Oklahoma Books

Thesis: William Sherley "Old Bill" Williams, was one of the greatest mountain men and was not responsible for the failure of Fremont's 4th expedition in 1848 to California.

Content: After fighting in the Revolutionary War, Bill's father, Joseph Williams moved from the western mountains of North Carolina, across the Mississippi River to the area near St. Louis. There, Bill was raised near trading posts, becoming familiar with traders, mountain men and Indians, learning to live off of the land, hunt and trap. Early in adulthood he became a circuit preacher, becoming a self-appointed missionary to the near-by Osage tribe. The Osage, instead of being converted, did the converting and adopted Williams into the tribe where he married, and lived among them, as one of them. After his first wife died he and an old acquaintance, Paul Ballio, opened a trading post among the Osage. By the time this venture failed Williams had developed a reputation for understanding the native tribes, and more importantly, being trusted by them. He was recruited in 1825 to go on a government expedition to establish a trade route to Santa Fe from St. Louis. Arriving in Toas with the expedition, he was discharged from their services. Instead of returning to Missouri he stayed for many years in the Rocky Mountain west roaming from New Mexico as far north as what would become Idaho, Wyoming and Washington. During his time in the west he trapped and traded as a free trapper, never being employed by any of the fur companies of the period. Generally free-trappers worked in small groups through the trapping seasons of fall and early spring, coming to rendezvous in the summer, to sell their furs. Old Bill gained a reputation as a loner, earning the nickname of "Old Solitaire". He also worked from time to time leading trading expeditions to California and other destinations. As the fur trade became less lucrative Old Bill led trading expeditions more frequently. In August of 1845 John C. Fremont hired Old Bill to lead his Third Expedition to the Salt Lake country. In 1848 Fremont volunteered to locate a southerly route through the mountains for a railroad into California. Again, he hired Bill Williams to guide his expedition. On this trip, according to Favour, due to Fremont's ego and blind determination, of the thirty-two that entered the mountains that winter, only 21 came out alive. Most of the 11 dead either froze or starved. Those that survived were barely living when they walked out of the mountains. Shortly after surviving this debacle Old Bill was killed trying to retrieve goods abandoned on the expedition. He was 62. Fremont laid the blame for the failed expedition on Williams, who was dead by then and could not defend himself.

Critique: Favour is a sympathetic biographer going as far as to call Old Bill Williams the greatest mountain man. His sources are recorded in copious footnotes, but his arguments sound nostalgic, and many are family remembrances from then living descendants, giving the same credence to passed-down family legends as contemporary letters and diaries. Favour also seems to be guilty of creating dialogue, without citations, between characters, often containing details only an eyewitness would know.
B.L. Clark

My favorite book surrounding the history of the mountain men era was, up until this book, "Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West. Dale Morgan's book is a classic by any standard and contains a detailed discussion of all the events which were coinciding with the actions and events of Jed's life. One of the minor complaints with his book is that at times you can loose track of where and what Jed is attempting. Alpheus Favour's book is presented in a similar fashion (although printed about 20 years earlier than Dale's book). Alpheus, however, condenses the surrounding history and brings Old Bill Williams more to the forefront. It's a wonderful account of Old Bill's life. He was one of the many unsung heroes of the West. In other books, you will find only scant descriptions of him. These books also seem to perpetuate without any new references the common misconceptions about Old Bill (blame for Fremont disaster, smallpox bio-warfare, etc.). These accusations are hard to verify and likewise, hard to reject. However, I think that Alpheus presents enough data to bring these accusations under further scrutiny and possibly promote the idea that these accusations be dropped. The life of the mountain man was not as PC as our "civilized" life today and we should not read the accounts of the mountain man through PC goggles. They fought and killed Native Americans and at the same time they lived with and intermarried with Native Americans. Their work as it were led to the near destruction of beaver and Buffalo yet their knowledge of the terrain was crucial for the passage of Americans to Oregon and California. In our eyes of today, yes we see that these men lived a bittersweet life. Old Bill was one the best and most restless. He was born in the foothills of North Carolina and died in the headwaters of Wannamaker Creek in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. He was living proof that once the mountains enter your blood (Appalachian or Rockies), it is hard to get them out. Wandering spirits are never conquered.

Alpheus Favour is both accommodating and forthright in his treatise of Bill Williams' life and times. Since Williams did not leave behind any diaries or journals himself, the author extensively researches through other pertinent documentations of the day to establish his whereabouts and accomplishments. Examples would be:
Attempted preacher to the Osage Indians;
Guide to the Sibley Santa Fe road survey;
Trapper extraordinaire;
Friend to several Indian tribes;
With the 1833 Joseph Walker expedition to California;
Horse stealing adventures;
Indian battles;
Guide to Fremont's third and fourth expeditions.
A prominent figure of the early American West and oftentimes overlooked for his achievements.

