Arizona Books

I was given this book as a gift. Now to tell the truth, I don't do well with water. Even thinking about ships makes me queasy. After reading this book I am absolutely hooked and fascinated. I want more stories. I wish the author to keep telling me tales. If there is still time for you to get this book as a gift for anyone on your list, I highly recommend it. Anyone would enjoy this read. And, if by chance you know someone with a Navy history or who already loves the sea, this book is a must. I surely hope there is a sequel. Thanks to the author for much enjoyment.

For those fascinated by the Titantic and other tragedies at sea, this book will be a great read. Not only does Berc write in a conversational manner about many such fatal voyages but he also has chapters on other themes such as mutinies, unusual cargos, ships that disappear, and other strange occurances. You don't have to be a naval history buff to enjoy these fasinating stories that happened to ships at sea. It was simply an enjoyable and well-written book for all ages. And, the author's description of his naval background, itself quite interesting, allows us to glimpse the reason for his obvious passion for the topic.

I really enjoyed the author's unique stories of similar, but extraordinary sea experiences. The unusual tales of over 200 ships are grouped under 20 separate chapters. There are tales of mystery ships, mutinies, animal antics, piracy, phenomena of the unknown and more in these highly readable short stories. I was given this book by a colleague only to find that I am captivated by a world about which I knew nothing.

An important major reference work, Sonoran Desert Plants is an exhaustive study of the woody plants native to the Sonoran Desert. 80 species are treated, and each species treatment includes excellent grey tone photographs and distribution maps, in addition to the discussion. This is an absolute sin qua non for students of the Sonoran Desert, botanists, naturalists, and aficionados of the cacti of the region. I reviewed this book several years ago & have not changed my mind about the book even though I am selling my copy now. I have moved "biomes" and really have no need for Sonoran biology texts anymore.

Co-authored by plant ecologists Raymond Turner and Tony Burgess along with botanist Janice Bowers, Sonoran Desert Plants: An Ecological Atlas is an enlarged and thoroughly revised edition of the original 1972 atlas. Packed cover to cover with figures, distribution maps, black-and-white photographs, and detailed information concerning the taxonomy and ecology of 339 plants, Sonoran Desert Plants is a superb in-depth manual especially recommended for ecologists studying the Sonoran desert area. A glossary, index, and impressively extensive compendium of cited literature round out this specialist's resource.

I found this book to be quite unique in the way it covers its subject area. I know of no other book which seeks to treat in a botanical manner the more conspicuous and important woody plants of the Sonoran Desert biome. I discovered the existence of plants that I previously did not know about. Each species is covered very well, with notes on its appearance, distribution, ethnobotany, and ecology. Excellent half-tone black and white photographs. I can't recommend this book too highly if one is interested in learning more about the Sonoran Desert woody plants.

This is THE book about the longest-running show in TV history (and rightfully so.) All the profits from it go to charity. I bought it a few years ago. It includes a chapter (biography and photos) on each of the show's four decades; what happened after the show ended; song lyrics ("I watched the tube today, Wall-boy/Captain Super didn't make the grade..."); fan comments; and sections on some of the show's behind-the-scenes people, other performers like Dan Horn, and regular guests like Officer Harry, celebrity guests; and more.

The best thing about this book is all the photos. I loved the photos from the early years. I didn't start watching until the '70s, so those '50s and '60s photos are fascinating to me. I also liked the photos of their live shows (remember Legend City and the state fair?) and the photos of the set. Too many of them look a bit grainy or out-of-focus. It would've been nice to have more photos of Pat McMahon's hundreds of different characters. (That could've been a book in itself!) But since more/better photos probably don't exist, I can't fault the book for not including them. This book is as good as it could possibly be.

It will be of interest to anyone interested in TV history and/or Arizona history. I think it should be required reading for all the masses of people moving here. And if you're a Wallace and Ladmo fan, how can you live without it?

Damn, I miss these guys. Even Gerald. They make me proud to be an Arizona native. Here's to you, Ladmo!

