Nevada Books

In a beautifully illustrated book Carmelo Urza finely analyses the discussions about this avant-garde sculpture made to celebrate the Basque shepherds of America. He shows and comments the different points of view of those implied: the Basque-american community to whom the monument was dedicated, the Basque government in Spain and, of course, the artist himself. He also provides us with detailed information of the negotiations which finally led to the placing of the monument where it is now. It is a book worth reading in order to know about the aspirations and self-image of the Basques living in America, but also of those living in Spain.

This book is great for getting to know the history behind arborglyphs....They are an important source of historical data...This book is mostly about Nevada...There is a lot of good information about the Basque "sheepmen"/sheepherders....There are a lot of arborglyphs in the Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado...I have seen quite a few myself....The life span of an arborglyphs is about 80 yrs....It is important that we start documenting them now for future generations.....Countless arborglyphs have been lost to time already...check out [...] for more info

I tried to read this late at night in a guest room in Palo Alto (while I was still on Eastern time), at a house where I was also urged to read _Up and down California_, the narrative based on Brewer's own letters, still in print (first edition 1930). I got the latter via interlibrary loan but the memory of Alsup's vistas of rock has brought me to Amazon to buy my own copies of both.

This is an interesting book about the buildings in the Sagebrush state. It does include the history of the profession of architecture but is missing some of the important definitions of the times, such as "carpenter." It gives credit to the buildings, but misquotes the names of the architects in some cases (no "John M." or "Morrill John" Curtis exists as an architect in Nevada, for example). Even a few mistakes such as this cause the reader to question the validity of other information. (My advice to authors: if you do not know, then don't guess and certainly don't put it in writing! Check primary sources!).
Overall, the book is worthwhile and a boon to historians with its pictures of old buildings inside and outside.

There are many popular Nevada histories of this type available. This Nevada Historical Society publication is blessed with a fascinating introduction by Peter Bandurraga, Society President, examining the uniqueness of Nevada history.

Indeed, before the assassination of Lincoln, the entry of any state was tied to the issue of slavery and the maintenance of parity between free and slave states. West Virginia and Nevada were the last two states whose admittance was burdened by the existence of slavery. Just two states (Nebraska, 1867, and Colorado, 1876) joined the union in the quarter century after Nevada.

Under other conditions Nevada might not have achieved statehood for many decades, yet at the time of admission Virginia City was second only to San Francisco as urban jewels of the West. Nevada's wealth was industrial mining, and the state had no stable agricultural districts. Nevada was unique.

Phillip Earl divides the book into seven sections -- Nevada's Namesakes, Railroading, Mormons, Famous Nevadans, Mining, Outlaws and Prizefighting. None of these sections is encyclopedic, but each contains fascinating vignettes. I especially enjoyed the sections on railroading and Mormons, two subjects not always given their due.

I expected more photos in a Nevada Historical Society book, and I think the book needs a good map. I docked a point for its maplessness.

Thomas guide books used to come with the material on a cd. Now that cd is not available.They need to include the cd or make it available either by purchase
or included with the guide.

If you are interested in Nevada mining boom towns and ghost towns, a visit to Tonopah should be in your future, and this short, illustrated book would make for good reading beforehand. The text is drawn from the much larger A History of Tonopah Nevada book, but the photos are new, provided by the Central Nevada Museum or from various private collections.

Although the first chapter, on the pre-history of the area (think 10,000 BC to 1,000 BC) is probably not necessary to understanding what went on here between 1900 and the present, the rest of the book is much to the subject, discussing the foundation of the city, miners and their business practices, mining specialties, the companies, the silicosis, the role of women, the social organizations both high and low, as well as the petering out of the mines and the arrival of the government in the form of the air force base and then the nuclear tests. Written in 1990, it does not address the last 17 years of decay and the sad collapse of Tonopah since then.

The photos are uniformly excellent, and give a vivid portrait of the lives of honest frontier folk.

Well worth reading.

The author relies on Austin's newspaper (no longer in print) called the Reese River Reveille to describe what every day life in Austin was like, from its founding in the 1860s to about the 1950s. Most of the book focuses on the 1860s, when Austin was founded as a mining town. The book then discusses its growth and development, the struggles of its inhabitants in an isolated location, and the hopes for Austin's own "place in the sun" as a premier western town.

The book is easy to read and very enjoyable. Having spent about a month in Austin this summer, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in my college's library. Recommended for anyone interested in frontier history.

The giant Great Basin Desert was covered by Great Lakes sized bodies of fresh water 10 000 years ago. Today it is dry and salty dotted with salty inland seas and isolated mountain ranges teeming with biodiversity.

This book is a journey through old Lake Bonneville and Lake Lahonatan to today's Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Great Salt Lake, and Pyramid Lake. Along the way we meet the Humboldt River and mountains of the Great Basin. A truly great read for natural history buffs and those fascinated by America's least known desert.

Great for the occasional hiker strolling thru the woods and wondering, "i wonder what kind of tree that is"? good illustrations esp. illustrations of bark(which are usually hard to draw). spend a couple of bucks, it will make you hike a whole lot more interesting.....