The greatest tribute paid to a book of history is to reprint it several times; to honor its scholarship, judgment, and lasting contribution. Few books merit that tribute more than this one. Updated information may conflict with some of the author's details and certain of his generalizations, yet this work stands virtually unchallenged as the only true and complete biography of William Sherely Williams. Favour, an amateur historian, died in 1939, three years after the publication of Old Bill Williams, the only book he ever wrote. Favour can be proud of his achievement which ranks with the best of the fur trade books.

Williams was born in North Carolina in 1787, moved to the Missouri frontier, and began trapping while in his teens. He served in the War of 1812, was in Indian trader, an itinerant preacher, scout, explorer, and mountain man. Williams, as Favour points out, was the most noteworthy of the hundreds of mountain men in the Missouri River Country. Equally important is the revealing portrait of the mountain men and their lives. In Bill Williams, the author found those unique traits possessed by this singular group of men who led a young nation through uncharted lands to a rendezvous with the Pacific.

Bill Williams' image was unlike that of the typical hero. He was a study in contrasts. Williams was tall and redheaded, dirty and disheveled, had a knowledge of Greek, Latin, and comparative religion, and ate primitive frontier food including raw calf legs. Physical strength, ability to endure thirst, scanty rations, and fatigue counted for little unless a mountain man also had determination, courage, and fortitude. Williams and a few others possessed all of these traits yet the majority of mountain men, including Williams, died of disease, hunger, Indians, or exposure.

Williams emulated Indians in dress, deportment, speech, and conduct. If being taken for an Indian was the highest compliment a trapper could receive, it wasn't such for Old Bill Williams. Whether it was lifting a scalp, hunting buffalo, or stalking an enemy, Williams did it better than any Indian and was pround of his sobriquet - Master Trapper. Williams stood out from his contemporaries regardless of the method of comparison: bringing in the most fur, outfighting and outdrinking anyone, or simply living past his 61st birthday.

Williams' six decades of life spanned the fur trade era and through his eyes the author presents that adventurous time with clarity and understanding. Williams traversed the West, battled the Ute, Apache, and Blackfeet, wandered the great mountains and parks of Arizona and Colorado, and blazed new trails. His horse stealing excursions were a legitimate enterprise by fur trappers' standards. He excelled in this field and stole hundreds of horses from California to Mexico, including horses owned by unfriendly Indians.

As a guide to Fremont's fourth expedition, which sought a railroad route through the Southern Rockies. Williams' place in history is circumscribed. After this expedition, Fremont castigated Williams, blaming him for the failure to cross the Rockies in midwinter. Williams had warned Fremont that a crossing in winter was dangerous yet went with him anyway. Eleven men froze to death. Favour tends to whitewash Williams in this incident but any blame is needless as nature wouldn't permit a crossing by anyone that winter.

After that disaster, Williams continued to guide parties across the frontier. In March 1849, Williams and Benjamin Kern were murdered by Utes evidently seeking revenge for a previous attack on their village by a contingent of the U. S. Army. When the Utes discovered they had killed Old Bill, they gave him a chief's burial.

Old Bill's death was denied by many Indians. For years they told tales of a majestic mountain Elk, with a slash of red across its crown, serenely grazing in Colorado's South Park, stopping from time to time to gaze intently toward the Southwest - toward its namesake Arizona's Bill Williams Peak which stands alone on the skyline along the western boundary of a frontier long past.

Although never quite reaching the pantheon of Mountain Men, Old Bill Williams spent most of his life among the fur-trapping greats (including Jed Smith, Kit Carson, Tom Fitzpatrick, and Joseph Walker), traveling throughout most of the Rocky Mountain West from 1825-1849. He considered himself a master trapper, though his solitary ways limited what was known about him. Alpheus Favour's book on Williams was written 70 years ago and is still the only book-length study of his life; it's doubtful it could be improved upon.

Williams was born in North Carolina in 1787 but grew up near St. Louis. Unlike most Mountain Men he was educated and could read (a different source says he knew Greek and Latin, but Favour makes no mention of this) write, and keep accounts. A religious man, he first was an itinerant preacher and made an excursion to the Osage Indians to convert them, though they seem to have converted him. He lived and traded with them for a number of years, and then in 1825 served as an interpreter on the Sibley survey of the Santa Fe Trail. This was when his trapping days began and for the next two decades Williams trapped throughout the West, from the Yellowstone country to California to Taos, which might be considered his homebase, since it was the place he often returned to. He had a number of Indian wives and children by them, fought often with the Blackfeet, was a spectacle when drunk, went on horse-stealing expeditions, and cheated the Indians on occasion when trading with them. In other words, he was rather par-for-the-course as far as Mountain Man behavior went.