If you grew up in Arizona like I did, and grew up watching the Wallace and Ladmo show after or before school...religiously as I did, you've got to get this book which chronicles the show wonderfully and really brings back very fond memories. KJ Chandler, AZ

When I was a young child in Arizona, I used to watch Wallace and Ladmo every morning before I went to school up until I was 7 and moved to California. I didn't move back to Arizona until I was in my 20's and by then the show had gone off the air. But just because it is no longer on the air does not mean it has to fade away. This book was the greatest gift I could have ever received. Not only could I reminisce about the show I loved as a child but I also learned about how the show started and what happened in the years after I had moved away. And this book is filled with hundreds of photos that bring back so many memories. Even though I only watched the Wallace and Ladmo Show for a few years, it will always have a big place in my heart and I will always be able to relive those happy memories with this great book.

Charming love story set in the Southwest circa 1940. This book is timeless in its portrayal of the teenage years. From the very start, it captures the reader. Highly recommended to readers interested in cowboy lore. G.N. Buffington knows of what he writes. It is alve with ranchers, cowboys and horses amidst the sometimes hostile desert terrain of the Southwest. The easygoing narrative is crisply written. Highly recommended from a fan of Edward Abbey.

This is the strong yet touching story about the coming-of-age of a young man who after a series of disasters at eastern boarding schools is sent by his parents to Arizona as his "last chance". It is an excellent tale well told and the book has great detail and color of life in Arizona during the early 1940's. I recommend this book highly.

I can still remember the thrill when I, as the young publicity director, read Richard Bradford's "Red Sky At Morning" and then had the pleasure and the honor of promoting his first novel. What excitement when the reviews came in and it started climbing the best seller lists...and then stayed up there too! We celebrated every time it went back to press -- it is a classic now.

When I read "Virgin Spring" I felt, as Richard Bradford himself says, that it is an "engaging" coming-of age story of young Nic Nichols.

We all have had to ride our own broncos in our lives, but Nic's are the real ones and his journey is, in effect, our own. It is enchanting and, set against the magic that is the Southwest, I found I could not put this book down.

Just a few words: Diana Garcia's collection is a rare mix of literary power, hard-won truths, wimin's realities and soulful flames come burnin' out of the page into our consciousness. I haven't seen a book with these valencies since Lorna Dee Cervantes' break-through Emplumada! And she reminds us --without bombast -- about this earth, its workers, its campesino childhoods, hungers and shames and incandescent liberations. Diana Garcia has lived many lives, for many lives -- and now it is her life-lines we can hold, for a moment at least, as "birds of paradise/against a gold-lit world." Gracias, Diana.

Just a few words: Diana Garcia's collection is a rare mix of literary power, hard-won truths, wimin's realities and soulful flames come burnin' out of the page into our consciousness. I haven't seen a book with these valencies since Lorna Dee Cervantes' break-through Emplumada! And she reminds us --without bombast -- about this earth, its workers, its campesino childhoods, hungers and shames and incandescent liberations. Diana Garcia has lived many lives, for many lives -- and now it is her life-lines we can hold, for a moment at least, as "birds of paradise/against a gold-lit world." Gracias, Diana.

This debut book of poems is a wonder, and was written by someone whose wise voice should have been heard a long time before now. Diana Garcia is the daughter of Mexican migrant workers in California's San Joaquin Valley, the granddaughter of a curandera, the mother of a son who migrates on hiw own to Kansas, and the wife of a man who toasts her with kind glances. And there are other close relations, a nest within which Garcia illuminates difficulty and endurance, the extraordinary in the everyday, and the persistence of love.

The book is divided into several sections, among them memoroes of living in labor camps, evocative poems in several voices honoring the lives of apparently ordinary women, startling poems on the matter of racism, and warm poems about her relations to intimates. The book involves a number of poetric styles, and this variety hones the reader's attention to this one poet who writes what she knows into the profound.

