Idaho State Books

What a beautiful book! I'm sure that every state would love to have such a stunning pictorial review. Anderson is a master.

Idaho Discovered does an incredible job of capturing the beauty of Idaho in pictures. The pictures are breathtaking and the quality of the book is outstanding. I would highly recommend this book!

Idaho is one of our scenic treasures. This book doesn't really do it justice. There is something lacking in many of the photos and I wonder if it isn't in the printing. A lot of the photos lack 'pop'. I would like to compare the book to the originals. It is a nice collection of images from around the state giving you an idea of the variety of scenery available in Idaho.

I truly "discovered" Idaho in this book. Having spent several years of my high school days in Northern Idaho, I didn't ever dream that such beauty surrounded me. I have since traveled over alot of the state, country and some foreign countries, and have been astounded at the scenery which had been practically in my back yard. There were landscapes that were breathtaking and Anderson's ability to capture the most minute detail of each one was magnificant. Of course, skiing, hiking and biking to some of these locations was an added bonus that most people don't have the opportunity to experience. I discovered this book on [the photographer's] website...

As a native Idahoan, this is the first book I have ever found that truly represents the entire state. Idaho is a very diverse landscape and a huge area to cover by any means of transportation. Kirk Anderson's commitment to intimately discover and share his Idaho journey is a gift to all who know or wish to know this beautiful state. The photography proves to be of the highest caliber. Great !

I read this book many years ago and then lost my copy of it, so I ordered another one on Amazon. This is the most moving book I have ever read. If you're into non-fiction westerns, this is the book for you. I found the first half a tad slow but the second half was fantastic. To this day, when I think about it, it almost brings tears to my eyes. The story was written from the memoirs of Andrew Garcia, a scout for Custer and tells of his adventures traveling through the west with his native american wives. I loaned this book to a friend and he shares my enthusiasm for it.

I purchased this book for my husband. He enjoyed it and passed it on to other readers.

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
This book's handwritten manuscript was found in a dynamite box in its author's Montana cabin after his death at age 88. Garcia was an original Western settler, arriving in Montana in 1878, one year after the famous Nez Perce Chief Joseph's surrender. If you want authentic Old West, here it is. Garcia tells it like he saw it, favoring neither Native Americans or Europeans. He marries three Indian women (sequentially) and leaves his past world behind. This book has romance, beauty, humor, deadly adventure. Danger. Thrillers come nowhere near this true story. Most of all, Andrew Garcia's soul shines through his writing. What a dear, good man. I wish I could have met him.

A Spanish-Texan quits his job wrangling for the Army in Montana to set out trapping and trading with the Indians. His stories - full of grandeur, intrigue, death and romance - never cease to have a ring of truth.
In Garcia's accounts he is never the hero, but rather the hapless greenhorn who escapes by the skin of his teeth and a generous apportionment of luck.
Written in true trapper/trader/rancher dialect, this book is a joy to read and a pity to finish. I love his insights and Tom Sawyer wisdom, self deprecation, and observations about life with the Indians (and life with whites).

this is a great story from one who lived with the indians during the time before their decline. this book is hard to put down.

Every bookseller I've ever met in Idaho recommends this book. It's informative but also fun and insanely well-written. Conley covers the Idaho basics but also wanders off down side streets and tiptoes through the state's history. And even though it's 700 pages, you still get the sense Cort knows more than he's telling.

I've had the book for 5 years and find myself going back to it again and again. I strongly recommened it for anyone living in Idaho and anyone interested in the West or just good writing

If every state could offer up a tour guide as thorough as this one, travelers would have much to cheer about, no matter where they were. This is a major achievement in the field.

Conley has arranged the book into three major sections (Lakes and Forests - North; Rivers and Canyons - Southwest; and Mountains and Deserts - Southeast), and then by major highways within each section. He takes the traveler along each route, pointing out historic sites, geological formations, archeology, towns and cities, and all kinds of points of interest along the way. When appropriate he will venture down side roads to highlight sites.

Much historical information is related by Conley (the book is 700 pages long), and there are photographs (mostly historical) galore. As useful as the guide is on the road, it is equally as entertaining and informative for the armchair traveler as well. This book will not help you with finding motels, restaurants, or modern day tourist attractions; it is strictly written with the history of the state in mind. And in that regard, it's a beauty. Travelers in Idaho or those interested in the state's history should be sure to get a hold of this book - you won't be disappointed.