His most controversial act occurred in 1848 when John Fremont hired Williams to guide him across the Southern Rockies on his fourth expedition, conducted to find a railroad route through the mountains. It was a foolhardy dead-of-winter expedition, which everyone, including Williams, tried to talk Fremont out of attempting, but Williams went anyway. Why is a good question, though no answers are forthcoming. The expedition was a disaster, with huge snows and sub-zero temperatures, and 11 men died before the expedition escaped the mountains. Fremont, of course, blamed Williams. The charge was that Williams deliberately misguided the group, hoping to come back later to claim abandoned supplies for himself. A second charge against Williams was that he engaged in cannibalism when starvation threatened the party. Favour dismisses both charges. Shortly after Fremont and the remaining men made it back to Taos, Williams was sent with another member of the expedition, Dr. Benjamin Kern, back to the mountains to retrieve equipment left there; on their return they were attacked by Utes and killed.

Favour was a lawyer and a western enthusiast, and this was his only book (he also wrote a monograph on Arizona state laws). He has researched his subject deeply and writes with clarity and authority. He finds Williams appealing, but is not enamored by him. It's a good biography, a classic of the Old West.

I can't add anymore about content than what has already been said. This is an excellent introduction to anyone interested in the Plate Tectonic history of the Earth.

The narrative along with the excellent images went a long way in helping clarify the dance that the continents have been doing for the last 4.6 billion years.

I kept an Earth globe with me along with several other paleo-maps I've collected over the years. They all helped in keeping track of what the author was refering to in each chapter.

I'm really glad that he took the time in laying out the early part of the Earth's geologic history and made only a fairly brief mention of mans time on the planet. It could have been even shorter that it was, but for the most part he kept it reasonable.

I am a retired USGS Geologist/Scientific Illustrator, and have read and Illustrated many USGS publications. I only wish I could have been involved in the preparation of this book.

I have had the priveledge of close association with the author, Ron Redfern, throughout the writing, organization and photographic activities that support this publication. In a career of geology-based endeavors, I have never enjoyed a more unique, thorough and emminently readable portrayal of the interlocking sciences that result in the Earth's evolutionary history. This is a complex subject. However, the author has made the 700 million year trip a pleasure. The beautiful, panoramic photography, the interweaving of summary-level essays, and meticulously time-based text, lavishly supported by color illustrations, gives the reader a multi-disciplinary view of not only our planet's geologic evolution, but also its close association with meteorological events and the evolution of life. The reader will want to read and re-read this book. A wonderful adventure, every time, with new perspectives of "how things work" discovered on each page.

M.M. Thacker
Geologist

President, the La Mancha Company (consulting)

I write on behalf of the curator of our C. Warren Irvin Jr Collection of Charles Darwin:
"The book has two sections which are interposed: 1. the text is exceptionally well done, and the glossary is extremely valuable for those not completely famniliar with geology and the formation of continents, etc. 2. the photography is the best that I (the curator) has ever seen in a book of this type. It in itself is worth the price of the volume. Anyone who reads this book will come away enlightened and will enjoy thinking and reviewing in his mind both words and pictures."

This is, without doubt, the best review of plate tectonics yet published. I'm surprised that more has not been popularly written about this subject than has been.

One of many subjects treated here is the initial colonization of the New World, which has been the subject of often vitriolic scholarly debate for the past two decades. In this book Ron Redfern has managed to distill the essence of that debate in a highly readable fashion and shows how new data has dramatically altered our previous reconstructions of the timing and modes of arrival and dispersal of the first Americans. As always, the environment remains the dynamic stage upon which the prehistoric actors of antiquity operated-a theme which permeates the entire volume.
Prof. James M. Adovasio: Exec.Director: Mercyhurst Archeological Institute: Erie, PN

Sam Houston is a figure who aroused great passions beginning in his own day and continuing to the present. Jim Haley's well written biography, supported by fifteen years of research in original archives not available (or used) by past researchers, joins the ranks of major works on this interesting figure. The book should join the library of anyone interested in the Texas Revolution and its heroes. With impressive scholarship, the book is well written and enjoyable to read. A major achievement, worth the wait.

Sam Houston was larger than life! Prof. H.W. Brands has stated that you could never write a novel based on Sam Houston's life because nobody would believe it: He was right! What a great figure! Admirable with all his flaws, a true hero. Mr. Haley's book is written well, though not perfect, I recommend it to anyone looking for a great story and a great and well lived life.

The question begs asking -- "Who is James L. Haley?" -- because this author has come forward without a lofty academic post and shown the cheek to produce what is probably the finest modern biography of Houston yet written.

With several dozen good biographies of Houston already in print, James L. Haley went the extra mile and built a terrific book based mostly on primary sources, many if not most of them apparently first mined by him. He appears to do research the old-fashioned way -- in archives, accosting private collectors, and pursuing the odd distant family source as well. At a time when the lions of academia are being dragged through the mud of plagiarism and scandal, blithely recasting and repackaging the hard work of others, Haley's work-ethic -- which is purely Puritan -- is pure refreshment to find.

