons documents Manuel's childhood, military service, and livelihood through his son, Amado's collection, and other historical documentation. Mr. Simmons puts a face on some of the personalities that helped shape (what is now) New Mexico during the 1800s.

These are the tales of which my family grew up on. This story reminiscents to how well our great+ grandfathers lived compared to what resulted when many hispanic families were pushed off their lands. As a child, I remember hearing tales about the dealings with the Native Americans, having huge herds of cattle and sheep, and that there were a few in the family who fought in the old wars. During that time, I chalked these up as family "fish tales". In reading "The Little Lion", some of these myths come to life. Mr. Simmons helps in piecing together a history of what one great man of the Chavez family went through. For this I am grateful to read about because my fifth great grandfather was one of Manuel Antonio's uncles. Mr. Simmons writing's on Manuel Antonio Chavez makes many proud of the honor of being part of this "Distinctive American Clan".

This book is one I will always cherish, knowing someone took the time in giving a voice to a few lives of the Southwest. This is the stuff that should be taught in American History.

Manuel Antonio Chaves, New Mexican pioneer, Indian fighter, soldier, and rancher, made quite a reputation for himself during his lifetime (1818-1889). Born at Cebolleta, northwest of Albuquerque, Chaves first gained prominence as a foe of his corrupt uncle, the Governor of New Mexico, Manuel Armijo. He participated in the Mexican War and distinguished himself at the Battle of Taos Pueblo. In 1855 he was a captain of New Mexican volunteers in the Ute-Jicarilla War and rode against the Apaches on the Gila River in 1857. In the Civil War, he guided troops at Glorieta Pass, helping assure a Union victory. After the war he settled down to a rancher's life near San Mateo where he died in 1889.

Even though Chaves participated in a number of important events in the development of the Southwest, he was not a major figure in terms of the historical record. Not much has been written about him, and Simmons had quite a task before him to present an adequate picture of the man. He's done an admirable job, however, and the book is an interesting and informative account of El Leoncito.

In the November 2000 issue of The Bloomsbury Review, in the "Gifts for Booklovers" section Lori D. Kranz wrote:

Her medium is clay, her inspiration the Galisteo Basin where she lives and works. Native New Mexican Priscilla Hoback makes what she calls "clay murals" or fired clay paintings. Hoback started out as a self -taught potter in Santa Fe, where she was born, and for many years created and sold functional pieces for the kitchen in her studio/shop on Canyon Road and at local craft fairs. In 1977, with her children gone to college, she yearned for a change, for a more peaceful life in the country, and so she bought a small, run-down ranch near Galisteo village, which she turned into a studio, a house, a garden, and a home for her horses, dogs, ducks, and chickens. In her meanderings through the basin valley, she became fascinated with its geology, wildlife, ancient petroglyphs, and abandoned mines-particularly clay mines. Her work grew in both size and inventiveness as she began to incorporate these influences, gathering raw materials from the land, experimenting with her own recipes, and firing them in a large kiln of her own making.

For her murals, Hoback uses the wet clay as her canvas, drawing images on it with her fingers, a pen, or a trowel. Then she brushes on pigments and creates texture by scraping away or building up layers of clay. Her imagery is of animals :horses, buffalo, deer, antelope, birds, and her favorite, bears. Before it has dried, she cuts the clay slab into smaller pieces and punches holes in them, which allows them to be screw-mounted on plywood for later hanging. Then comes what she considers the best part: the firing. Hoback sees kilns as "combinations of dragon, slave, and ancient god." The result of her efforts is a unique blend of ceramic art, painting, and installation art.

Living Clay is Hoback's story : her life, her process, her creations, her beautiful desert surroundings, all illustrated in full color. From an accomplisher potter she has become a singuar artist. "Hands ask, clay responds." she says. Her book is a testament to the beauty of what hands are capable of.

"I gather the clay for my work, one mural at a time." ~Prinscilla Hoback

While traveling across America as a teenager, I remember borrowing money from my brother in order to buy a set of clay dishes in New Mexico. I was fascinated by the colorful glazes and simplicity of the design. Prinscilla takes clay to new levels of creativity. I love her "Earth Dancers, 1998 Mural" that shows horses dancing like spirit horses across clay backgrounds. She finds horses visually exciting and loves the image of horses silhouetted against the sky.

Prinscilla Hoback started to make bowl forms, pitchers and plates and platters. She fell in love with clay and while working at her mother's restaurant, The Pink Adobe, she learned to make pots. Soon, she was selling sugar bowls, cream pitchers and coffee mugs. As she states, it was a "earn as you learn" situation.

Now she spends her time quarrying her own clay, developing glazes and building high-fire kilns. Her murals depict herds of horses, antelope, buffalo, white deer and migratory wild birds. Her work is a passionate expression of all she loves. Her new passion is writing and she loves gardening and cooking.

What I mostly remember about New Mexico is how warm the earth felt on my feet and then there are those hail storms! It seemed very much like Africa to me. There are people who love the scent of the earth where they live and I recognize this love of the earth in Prinscilla. I was amused at how she mixed dirt from her driveway with commercially prepared clay and then started to use native clays.