Found the author's book while searching for relatives of Beppie Leslie Culin Roskruge, who is likely the great aunt of Virginia Culin Roberts - because I found and am attempting to return what may be a sentimental heirloom of Beppie's to a living relative.

Good book, good author - just like her famous great aunt was.

I found the book well written, with Ms Roberts' delivering a colorful portrayal of western history. As a resident of the Nogales - Patagonia - Sonoita area I found her work verifiable and acurate, providing myself and by family a valuable source of information on our local history.

A side note: The Pennington family homestead was recently rediscovered and preservation efforts will hopefully save the remaining structure.

This book was extremely excellent, and life-like. Ms. Virginia Culin Roberts did an excellent job writing this book. Way to go Virginia!

I thoroughly enjoyed Yard Full of Sun, renegade horticulturist Scott Calhoun's humorous and detailed account of the creation of his family's Arizona home and garden. Mr. Calhoun's funny anecdotes about the challenges of adobe home construction and his startlingly honest observations of married life enhance, but do not obscure the wealth of fascinating information he has compiled about drought-resistant plants, garden design, and water conservation. The author's authentic voice and the rich details he includes make me want to drink Tecate under the Mesquite tree in the Calhouns' backyard and eat tacos at their favorite tire repair shop. The glorious photographs provide endless ideas for the design and decoration of outdoor living spaces, and the useful appendices should prove invaluable to novice and experienced desert gardeners alike. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most, however, was the candid and sincere manner in which Scott Calhoun shares the excitement and beauty, as well as the disagreements and discoouragement one encounters when a dream is pursued with passion.

Scott takes us on a very personal journey from the building of his home through the design and planting of his garden in the Sonoran desert of Tucson, Arizona. The book is packed with marvelous photos of the house and garden plants, flowers and trees that comprise his little domestic world. The photo quality and color rendition are quite excellent and provide ample evidence of the remarkable variety of plant hues that are made possible by the magical combination of water and brilliant southern Arizona sunshine. Those unfamiliar with this kind of environment will be surprised by the extraordinary palette of color that Scott has lovingly created. He also takes great pride in showing that his award-winning garden, featured in SUNSET and HORTICULTURE magazines,is not an east-coast transplant, but an authentic representation of his region.

The beginning gardener as well as the experienced landscape designer will find an abundance of information and creative inspiration from the first to the last page. The appendices in the back for example, are a real gold mine of useful material.

Even if you don't live in the Sonoran desert, you will enjoy Scott's journey and his warm, relaxed narrative style of writing. However, make no mistake. Behind this easy-going approach dwells the strong will of a young man with the knowledge, experience and determination to infuse regional landscape authenticity with beauty and power. Readers everywhere will find this an invigorating combination.

Greg
Budapest, Hungary

I have lived in Phoenix for 25 years. I have a large lot and little success in landscaping. If it looked good it took too much time to maintain and my water bills were sky high. What to do? After 6 weeks in a wheelchair and an irrigation failure I happened on Scott Calhoun's book. He has so many new and practical ideas that will produce a good looking landscape and not be a slave to it. Living in Tucson, he is very savvy about conserving water more than we are in Phoenix. He talks about harvesting water and grading a property to better direct rainfall to planting beds. New ideas for me. I am really quite excited about the opportunities that I recognize now from reading this book.
Oh and if that isn't enough, the book is quite beautiful. Lots of color photography. Many plant varieties are pictured. The writer generously shares his experience of learning about building a "green" home and surrounding it with a true Sonoran desert landscape.
I have lots of books on desert gardening and they all have merit.This is the first one that has given me a new insight into where I live and my responsibility to the ecology of my spot in the desert.
A true inspiration to me.

I took the AEPA in June 2007. I bought this book and the 91/92 test book by the same author and I can honestly say they are probably the reason why I scored so well on my test. The clearly state all the objectives that are included in the test. There is alot of reading, but the author repeats herself and summarizes what you previously read so it helps the infomation sink in with little effort. AFter taking the AEPA, I could go back and reference the books and actually find answers to the questions they had on the test. I will even use this book as a reference in the future for teaching. They are very infomative and go along perfectly with Arizona's state standards. A must for anyone taking the AEPA.