His book has more heart and soul than either Marshall De Bruhl's or J. H. Williams's works. And just as importantly, Haley -- lack of academic-world gravitas notwithstanding -- writes with the strongest sense of voice. He gets carried away a bit when he's feeling his oats, but the result on balance is sterling biography. As the eminent Texas historian Elliott West says on the back cover, all future scholarship on Houston and Texas will have to reckon with this striking, substantial book.

James Haley's "Sam Houston" is a study into a man's soul. Using new resources he has humanized the man and the legend. Mr. Haley has done the best possible job of getting into the head of Sam Houston and explaining his life long habits without falling into the easy trap of revisionism. As a matter of fact in my mind he is a champion of the facts, using common sense logic when faced with the incompleteness of facts that is often found in history. He often has to navigate through the propaganda of the day and connect the dots with the straight edge of reality. This is well demonstrated by the facts presented about the biggest Sam Houston mystery of all, why his marriage with Miss Eliza Allen failed. You will have to read the book to find the answers.
Easy to read for the casual reader, well noted for the serous researcher. James Haley's "Sam Houston" is a great read.

This is one of the most awesome books I have ever read! I didn't want to put it down! This is a wonderful biography for a history buff or just a person curious in learning about the life of one of this nation's greatest leaders! Great buy!

John Richard Young is one of the finest minds and spirits dedicated to training our companions on the planet( he trained dogs as well as horses). The revised edition of his Training of the (Western) Horse is the single book needed by the neophyte who comes to horsemanship and equitation with an intelligent desire to make the horse a partner in pleasure and comeptitive sports alike. I wish the University of Oklahoma Press would bring out a new edition, and also gather his articles written for various horse publications into a third volume for the compleat JRY. His death was a loss to the equestrian community, but this book with its broad understanding of history and the varied styles of riding and uses of horses over the centuries is without a peer in the specialized literature of the Horse World, and remains as his monument.
Olivia Tsosie

I have read the book by Mr. Young and I have tried his theories and I have found them very helpful on not just my horse but on many other horses as well. I own a very spirited Arabian and were it not for this book I would have given up on him. I am always quoting from this book when I try to teach others why they are having problems with their horse. It is an excellent book to have as a reference guide and highly recommend that novice horsepeople, judges in horse competitions and even experienced riders read this book. I have read horse magazines as well as other books by different authors and JRY's book is the standard by which I measure them by. I come from a place where the methods are somewhat harsh and crude but I always thought there was a better way. Thank God the local Library had a copy and that there was a man named John Richard Young. I now own a copy of my own.

I WAS GIVEN THE ORIGINAL BOOK BY JOHN RICHARD YOUNG BY SOMEONE WHO GROW UP THE SAME TIME AS GREATS LIKE JRY AND MONTY FOREMAN. THIS BOOK SHOULD BE READ BY ANYONE RIDING OR ATTEMPTING TO TRAIN HORSES. JRY'S STYLE OF ASKING "WHY" AND GETTING YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE ASKING THE HORSE TO DO IS FANTASTIC. I GO BACK TO THIS BOOK CONSTANTLY, NOT ALWAYS FOR SPECIFIC RULES AND TECHNIQUES, BUT RATHER FOR THE THOUGHTS AND THEORIES JOHN R. YOUNG PROVIDES. HE TEACHES YOU THAT THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO TRAINING AND TELLS YOU WHAT TO BE LOOKING FOR EACH STEP OF THE WAY. THE CHAPTER ON BITS AND SADDLES IS ALONE WORTH THE COST OF THE BOOK. YOU WILL LEARN THAT ANY BIT WITH A SHANK IS A CURB BIT, AND WHAT THE BALANCED SADDLE LOOKS LIKE, WESTERN OR ENGLISH. AND WHY YOU CAN'T RIDE RIGHT IN MOST MODERN SADDLES. IF YOU CARE ABOUT HORSES AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, THIS BOOK IS MUST READING. YOU AND YOUR HORSE WILL BE HAPPIER FOLLOWING JRY'S IDEALS. THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU THE COURAGE TO TRAIN AND RIDE IN A COMMON SENSE WAY, WITH THE KNOWLEGE TO BACK IT, SO YOU WON'T SUCCOMB TO RIDICULOUS, AND SOMETIME DANGEROUS METHODS PROMOTED TODAY.

