North America Books

I tell you now from the words of Red Moon, from the great spirit was born the wolf and man became his messenger, in other words the human race was created from wolves, or so says the author of the Book of The Moon.

Brother Wolf: A Forgotten Promise starts off with an emotional "letter" from wolves to men, focusing on how humans and wolves used to live together in harmony, and how men are now killers, of wolves and other creatures. The letter ends with 'I do not think I know you anymore.' It is highly emotional, and nearly made me cry!

After that, the book switches to its true form...a book with captivating text and even better photos of wolves, taken ina areas where they are very elusive and have lots of foliage to be hidden among.

Jim Brandenburg, a very well-known wildlife photographer and the author of multiple wolf books, even goes far enough to explain his first encounter with wolves and how he felt at that time. The book is highly educational, but also very touching.

Overall, the book has great text with even greater photographs, and is definitely a good read. The high price, however, is quite a problem. But if you like wolves, and if you're willing to pay the price, definitely buy this book. It's excellent.

Jim Brandenburg succinctly captures the essence of the wolf. The wolf has been so unfairly persecuted throughout our history; due on no small part to ranchers. Incredible photographs, this book will make you a wolf lover if you aren't already. Incredible text and photos!!!!

This book had drown my attention at the very first sight, as I had been trying to find a good book with lots wolf photos for ages and fail at almost every bookshop I went to. The photos in the book are magnificent, also other then wolves, there are wonderful photos of landscape and other wildlife.

I know this isn't really a review, but I'm so excited to read/look at the pictures in this book (I just ordered it) I just had to say something. Wolves are my favorite animals and it always makes me a little angery when people talk about them as vicious man-eaters, because they're not. This book really looks like it sets the record strait. I'm really looking forward to reading this book!

Enjoyed reading this book. I had family who survived Camille in Nelson County, spent several weeks there during the summers visiting during my youth and remember vividly going there as soon as we were allowed in to see the damage. This book did an excellent job describing the storm, the aftermath and how it changed the lives of so many people who lived in that area.

I am not usually a nonfiction reader, but a friend strongly recommended I read this book. She was right--it really does read like a novel. The authors tell the stories of Camille survivors in such a compelling way that I found I couldn't put it down. They seamlessly weave in the science of hurricanes and the political and cultural environments of the time. I was hooked from the very first page and wasn't ready for it to end. Howard and Zebrowski are master storytellers.

What a wonderful read Category 5 was. I am a voracious reader, but, unfortunately, a slow one (and people say God doesn't have a sense of humor), but I picked up a hardback copy of of Category 5 two days ago and finished it 5am this morning--I couldn't put it down. I love how the authors wove the stories of the people in with the unfolding science. In particular, I had a lump in my throat when I read how Luke Petrovich went to his grave still thinking he hadn't done enough. He seemed like a fine man, and a remarkable one, considering how he crawled out from under the mental and emotional and psychological clutches of the "Judge". I live right here in central Virginia (Greene County, just north of Charlottesville), and I have a friend in Nelson County, so I've been passing to and through that county for years, and I had always heard about the horrible events wrought when Camille came to visit that August night, but this narrative brought it alive and made it all real. Also, I have to admit, I never truly before understood what all the ire and lingering mistrust was about on the part of African Americans, but the discussions of the pervasive and unrelenting bigotry of the time and place opened my eyes--I'd be angry, too, to this day if I and people like me, simply because of the color of our skins, had endured THAT degree of hatred. More than once while I was reading, I had to put the book down and just breathe a long, "My God!" I wonnder if the authors have thought about selling the movie rights to Category 5. Many times while I was reading, I thought about what a great movie this book would make--heck, the part about the "Judge" alone would make for great viewing!--what a despicable, yet multifaceted and multilayered man! Look at what Petersen and company did with The Perfect Storm--a movie from Category 5 would be ten times better (if it copied the quality of the book, that is). I recommend this book highly for a thought-provoking, eye-opening, page-turning read.

The authors of this book were putting the finishing touches on it when Katrina made landfall in generally the same area as Camille. They went back and added a chapter but for the most part the book was left to stand on its own in light of the more recent disaster and it stood up quite well. All through the book there are obvious parallels between the two storms and especially the response that came in their aftermath. It is to be hoped that government officials took the lessons of Katrina to heart in a much more effective way than they did the lessons of Camille and that when the next major hurricane devastates a costal area the outside response will be far more effective.