We're planning our first trip to Idaho and were looking for the basic "have to have it with us" tour guide to help plan the trip and guide us through it. This book isn't it.

It appears to be a great book of local history and would be fine for backup information about the state but it is not good for planning a trip.

The only way to find items of interest is to read the whole book, set up your own itinerary, and basicaly write your own guide book from the information found here.

Fodors and Frommer have nothing to fear.

Cort Conley is to Idaho what Frank Dobie is to Texas. There is no man who has seen more of the Idaho landscape and backcountry, and known more of the Idaho people than Conley. And few people (if any) can tell you more about Idaho's underappreciated history and Indian lore. This book should be on the bookshelf of every native to the Pacific Northwest, alongside Evie Litton's Hiking Hot Springs of the Pacific Northwest (they just look good together).

Let's face it - what about Idaho DOESN'T make you curious? Whether it's the state capital Boise, or their infatuation with potatoes, Idaho has always been one of the more unusual states.

Well, thanks to author Cort Conley's vivid descriptions of the lush landscapes, and the colorful people that populate this great state, Idaho is well on its way to becoming much more than just "the state next to Montana".

As long as there are imaginative travel-authors like Conley around, Idaho will not be forgotten.

THE BIG BURN is a fascinating and harrowing historic novel set in the midst of a forest fire that trashed Northern Idaho and Western Montana in 1910. It was a large forest fire. "How large?" you may ask. Okay--If there are 640 acres in a square mile and there were nearly three million acres affected by THE BIG BURN, then we're talking an area nearly 4700 square miles. Sonoma County, where I live, is one-third that size. If you consider the San Francisco Bay Area counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, AND Sonoma together, then you've got a sense of the scale of the destruction. For those of you on the East Coast, we're talking Long Island, plus all of New York's boroughs, and the counties of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Columbia.

"Field Notes: In the summer of 1910, rangers who were used to working in isolation suddenly found their forests filling with strangers. With new fires breaking out daily through July and older ones stubbornly resisting control, the Forest Service's District One had no choice but to hire more and more men to fight them. By the end of the month, there were almost three thousand firefighters scattered across the district's several forests...W.B. Greeley, would later write, 'It was a case of hiring anyone we could get. We cleaned out Skid Road in Spokane and Butte. A lot of temporaries were bums and hobos. In a bad fire year, the temporary is the weakest link in the chain'...They went into the burning forests wearing the clothes they'd been recruited in, and the ones wearing street shoes or snug wool suits would regret that. They worked for twenty-five cents an hour with board, thirty if they provided their own food..."

In THE BIG BURN we do meet a few scoundrels. But the main characters here are three young people--Jarrett, a local boy who leaves his harsh dad; Seth, a southern kid in a black regiment who is trying to live up to the memory of his dead father; and Lizbeth, a young woman originally from New England, who is falling in love with the land she's found herself homesteading with her young, widowed aunt. All three cross paths before finding themselves in the midst of Hell on Earth.

Perhaps the publisher is calling this an "ages 12 and up" to spare younger children potential nightmares from the vividly drawn scenes of towering flames bearing down on our heroes. But for any kid whose tastes run to disaster and survival, mixed into a coming of age story, THE BIG BURN is a riveting read.

Jeanette Ingold has pulled out all stops in her book called The Bug Burn. In this exciting tale of Idaho's wildfires in 1910, three young adults battle the forces of nature. Seth, Jaret, and Lizbeth each fight life in their own way, and overcome personal obstacles. Seth is an African American trying to fit-in in the army. Jaret is a rebel son as he goes looking for a job in firefighting after he got fired from his railroad job. Lizbeth is a niece who is trying to convince her aunt not to sell their homestead. I like this book because it is full of action and adventure, but educational at the same time. I would give it five out of five stars because I had a fun time reading it and learned a lot from it. I can't tell you the ending, but I can give you a little sneak peek. The strong wind blows many fires together, creating a giant blaze. That blaze charges forward, burning everything in its path. Eventually it comes to a city named Wallace, and everyone has to work together to try to stop it. Do they succeed? Read the book, The Big Burn, to find out.