This is truly a fascinating book with creative writing and pictures of the artist's life and loves. There are pictures of her home in Galisteo and she takes the reader on a small tour of the Galisteo basin. If you love pottery, the creative story of the kiln will fascinate you and you might be amused by Prinscilla's humor.

The cover is quite beautiful with a burnt orange background of clay and horses dancing playfully on a mural.

~The Rebecca Review

Good suspense tale of the civil war. It is a little known side tale of the civil war.
Not much is known about the fighting that went on in New Mexico with the Union forces and Texas.

Lt. David Buckalew and what few men he has left are on their way back to Texas after being beaten by the Union Army. On the way they find out about a bunch of weapons and powder hidden on a ranch. They decide to capture it and take it back with them to help their cause. They are only 20 men strong and this number will drop. The weapons and powder are hidden on a ranch owned by people who back the Union. They are successful it starting toward Texas with it but it is a long way from over. Bucklaew and his few men have to fight the people for the Union also a group of Indians led by Comanchero Floyd Bearfield, who wants the stuff to sell. Bucklaew is a green Lt., therefore, his men may more attention to Sergeant Noley Mitchell than to him. Can he get the material back to Texas? Will the men ever respect him? The book moves fast and will hold your attention. Some people get killed you don't want to and some live you don't want to. A good Western book, but then Kelton usually writes a good one.

An unparalleled accomplishment. Nina Barragan combines abundant research with an artistic panache ... producing a thorough and vivid narrative of the relocation of Russian Jews to Argentina at the turn of the century. This is a remarkable, powerful story, historical fiction at it's best. Told primarily through the diary of Rifke Schulman, a fictional yet deceptively `authentic' immigrant, the story unfolds leaving an imprint of this heroic woman's life forever in our memories. A beautifully crafted book.

The format is striking and gripping in itself. An imaginary journal of a remarkable, strong willed, independent woman is interspersed with short stories. The stories are poignant, contemporary portraits of Americans, each of whom has some tenuous link to the journal. The grandeur of this vision and the urgency of the details, make it difficult for the reader to put the book down. In the journal, the dramatic politics and cultural events of the early twentieth century come alive through unforgetable characters from the white slave trade to the striking unions. In the short stories we frequently come to know wonderful, engaging personalities who share a common reality: there are some things they just don't get. An unforgetable book!

This book is well written with some wonderful photos to boot...I enjoyed this book thoroughly and very happy with the purchase. Great photos, nice layout. Definitely earned a place on my bookshelf!

What an awesome journey this was with Pete Lourie. I didn't know anything about the Chaco culture, but after reading Lourie's book, I was inspired to visit. When I got there it was exactly like Lourie had described it. I camped a few nights in the canyon. Lourie perfectly captured the mystery of the place.

The text and the photos are nice separately; together they make a masterpiece. This is much more than a coffee table book. It is preserving a way of life. A way of life that, sadly, most of America is far removed from.

Great book to have on the coffee table. Fabulous photos and interesting stories about real life kids and cowboys. I also like to sit and read it with my Grandchildren.

The book is very interesting and gives a historical jewish perspective in New Spain during the late 1500's. I became interested in the book because my ancestor Juan Ramirez probably emigrated with Luis Carvajal (Conquistador) in 1580.

The archives of the inquisition have been preserved in Mexico, including detailed testimony recounting actual conversations. The book reads like a novel but it's history. Cohen must have been truly obsessed in order to do the research and write such a book. It's a compelling read.

This is a book of photographs of the interiors of Churches in Mexico, and their shrines and alters, and saints which adorn them.

Porter's photographs capture a religious grace which is direct, simple, beautiful, and moving. Seeing these pictures gives an outsider into a window on a world in which life may be difficult, but heart and faith are celebrated and strong.

Contiene una amplia colección de fotografías que muestran la gran variedad y riqueza arquitectónica de las iglesias de México, algunas de las cuales son poco conocidas, y que en cierta medida deben su esplendor al sincretismo cultural hispano-indígena. Las fotografías fueron tomadas alrededor de 1956, por el excelente fotógrafo, sobre todo de paisajes, Eliot Porter (quién abandonó la fotografía por la medicina).

It contains a large colection of photos that shows the great variety and arquitectonic richness of Mexican churches, some of them are not well know, and their splendor is in certain way product of the cultural hispano-indian sincretism. The photos were taken around 1956 by the excelent photographer, landscape specialist, Eliot Porter (who quit medicine for photography).

Once in every decade, an author produces a book that provokes debate and sheds light on a topic analyzed from an entirely fresh perspective. Mike Mazarr's Mexico 2005 is just such a book. This work approaches Mexico through a challenging and articulate framework of six global trends, ranging from the changing allocation of human resources to that of human psychology. The author concludes with a series of probable, controversial scenarios in 2005. The book is rich in insights and piques the reader's interest at every turn of the page. Mazarr's lucid writing and wide-ranging, eclectic themes will appeal to students, academics, the business community, government officials, and the media. Anyone interested in Mexico today and Mexico in the 21st century should read this book.

This is an intriguing analytical summary of the major political, economic, and social trends in Mexico. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the author's scenarios or conclusions, there is a lot to learn here and ponder over. If decisionmakers can read only one book on Mexico, MEXICO 2005 would be an excellent choice.