I originally read this book in its first edition dating back to the 1950's: "Schooling the Western Horse." This book, however, is less about training "western" horses, than about Mr. Young's philosophy of training for any horse. It relates as much to dressage as to "western" training. Although Mr. Young does not deal in the usual language of dressage trainers, his comments will be thought provoking for anyone interested in working with horses. More than anything else, he asks potential horsemen to really think about what they are doing,and what they wish to achieve, and not to accept conventional wisdom - to ask questions of their instructors, etc. Although those well-grounded in dressage will be able to find fault with some of Mr. Young's comments, I think they will still find this book an interesting addition to their equestrian library. In fact, it should be noted that "Dressage Today", the official Publication of the United States Dressage Federation has recently started a series of articles on a correspondence between the late Mr. Young and an experience dressage rider. I love this book and its companion, "Schooling for Young Riders," which is a training book put in the form of the story of Mr. Young training a pony for his daughter and teaching her to ride at the same time

Truly one of the great written works on interdisciplinary horsemanship-- Jaime Jackson Author, The Natural Horse: Foundations For Natural Horsemanship

This book is fantastic. Connie has managed to put into words what most people just think. It is great to read a book with such witty humor and deep insight. Bravo Connie, my hat is off to you.

I give Connie Cronley 5 glittering stars for this enchanting book of essays about all the things we experience but are often too busy to stop and observe. She has recorded most of these essays (first heard on Public Radio) and what a recording it is. Listening to it over and over is like visiting with a good friend.

I don't usually read non-fiction to escape and feel good, but Ms. Cronley's collection of essays gifted me with a wonderful afternoon of humor and insightful commentary. I adore this collection! Order this book, curl up with your cat and your favorite glass of wine (or two), and prepare to have a wonderful time.

This book may make you see things differently. You may see cats differently, or flower gardening, or bright moonlight nights, or crisp spring days. Ms. Cronley's gift for imagery makes this an enjoyable reading experience. Her wit is a bonus. I experienced many giggles and a few really good laughs while reading it. I couldn't decide whether to buy the book or the audio cassette, so I bought both, and I'm glad I did. I enjoy the book at home and the cassette in my car.

Connie Cronley's "Sometimes a Wheel Falls Off" is a collection of wry observations and smothered giggles. Each piece, originally drafted for NPR, has a deft and gentle humor reminiscent of the Talk of the Town brief assays from the New Yorker. Ms. Cronley describes the small universe of her home and cats, her cosy neighborhood, and the larger world she visits when she travels. But some essays are more worldly than these perfectly crafted intimate essays. She provides wise and thoughtful analysis of well known authors and their work. The best part of this collection is the voice of a friend, admiting fraility and finding gentle humor in the vagaries of her life. It's a thinking person's inspiration. I bought twelve copies as Christmas gifts and I realize that I need few more.

I've been told a mark of a great book is when the characters remain in your head after you have finished reading the book. This book qualifies as a great book, I'm still thinking of Viv and the towns mentioned in the book.

Letha caught my attention from the opening paragraphs throughout. I enjoyed Viv's rather logical, organized point of view. She's written a sort of no-nonsense work by a reporter..a media member. Now, just how unusual is that? Very. It made me want to keep reading and I enjoyed the read. In addition, interesting and unique names for characters shifted through the book, often used next to more ordinary names. I liked Tapply and Viv, Mica, Allan Jakes, and, of course,the more usual, Charley. I hope Letha keeps writing and keeps expanding her knowledge and craft. If she does, I will keep reading them.

I have written and had publsihed two mysteries and I appreciate her economical style and use of words. As a fellow author, I appreciated her more or less absence of gimick and what I considered the directness of the story. Since I used to live in Wichita and would drive into Oklahoma, I can appreciate her setting and relate to it. She's a fair author, ought to be on a screen credit for a tv movie sometime for this one.

Thanks, Letha, and you and the other Diva's keep on penning 'em! I'll keep on buying 'em when you write 'em.

Lance Pearson

I read this book in one sitting. It's full of great details about life in the heart of the Cherokee Nation, as well as what it's like being married to a would-be rock star and to work for a small local paper. The mystery aspect is a lot of fun. Viv Powers is one memorable narrator!

I'm not historically a lover of mysteries as I have found them to be too plot-driven for my taste. A few exceptions are Elizabeth George's books and Janet Evanovich's "One for the Money" series, both of which have me hooked because of the complex, likeable characters and the excellent writing. I admit that I was skeptical about "Tulsa Time" when my grandmother recommended it; I figured she was biased because the author is related somehow (fifth cousin to me, I think). But I dutifully read the book and was quickly pulled into the life of Viv and her relationship with Charley and completely related to her hard-headed determination to uncover the truth of his charges in spite of his warnings for her to keep out of it. I also must admit that I smugly thought I had it all figured out about 1/3 through the book, but didn't care because I was no longer in it for the mystery but for the great read. I as wrong anyway. I loved how it ended with the mystery solved although with some acknowledged loose ends and a realistic aversion to a pat all's-well ending. I would definitely like to read more by Letha Albright -- another mystery with the same lead character would be terrific, but I'd love to follow wherever the author is inspired to go, too!