I think that The Big Burn was a very precice and educational book. The main carachters were Jarett, a young man wanting to fight fires with his older brother; Seth, An afircan American young man trying to show his pride for his country by joining the army; and Lizbeth, a young women trying to stay and keep her aunt from selling their home. The setting is 1910's, in Idaho and Montana. They over come some goals, and others are crushed. This all adds up untill the climax were all the flames come together and

In light of the recent wildfires in Colorado and Arizona, THE BIG BURN is an interesting book, but it would certainly be noteworthy under any circumstances. The story follows two young men and a young woman as they encounter and combat the infamously ferocious Montana wildfires of 1910. Jeanette Ingold deftly switches perspectives throughout the tale to keep the reader interested in this well-crafted historical novel.

Jarrett, the brother of a forest ranger, is on a quest to prove himself to his gruff father; Lizbeth, living with her widowed aunt, wants to preserve her adopted Western home; and Seth, a young black soldier, is dedicated to serving his country and overcoming racial prejudice. Apart and together, they transcend traditional teenage roles and attempt to save their homes from the fires that ravaged the Montana and Idaho wilderness during the summer of 1910. Some of the plot developments may seem cliché (romance blooms where you'd probably expect --- close calls end with last-second rescues, etc.), but overall the adventure is unlike any other book available. This overlooked event in US history provides a wealth of excitement for a talented writer. The parallel stories of the three protagonists allow for several viewpoints of every episode; Ingold paints a comprehensive portrait of the true historical events of the period.

Ingold intersperses the chapters with "field notes" chronicling the wildfires and wilderness firefighting from an objective standpoint. These sections are actually where she writes best and they are a testament to the thorough research that went into writing the book. Both historically accurate and dramatically engaging, THE BIG BURN is a great choice for anyone who is interested in learning about the phenomena of forest fires while also reading a great story.

--- Reviewed by Lowell Putnam

Ingold tells the reader that if you talk with anyone in Idaho or Montana for long enough, the subject of the Big Burn will come up, and the person telling you about it will expect you to know all about it. After reading Ingold's well-researched book, any reader would be able to contribute to the subject. Set in 1910, when forest rangers were new, railroads were huge, and immigrants were still flooding the country, The Big Burn tells the story of the wild fires of the northwestern United States. Ingold gives us three main characters: Jarrett, Lisbeth and Seth. These teenagers each deal with the fire in their own way, and find that there is more to fighting fires than a little water or ditch digging. The three do meet in the tale (it is plausible), and each tell their view of the events in concurrent chapters. Ingold breaks in with facts and accounts of actual events, which makes the fictitious story feel all the more real.

Ingold has done her homework, and it shows in the story. Her afterword, acknowledgements, and list of suggested reading at the end all provide valuable information. The only problem I had with the book was a bit of charaterization--the relationships between the characters felt forced and unbelievable, particularly the budding romance between Jarrett and Lisbeth. On their own, the characters were strong, interesting, and contributed to the story. But when they came in contact with the others, even the minor characters became a bit forced in the relationships in which they were observing or participating. Otherwise this is a wonderful example of great historical fiction.

Braiden has captured the unique flavors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and B.C. with her lively commentary of the distinct ingredients you can find there. Her profiles of people and places make me want to visit each and every destination. If I can't get to that farm or winery, at least I can make the meal myself - and pour a glass of Braiden's hand-picked Northwest wine recommendations to accompany it.

The recipes are easy and delicious, inspiring us to use local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients. So far, our family favorites are the Grilled Asparagus Salad with Prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Balsamic Vinaigrette and the Dungeness Crab with Ginger-Cilantro Mayonnaise! Yummy~

This cookbook is absolutely gorgeous. It is a wonderful guide to the Pacific Northwest for both locals and visitors. The recipes are fabulous (try the Chipotle Chocolate Cake) and very easy to do at home, while still elegant. And the wine pairing suggestions are spot on. Outstanding book that would make a great addition to anyone's cookbook collection - and one that you will actually use.

This book offers many exceptional recipes however there are two from Chef Maury Bennett in Idaho that are amazing his passion for local fares radiates through his ideas. I would like to see an entire cook book done by him!!

For the wine and food nut, this book is of epic proportion. Vivid and lively pictures combined with the real people and real stories of the Pac NW illustrates the connection between Braiden Rex-Johnson and her subject. The
wine country traveler's guide to the good life in the Pac NW. Bravo!