One of the few things that did improve in the years between the hurricanes was the ability of forecasters to predict the track of the storm and to get the word out. In 1969 radar tracking and computer models were in their infancy and up until shortly before landfall forecasters were sure that Camille would strike Florida. Once they did realize that it was headed for Mississippi they had trouble getting the word out and had it not been for the foresight of local officials the death toll would have been much higher. These authors take the meteorological aspects of this story and present them in a remarkably easy to understand way and do so to the extent that the reader will almost be able to feel the angst of forecasters as they try to figure out just what Camille is up to. These Hurricane Center people are remarkable.

These authors do an excellent job of relating how local authorities had taken to heart the lessons learned from hurricane Audrey in 1957 and the precautions that they had taken because of those lessons. It is not hard to see in this narrative that state and federal authorities were far behind the local authorities in preparedness for Camille and that the same was true all those years later when Katrina came ashore. This is not however just a story about the failure of government though, it is also very much a story of the people who were the victims of this great storm. This is a story of the heroism of and resilience of people who were hit with the worst that nature has to offer.

These authors do a marvelous job of relating the stories of individuals and families who were in the path of the monster Camille. Through the reminiscences of those who survived the authors tell the stories of families ripped apart and of whole families who just vanished. They tell the true story of the much publicized collapse of the Richelieu apartments in Pass Christian, they tell the story of a group of men out for a sail who end up weathering the storm near the mouth of the Mississippi as their boat breaks up around them, they tell the story of people who sought refuge in local churches only to find the large old building disintegrating around them and they tell the story of quiet communities in Virginia where the people went to bed with no warning at all that many of them would be washed away before dawn. Through it all the survivors immediately turned their attention toward helping each other once the storm had passed and these survivors, many of them wounded or in mourning themselves immediately began rescue efforts that saved untold numbers of people. It is the heart and soul of these people that is the true story to be found in this book and these authors have truly done these people justice in this highly readable account of one of the great disasters in American history.

Once you pick this book up, you won't want to put it down until you've read the very last page and the dust cover notes as well. As a reader all too familiar with the wrath and destruction of hurricanes, I found the historical facts eerily accurate and the human drama so tense that the reader is drawn into the story as if sucked into the vortex of the storm itself. Category 5 is gripping and powerful like a well-written novel and not the true account of devastation and suffering that it is -- without the dry, clinical approach of a mere assessment of storm damage. The human element is often invisible when looking at the overall picture. Howard and Zebrowski take us to ground zero to examine the personal lives of those affected and no reader can ever put those images out of his or her mind. Excellent read!

Tom Aswell
Baton Rouge, LA.

This is a magisterial history of the exploration of the west by an icon of western histiography. DeVoto takes in the whole sweep of New World history, from the conquistadors up to Lewis and Clark. Lewis and Clark are the clear apogee of the narrative, and the hundred or so pages on their expedition function as a hundred page mini book within a book.

I learned alot about the exploration of the west in this book, especially in the sections devoted to spanish (inept) and french (daring but lacking ambition) exploration. All forces eventually will yield to the english and later the americans.

Jefferson emerges as a far sighted hero of manifest destiny. This book gives great little known detail on the interaction between westerners and native americans without being biased or unduly sentimental to the existing native cultures.

I thought on the whole he was even handed about alot of controversial issues and his awesome prose and thorough research make this an enduring classic of american history and the "course of empire"

To my mind, Course of Empire is the best book written by Bernard Devoto (1897-1955). With it, he won a National Book Award to add to his Pulitzer and Bancroft prizes. DeVoto's integration of American exploration with the political quarrels of Europe is exceptionally good, and his understanding of western geography is overwhelming even to the well-traveled.

Most important, this is the work of a novelist manqué who should have been a historian all along. The book is everywhere readable and sometimes sings. A couple of examples:

"The best hope of peace lay in the fact that for half a century Spain had been falling like Lucifer son of the morning and was now prostrate. Its possessions spread across Europe without logic of geography or nationality. If they could be satisfactorily distributed among the powers peace might follow like the well-being of a man who has dined well." (164)

"In 1744 [Arthur Dobbs] published An Account of the Countries Adjoining to Hudson's Bay, a vigorous, absorbing book which assembled everything that was known, rumored, guessed, logically deduced, and imagined about the Northwest. It is a visionary's argument and perhaps the most shining eighteenth-century example of what the imagination can do when it has a blank map to work on and is handicapped by no empirical knowledge whatever." (244)

Finally, in Course of Empire, Native Americans are treated knowledgeably and thoroughly yet without the stifling political correctness of our own day. DeVoto writes of "savages" who do savage things; and he is right. Of course, DeVoto had the advantage of writing at a time when Europeans could no longer get a pass for being white but before Native Americans got one for not being so. DeVoto could not have chosen his era, but he certainly made the best use of it.