It's hard to tell if Letha Albright should be labeled an "up-and-comer" - it's just too early. Her first published novel, Tulsa Time, is a wonderful book, but it almost seems as something that can't (or shouldn't) stand alone.

That's not an insult by a long shot. It's just that Viv Powers, the book's main character, has not developed herself enough in Albright's debut effort to satisfy most readers.

Such is the frustration with such well-crafted first-time novels. Viv is so utterly interesting, the depth of her character could easily be explored over a half-dozen more books. At the end of the novel, the only things noticeably lacking are sequels.

Viv, a small-town journalist, is thrown into a world of trouble when her significant other (Charlie) is charged with murdering Gil, his band's manager. With Charlie maintaining silence even to his lover, Viv decides to investigate (the mark of a true journalist!) and begins to uncover Charlie and his band's rocky past.

A good mystery should have two things. First, it needs a likeable (or at least interesting) hero(ine). Second, it needs the hooks and barbs that keep readers interested and guessing "whodunit." Tulsa Time succeeds on both accounts.

Viv reminds me much of another mystery heroine - Kay Scarpetta from Patricia Cornwell's books (From Potter's Field, Cause of Death, etc.): strong-willed, stubborn, passionate.

The book holds interest well with short chapters and many twists. It describes with great beauty and care the setting of Talequah and Tulsa, Okla., with out drenching the reader in detail. Several other people who have read this book agree that it is nearly impossible to guess the culprit until the last 10 pages or so.

Get a copy of this book - it's worthy of two reads (at least) - and keep your fingers crossed for a sequel. (4.5 stars)

Gregory Michno has a talent for researching a subject and presenting the knowledge he's gained in an interesting and easily understood way. He turns a non-fiction story into something which holds the interest of even those not particularly interested in history. he's done it again with USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel. We aren't encumbered with technical stuff but feel as though we're slicing through the water with the crew of this sub. The Pampanito served the U.S. well then suffered personal anguish when they learned they had helped sink two Japanese ships which held Allied POWs. The sub risked their own safety to return and rescue many of the POWS.

This is an excellent portrayal of life on a WWII submarine. It is a good picture of what life was like for the enlisted men, and for the service in general. I served on the Pampanito with the author's father. This is what it was REALLY like on a submarine in the Pacific during WWSII. I commend the author for his thorough research into the history of an unusual submarine and the living conditions aboard them during the war.

There have been many books written about individual US Navy submarines during World War Two in the Pacific, but almost invariably they are written from the viewpoint of the commander or executive officer. "USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel" is different. This is a book which, for the most part, tells the story of a submarine at war through the eyes of her crew, the men who kept her engines running, who scanned the skies for enemy aircraft when surfaced, who strained to load the torpedoes into her tubes during convoy attacks.

Sparked by the stories told by his late father, a crewman aboard the Pamapanito during her first two combat patrols, Greg Michno collected the tales of fifty of the men who served aboard her from her launch in 1943 till the end of the war. Together with extensive research into official records, Michno has woven these firsthand accounts into an absorbing portrait of ordinary men at war. His recounting of a harrowing depth charge attack with the Pampanito at a depth of over 600 feet could have come right out of "Das Boot". But the story is more than just combat. Day-to-day shipboard life in insanely cramped quarters, jury-rigged repairs upon vital malfunctioning equipment, wild R&R escapades ashore which could cause as many casualties as a battle at sea, conflicts and comradeship among the men and officers ... it is all here in this book.

The Pampanito appeared on no one's list of "top" submarines as measured by merchant tonnage sunk or major warships sent to the bottom. All too often her successes were more than balanced by bad luck or, perhaps, less than stellar leadership. But on one remarkable occasion, the boat rescued 73 Australian and British POW's whose ships had been sunk during an attack on a Japanese convoy. The story of this rescue and the subsequent close bond formed between these former prisoners, many of whom had worked on the notorious "River Kwai" railroad construction, and their saviors creates an emotional high point of the book. Many of the Pampanito's crew felt that saving those men was more important than the sinking of any ship.

As it happens, the Pampanito is still afloat today. Spared the scrapyard, the fate of most of her contemporaries, the Pampanito has been declared a National Historical Landmark and is docked at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco for visitors to board.

The book is well illustrated with maps of the combat operations plus numerous photographs of crewmembers, both as impossibly young men during their war and as elderly veterans visiting their boat during a recent crew reunion.

"USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel" is an excellent look at ordinary men on an ordinary submarine during an extraordinary time.