To counter the damp and dreary days of winter I surround myself with distractions that promise better days to come. At the top of my pile is Braiden Rex-Johnson's Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining. Just looking at the cover of this love letter to NW cuisine warms me. I imagine myself dining al fresco on the patio of this restaurant or a myriad of others. Then I pour over the interior pages, like a gardener pouring over a seed catalogue in winter. I indulge in the descriptions of familiar restaurants and wineries as well as intriguing new ones. I plan our next excursion into Eastern Washington or the Willamette Valley or the always promising Vancouver area, while noting the recipes from these areas that we want to make today and the wines we will want to serve with them. I smile at the quotes from favorite and unfamiliar chefs and feel as though I now know something of what makes them who they are. And then I remember another friend who I want to share this book with and I'm back online to order it. What a perfectly luscious way to wile away the winter days.

This is the classic guide book for the Tetons. Many pictures and topos are provided to help route finding, however most topos are for the more difficult routes. The text is very descriptive. The book is heavy so be prepared to make photo copies before your climb.

exactly what I was looking for. All the detail I needed and more. Please send my thanks to the authors for the great beta.

Excellent book. Clearly describes hundreds of routes with climbing topo's and ratings. Highly recommended.

If you are looking for a comprehensive, detailed, easy to understand reference guide to the history, approaches and routes of the peaks of the Grand Tetons...look no further. Complete with Topos, black and white Arial photographs, and hand drawn route diagrams, this guide is a "must have" in any mountaineer's quiver of guide books. The book opens with a history of the Grand Teton Range and introduces readers to the men and women who explored and developed many of the modern routes enjoyed by all today; particularly the "bold" first accents of the early Teton pioneers Paul Petzoldt and Glenn Exum. The meat of the book can be found in the remaining pages covering everything from, recommended equipment, mountain safety, to detailed accounts of the climbs and approaches on all the jagged peaks of the Teton Range.
As a climber of 20+ years, I found this book to be extremely helpful on my trips to the Tetons and highly recommend this guide to anyone entertaining the possibility of climbing or hiking in the Teton Range. Whether you are a seasoned climber, or are considering cutting your teeth in one of the most spectacular mountain ranges the United States has to offer, consider this resource a must!

A good climbing guide is a personal friend. You spend hours reading about possible climbs, adventures awaiting for you. There is much pleasure in browsing a climbing guide, remembering the climbs you have made, those climbs not completed due to severe weather or other reasons, and all those climbs you have yet to try.

My Teton guidebook has particular value as I always inscribe notes about my climbs: the date, my companions, the weather, route finding tips (or conversely, where I went astray), elapsed time, and other items of interest.

This third edition, 1996, is more than four hundred pages. It is much to bulky and heavy to carry on a climb. But it is a remarkable reference of virtually every climbing route in the Teton Range. The descriptions are detailed and well-written. I have not encountered any climbing guide that is comparable in detail and scope to this work by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson.

The number of routes and variations on the favorite peaks can be overwhelming. The most commonly used route is highlighted. Route descriptions range from easy scrambles to difficult climbs requiring substantial technical skill on ice, snow, and rock. Numerous excellent black and white photos with climbing routes overlain are scattered throughout the texts. Also, there are many detailed ink drawings of more difficult climbs.

For climbers new to the Tetons, the authors have listed more than 130 of their favorite routes ranging from easy scrambles to severe climbs 5.12 in difficulty, as well as difficult technical ice climbing routes.

The introduction, some sixty pages, is quite good. Major topics include a history of Teton climbing, descriptions of great climbs and traverses, details on the national park service policy, and a discussion of the difficulty rating system. The section on Teton weather and climatology is both helpful and sobering. Also, on more than one occasion I had reason to appreciate Ortenburger's and Jackson's bushwacking hints for those canyons without maintained trails.

I have used A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range for many years beginning with the first edition dating back to the 1960s by Leigh Ortenburger. In the intervening years a condensed version, an extended version (volume 2), and a second and third edition have been published.

This third edition is really quite exceptional and I highly recommend this guidebook to anyone planning to climb in Grand Teton National Park.

The Brothers Bieter have written a very important chapter in American immigrant history. It boggles the mind to comprehend the forces that brought young men to America from a primarily maritime economy and succesfully transplanted them in the high deserts of Idaho and Nevada as sheepherders. How a network of friends and relatives immigrating over four generations were able to bring their culture's music, dance, games, gastronomy and traditions, adapt them to new circumstances and see the pride exhibited by their children and grandchildren is truly inspiring. The evolution of immigrant Basques into Basque-Americans is a worthy study for any anthropologist, linguist or sociologist.