This study guide is well-researched and an excellent reference for aspiring teachers as they prepare for certification. The book is aligned to Arizona's outlined guidelines for elementary educators, and it provides specific information for the skills creating each competency. Written by teachers, this practical guide covers the basics of elementary subjects including Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and the Arts. Whether used for a new teacher just entering the classroom or as a reference during your teaching career, this book is a must-have for teachers!

This book, published by Arizona Highways, presents a broad yet detailed overview of saguaro cacti. Everything about the cacti, ranging from scientific data to traditional and modern cultural information, has been placed in this book. The text is easy to read yet it answers most questions about cacti, and the pictures are of the high quality expected from Arizona Highways. This book is so good that its photos and information has been incorporated into reference booklets at Saguaro National Park. A good book for both Arizona residents and visitors to own.

The first time I visited the Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, I had dozens of questions about saguaros. I wanted to know why their arms grow down toward the ground sometimes and why some of them have a brown woody bark and why some of them have ripples and what happens to you if you get caught shooting at a saguaro. This book answered all of my questions and then some!

I found out that the arms sometimes start to grow downwards if there is a cold spell right as the arms start to grow. Only very old saguaros get the woody bark and they become more like a regular tree as they age. The ripples are caused by droughts and rainy years during growth cycles and you'll be fined very heavily if you shoot at a saguaro because they are protected under state law.

It's a thin, paperback book and it's written in a manner that it would be interesting to children as well as to adults but it's definitely aimed at an older reader. Tons of beautiful desert scenes!

Get this book before you go to the Grand Canyon and you'll make the most of your visit--whether you stay for a few hours, or over a week. With over 44 full color photographs (2 of them panoramic canyon views measuring 17" x 7"), four easy-to-read maps, accompanied by concisely well-written text (just over 50 pages), this beautiful book gives you a scenic viewpoint-to-viewpoint guided tour of the best sights, rim trails, and hikes the Grand Canyon has to offer--plus as a bonus, its soft cover and unique shape (9-1/4" x 7-3/4") make it perfect for rolling up and sticking in a fanny pack. And at just under $5.00, it's the best bargain you'll find in Grand Canyon Village (but don't wait until you get there to buy it--there are very few copies remaining on the shelves!)

What I especially appreciated about the book was the logical arrangement of the Table of Contents by viewpoint, beginning from the south as you drive into the main entrance (Grand Canyon Village) and then west to east. Even more valuable is the information preceding each viewpoint description telling the distance to the next viewpoint (in miles and kilometers)--handy statistics that help you decide whether to hoof it to the next viewpoint or wait for the next shuttle bus, as much of the South Rim is closed to passenger car traffic.

In addition to the accurate information and beautiful presentation, this book also includes interesting history of the Grand Canyon with colorful descriptions of the pioneers who first explored, mapped, and took political action to preserve this natural wonder. Told with quotes, anecdotal stories, journal entries and black and white photos (from the late 1800's and early 1900's), the author weaves a tale as deep as the Colorado River itself winding through the Grand Canyon walls far below. Here you'll learn the history behind the buildings still standing on the edge of the rim, and the train that still visits daily, as well as be introduced to the geological history and modern day plant life and animal life that call the Grand Canyon their home.

This is must-have when visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as it gives you all the background you need to enjoy the rim from Desert View to Hermits Rest.

Often, when people visit a place like the Grand Canyon, the very size and awe-inspiring views can be very overwhelming at first. To help find your way to the small wonders as well as the big, this book will give you the lowdown on all of the overlooks, roads, hotels, and historical buildings along the South Rim. It also gives you the historical background on the roads, overlooks, and trails.

When you get to the South Rim, the first thing to do is pickup this book as starting point.

I hear they are also working on a version for the North Rim.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.