This is a well-written, refreshing look at submarine warfare in the Pacific during World War II. Unlike many previous submarine books, including fictitious ones, which are written by the skipper or the exec and therefore put the sub in the best possible light, this book is written from the point of view of the enlisted men with "warts and all". Instead of concentrating on target data computers, gyro angles, and attack solutions, the story concentrates on the ultimate success or failure of individual torpedo attacks, descriptions of depth charge attacks, the rescue of P.O.W's and shore leave. Rather than reading yet another description of the intensity of being in command, the reader learns of the intense dislike of the captain by most of the crew which did not prove a hindrance in causing some damage to the Japanese war effort.

The author is particularly adept at describing interesting facts or procedures in context, sometimes glossed over or ignored by other sub authors, without becoming bogged down in unnecessary detail. These topics include distilling "torpedo juice", decoding mechanisms, how a torpedo arms itself after it is fired, a comparison of Japanese convoys to U.S. ones, ordinary shipboard routine, venereal disease, and the mechanics of carbon dioxide exposure in a submerged sub.

The author also achieved the number one objective of all stories--he kept the narrative moving forward.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the "silent service". I look forward to visiting the "Pampanito" someday.

After a recent tour thru the actual USS Pampanito (twice!) at Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco, I bought the book at the bookstore next to the sub which is run by volunteers of this wonderful floating National Historic Landmark. What a thrill to actually see the sub in real life and then read a book about its' six patrols during WW2. As a son of one of the sailors who served on it, author Michno said he used to listen to his dad's war tails with some disinterest as they grew with each beer and retelling. Later he visited the sub with his own son and after realizing that it was his father's boat he was inspired to research and write a book about it, saying he wished that he had been a better listener. The book starts by giving a brief early biog. of six or eight men, where they were born, educated, etc., and how they came to be on the Pampanito. How it was built in New Hampshire, its' commissioning and shakedown and then an interesting and never boring account of each of its' six wartime patrols in the Pacific. It brings alive the details of the boats' activities and daily lives of the men, developed through oral histories given by them. Containing numerous photos, especially interesting were the recent photos of and recaps by the men, now in their eighties, who attended the fiftieth reunion in 1995, aboard the Pampanito. Touching was reading about the tolling of the bells ceremony where the ships bell in rung once as each of the names of the fifty-two subs lost in WW2 was called off. Well written and researched, Michno provides an exhausting list of footnotes on many of the details in the book. An interesting and scholarly work that is a fascinating and easy read.

Anyone who fears the possibility of mining interests encroachinginto the wilderness will understand the real threat thatfaces the Native American "hero" of Wolfsong. With an Abbey-like view to Monkeywrenching when the time is right, Tom Joseph learns to set his priorities and do some great backpacking up the Suiattle River in the process. This is Owen's first novel, begun in 1975 when he was a Wilderness Ranger in the Washington Cascades. There still is a valid copper claim on Miner's Ridge, north of Glacier Peak. This is a scary story; it could really happen.

This book combats the usual conservative white male destruction of the enviornment, and offers instead a compelling look at the incredibly brave and noble traditions of Native Americans and their conservation efforts. Copper mines are not usually something I could care about, but this book challenges the assumption of the domineering white patriarchal culture, and I for one am grateful.

This is not a politically correct book.

It challenges ideas of Native "authenticity" and gives short shrift to out-of-town environmentalists (rather shorter shrift than I entirely agreed with, in fact). When Tom decides to act against a copper mine, he does so not out of simplistic ideological purity but because of a complex of reasons, largely having to do with his own identity. (And he was uncritically working as a logger before that.)

Nevertheless, this is a profoundly environmentalist novel, with intensely beautiful descriptions of wilderness. It's an environmentalist novel because of the unbreakable connection it creates between humans and their environment and because of its challenge to the ideals of short-term profit. (At the same time, the problems of poverty are never glossed over.)

Owens wrote beautifully and incorporated stunning passages of magic realism. Tom is a believable character--confused, irresponsible (college drop-out), lonely, fierce, and ultimately heroic in the same way animals are in those old Western novels where wolves and mustangs leap off cliffs rather than be captured.

It is the "forks" in the river and the road for the citizens of Forks, a small town which perviously had logging money running through its veins, but now it is considering an infusion of mining dollars as the mills close down. Native American Tom Joseph returns home to attend his uncle's funeral and to unconsciously assume the mantle of trickster and to learn what drove his uncle to acts of ecoterrorism and monkeywrenching. Readers will get a true feel for the temperate rain forests of Western Washington while reading this novel, and may be tempted to don a slicker or their climbing boots by the time it is finished. Owens lets the reader decide many of the outcomes in this novel, though the meaning is always clear, the humor is rampant and the small town was probably a role model for Northern Exposure, right down to troubled sexy waitress and a fly bouncing around in the pie case.