While most Americans have studied the immigration of Europeans to the United States, our knowledge of the Basque immigration is limited. The Bieters have written a well-researched and informative account of the Basque journey from Spain to the United States. The book, packed with personal anecdotes of Basque immigrants, belongs on the bookshelf of every American history enthusiast.

I just finished reading this book. It is a relatively quick read, something I was able to finish in a day. It is a very good read, though, something all decendants of the Basque immigrants to the Western US should read. It gives, in my opinion, a very good idea of what it was like for a young Basque to come to this country and try to make a living. It also describes well the choices the decendants of these immigrants have made to continue the Basque culture. It does so in a very direct way, making me think about my choices and the convenience of the aspects of Basque culture I have chosen to keep alive for myself. In some areas, I wish there was more depth (for example, the discussion of Anaiak Denok, a group I hadn't heard of before), but, overall, it is a very good introduction to what it means to be Basque-American and why some of us choose to identify with both the Basque and American culture. I strongly recommend this book, not only to Americans of Basque decent, but anyone who is interested in the issues of ethnicity in America and why some would choose to be both American and ethnic at the same time.

As an amature student of both history and Basque culture I am very impressed with the quality of this work. Both Misters Bieter should be praised for what is both a most interesting and informative book. There is a professional blend of historical theory about the roles of various generations and historical facts and manifested by the various stories, all held together by the ongoing saga of the Bilbao family. This is good history writing. I don't know if this kind of book can win prizes or awards, but if so this one deserves to do so.

Being of Basque decent myself, I try to read and collect as many books about my heritage as possible. The Bieters' have extensive knowledge and insight to show the development of the Basque in the beautiful state of Idaho. Following the journey they have told, I can relate it to the journey of my Basque ancestors. It is a wonderful look at a wonderful culture.

Fire in the Hole is a really good book. It's about a boy named Mick Shea who lives in a Union Mining town in North Idaho. His father is a union miner who goes on strike. Mick Shea wants to go to college at Gonzaga University, but his father wants him to stay and work in the mines. I think this is a good book because I like historical fiction a lot and almost everything in this book really happened. It's interesting to find out what happened. It makes you care about the characters a lot and wonder what's going to happen to them. It's one of my favorite historical fiction novels.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I read it from start to finish in one night because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to Mick and his family. Not only did the author do an excellent job of researching the history and material for the story, but she really drew me into the emotion the main character was feeling. For example, she doesn't just say he was angry, she describes the emotional and physical event to a point that you can completely relate and feel and understand his anger.

Mary Cronk Farrell definitely did her homework when she wrote this tale about Mick and his family during the historical silver mining strike. I stayed up late just to finish it. Although it is written for youth I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I felt as if I was there in Northern Idaho with the characters and found that I was praying for them as they faced the challenges given to them. Farrell's book made me laugh and cry but especially it made me look forward to her next work.

This book was hard to put down. It was a very interesting story. I felt like I really got to know the characters, and was captivated by the unfolding of events. Anyone who has ever been a teenager can identify with Mick as he struggles against the world that he finds himself in. I enjoyed watching him learn and grow from the challenges he faces as comes to the grips with the realities of entering adulthood.
I learned a lot of history from this book, as well as gaining some insights on humanity. It is definitely worth reading.

This is a gripping, seemingly realistic picture of life at the turn of the century in a mining town of Northern Idaho. I didn't want to put the book down. I had to know what would happen to Mick and his family and to the town they lived in. The history is well-researched, but it's the story that keeps you hooked. My 11 year old son also read the book and loved it. It definitely appeals to adults and kids alike.

Like many reviewers, I read this after taking a river tour of Hells Canyon. Oh, how I wish I had read it before! Now I have to go back and spend my time at the Kirkwood ranch poking around and visualizing what it must have looked like when the young family of Len and Grace Jordan and their three young children lived there.

What's lovely about this book is how Grace recounts the events of their life, from the small things such as how they cooked and canned, to the big things like close brushes with danger, the harshness and isolation of life in the canyon. The author's tight writing style is down-to-earth and no nonsense, yet still human, warm and insightful. The character profiles she draws are filled with empathy and humor.

The only drawback is the lack of images in the book. I would have loved to see a picture of the Jordan family, photos of the horses and the sheepherding life, and images of the grounds and landscape.