For wilderness supporters, this book is a horror story. The book is based on the very real possibility that a copper mine could be opened with the attendant roads and carnage, on Miner's Ridge, north of Glacier Peak in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. Congress left a loophole big enough to drive a front-end loader through when the Wilderness Act was passed. The road isn't there yet, but Owens' vision is remarkably clear. Take heed, and enjoy

Wolfsong is a cautionary tale of what could potentially happen in the North Cascades. Congress conveniently neglected to ban mining in wilderness areas where old claims were established. This is Owens' cry of alarm: don't even consider mining in places like this. Wolfsong is told through the eyes of a local Native American, Tom Josephs, who inherits the mantle of protector of this sacred place from his uncle. Funny, insightful, true to the environment and the community, this book deserves a place on the shelf next to Desert Solitaire and the Monkey Wrench Gang

I have to admit, I never knew there even was a National Historic Trail program until I read this fine book. More embarrassingly, I forgot I had even purchased it until I was perusing my bookshelve looking for reading material the other night.

This book offers detailed information on several national historic trails. There is historical background, and, in the case of the section on Lewis and Clark, background on the major players, and good information of what to expect and what to see along the trail route itself. This book is more than just a travelogue, it allows the reader to delve into the trail's past on a personal level. I recently drove a portion of the Lewis and Clark trail and this book helped put it into perspective.

America's National Historic Trails is a very useful book and offers insight into one of the federal government's least known programs.

This book offers more information than a auto club guide. Includes great history and up-to-date information on each trail. Makes the reader feel that he/she is a part of history. Easy to follow.

America's National Historic Trails was just rated #5 on the Baker and Taylor Best Sellers List of Paperbacks from University Presses, and the author was featured in the July 1999 issue of Beyond the Cover, a monthly magazine from Whitebridge Communications of Ingram. Cindy Kelly writes "Cordes' book, America's National Historic Trails, shares her adventures, and shows how the trails -- dating from pre-Revolutionary War days to the Civil Rights marches of 1965 -- bring history to life."

What other reviewers are saying: "This book is simply a prize...it is packed with information..." Brad Hooper , Booklist 4/15/99 "...a wonderful paperback..." Scoop Baslee, News Journal, Daytona Beach 4/25/99 "...fascinating even for non-walkers..." Mike Sajina, Post Gazette, Pittsburgh 5/2/99 "Recommended for academic and public libraries." George Jenks, Library Journal Spring 1999

Twelve National Historic Trails are described in detail in this excellent guide, from the Juan Bautista de Anza NHT in Arizona and California to the Selma to Montgomery NHT in Alabama. All of the major cross-country trails (Santa Fe, Oregon/California, Lewis and Clark, Mormon) are included.

Cordes recounts each trail's history, tells what the trail looks like today, and describes major and minor points of interest along the way. Maps, photos, a lengthy bibliography, and a full index are all here. Anyone interested in exploring these trails will find this book useful and valuable. Armchair travellers will find it informative and entertaining. Highly recommended.

Amazing book, great antique photos of early wind machines. Knowing how rare these are one can appreciate the work and time T.L. Baker took for this book!

Any collection strong in early American history will find plenty to admire in AMERICAN WINDMILLS, by an expert historian on windmill who's been writing about wind-power history for a decade. His coverage here gathers historic images captured by professional windmiller B.H. Burdick and from corporate archives of windmill manufacturers, so it goes far beyond the usual light travelogue approach to cover the entire country's windmill production. Photos show wind machines in use and in manufacture and provide a fine survey which could have been equally well profiled in our Photography Shelf area, but which is recommended here as a top pick for any comprehensive collection strong in early American history.

This book was a complete surprise, meaning, I never knew there was such a colorful history about windmills. This book would be good to have in a school library. It would be useful for historians writing about early America.

Prairie Wind, Poems & Stories
"The windmill is a fondly recognized feature of the American landscape, a sentinel rising above rooftops and fields. Its stalwart presence states clearly that human ingenuity has been at work."
And so we begin an enjoyable guided tour of one of the mechanical icons of America. Even while rushing by on interstates, in the far distance a windmill can often be seen. If less hurried and slower routes are taken, windmills can be seen along the roadside as reminders of man and nature cooperating.
American Windmills is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. Through Lindsay Baker's photographs and clarity of writing, windmills and those who made them and used them are brought to life. Having written about wind power history for twenty-five years, his album contains historic images captured by professional windmiller B. H. "Tex" Burdick and from corporate archives of windmill manufacturers.
Windmills were used in a wide variety of settings: ranches and farms, alongside railroads, in industry and even in urban areas.
The photographs depict the manufacture, distribution and use of windmills in all regions of the United States with an emphasis on the Great Plains.
In a visual tour, we are taken into the factories showing how commercial windmills were mass produced and marketed. In rural America we learn how inventive people designed their own homemade wind machines.
Windmills are the remnants of lives lived in harmony with the earth. They are symbols of a peoples' determination. They are Americana.