If you are a fan of slice of life / coping & managing books (like Laura Ingalls Wilder books, pioneer diaries, etc.) then you'll love this. It's a treasure.

My husband and I are pleased and honored to know "little" Joe Jordan. He is taking us with a group back to the ranch this fall and we can hardly wait to see all of the places in the book. Now I am looking for all of Grace Jordan's books to find out more about her brave and adventurous life. She writes like an old friend who is talking to you and telling her story to you.

Hell's Canyon on the Snake River between Idaho and Oregon is deeper than the Grand Canyon and almost as majestic and awe-inspiring. About 20 miles of the Canyon is roadless and can only be reached by boat. The only people that live there now are park rangers who get mail from the outside world once a week, but the river can be crowded in summer with jetboaters, rafters, and kayakers. Fortunately, the Forest Service protects the river and the canyon walls from development and exploitation.

In the depression years of the 1930s the Jordan family was desperate and bought a sheep ranch in the Canyon to try to reverse their failing fortunes. They lived with their children at Kirkwood Ranch -- which can still be visited -- for several years. They had a few neighbors scattered up and down the canyon plus a few employees. This is the story of their life as written by Grace Jordan. It's a lively account, filled with descriptions of domestic activities and the eccentric people that passed through her doors. She tells a nostalgic and appealing story of pioneering life in a very remote place.

The Jordan's left the river at the beginning of World War II and Len Jordan went on to become a U.S. Senator, quite a feat considering the hard times he endured during the depression. I suspect, however, that the sheep-herding life he lived in Hell's Canyon was more interesting than his political career.

Smallchief

I read this book AFTER I took the full day Hells Canyon Jet Boat trip from Clarkston, WA and now wish I had read it before. We stopped for an hour at the Jordan's ranch for lunch and had I read this before I would have loved to explore the author's places. It's a lovely book, well-written, that describes her life with her family on the Snake River. Highly recommended reading for those planning to explore Hells Canyon.

I purchased this book after taking a tour of Kirkwood Ranch. The book is well written and gives so much information on what life must have been like during that time and conditions, but does so in a story type fashion that is a pleasure to read. Definitely worth the time to read!

I lived for 15 years in the Silver Valley. My husband worked for both the Sunshine Mine and Bunker Hill Mine. His father worked and retired from the Sunshine. Our family enjoyed many years of living in this mining community, enjoying the natural beauty of the Coeurd'Alene river and camping, fishing and hunting in the area. Fritz Wolff's account of his life in that area and his memories of the mining community/industry were a pleasure to read. He wrote of places and people and things familiar to myself and members of my family. I hope many will want to read this book just because it's an interesting read.

I was attracted to this book, first by the striking painting on the cover, then by what was inside it. In fact, although I had other things to do I stayed up most of the night reading and finished it the following day. The miners and their families described by Mr. Wolff creates in essence what Garrison Keeler called his "storm family". People in a real mining camp that took the greenhorn from Seattle under their wing and taught him the ropes about hardrock mining, and a lot of other stuff an 18 year old kid needs to know. He uses nouns and verbs in a straight arrow kind of prose that is sparse, but entertaining. It's a people kind of book, and places some unforgettable characters on the map of western history. I hope the author tackles another yarn.

I have only one complaint about this book. It says that the hardrock mining industry is all but forgotten. Someone apparently forgot to tell my neighbors who on most days put on their hard hats with headlamps and go down a half mile or so to carve gold ore out of the mountain.

No, the world out here (Nevada) isn't quite like that pictured in the book. Then again, it's closer to the book than is life in most cities. He visits Carol who provides him with a "commercial embrace," for $15 for a half hour. I understand (I've of course no personal experience) that the rate is now $200 for a half hour.

Other details have changed, but the people are much as he describes, good people, the salt of the earth. An excellent tale of times past when we were all a lot younger.

There have been attempts over the past 3 decades to humanize the mining business. Fritz's tale, seen through the eyes of a college kid 60 years later, is one of the finest. I know or knew several of the people he describes in his narrative; they'll vouch for his authenticity. Thank-you, Fritz. You have ennobled my friends.

This is a story that doesn't fit into any typical genre. Its a story about life with a personal memoir and some rich history as the back drop. The author writes in a style that is fresh and engaging. He uses vocabulary and dialogue that, unfortunately, no one encounters any more. This a rich story and a must read.