Although the various European powers moved sometimes disorganizedly, in fits and starts, DeVoto shows how the course of empire's path is laid out.

As the first volume of a trilogy, DeVoto foreshadows America's later claims of Manifest Destiny and "democratic-imperial" dreams in "Course of Empire," based on the expansionist energy he details in "Across the Broad Missouri."

All three volumes are worth a read.

This is a book about the exploration, not the settlement, of North America. As such, it traces the 278 year history of European and American efforts to penetrate and understand the North American continent.

The Course of Empire then is a compendium of various and sometimes quite different national interests. Utilizing a chronological, fill in the blank approach, DeVoto literally fills in the map of North America as viewed, rightly or wrongly, by each succeeding explorer. Chapter by chapter this story unfolds across the entire history of North American exploration. Thus, the reader meets everyone in chronological sequence, starting with Balboa and ending with Lewis and Clark.

Since subsequent explorers often had access to the records of those that preceded them, DeVoto is not only able to fill in the North American map with the contribution of each exploration, he is also able to link each exploration to its fundamental drivers: national intent and economic interest. As a result, he is able to underscore the ebb and flow of New World power as each country's global interests and economic situation changed over time.

For example, Spain's 16th century interest was mostly focused on conquest and plunder. As a result, Spain's more northern explorations, led by De Soto and Coronado, were limited by the lack exploitable civilizations. In contrast, after the defeat of the Spanish Armada and Spain's decline as a world power, England's subsequent 17th and 18th century efforts were more driven by land acquisition, sugar and the fur trade. It is easy to see why then that the French and Indian War was fought and why Britain's explorations are so much more consistent and focused on such dramatically different sections of North America.

Of critical interest is how the author weaves the unbelievable scope of this effort into a consistent whole, telling the story of how the geography of North America limited and encouraged continental expansion and ultimately defined the national borders of the United States. This is an excellent work and well worth your time.

Like many readers I was led to DeVoto by Stephen Ambrose, and I was not disappointed. This book combines meticulous historical scholarship with a real skill in storytelling, and it gave me a new understanding of how Europeans perceived and penetrated the continent. I began with the intention of reading the three volumes in historical order, and I'm eagerly continuing to "Across the Wide Missouri," which is all the review you should need.

My only complaint -- and the only reason to deny it a fifth star -- has nothing to do with DeVoto's work itself. The edition I read (purchased here, and as far as I can tell identical to the one for sale above) had black-on-white, pen-and-ink maps that appear to date from the original printing. They can be hard to read, which is a significant drawback in a narrative that relies so heavily on geographical references.

I would be very happy to see either a companion volume filled with modern maps (as has been done so admirably with the Aubrey-Maturin novels), or a new edition of the book that incorporates them directly.

I have no illusions about the sales volume of this title, or its power to induce such a new printing. Nor do I ignore the charm in presenting these maps with the same "period" style that DeVoto's first readers saw. But I found this book so instructive that I hope for others to derive the same benefit -- and that means using modern techniques to make it the most effective educational instrument it can be.

It's important to disclaim that I'm only talking about the illustrative maps. The ones used as chapter headers, that show the continent gradually "filling in" over the centuries, are priceless and should be left as-is in any future printing.

This book has brought even closer than before to the realization that men of the South, especically the 26th North Carolina, sacrificed so much for what they believed in. This book follows this unit from beginning to end, sharing all that they did during the War, but hilighting Gettysburg and the tremendous toll it took on this great unit. I was especially enthralled by the personal side that the author shared, delving into personal history of various members of the unit, especially its Boy Colonel. A great read for those who want to know more about the men and units who made up Lee's great Army.

I'm pretty new to reading about the Civil War, but so far it seems that Regimental History books are my favorite. While other books try to do too much and cover many battles, generals and focus on troop movements, etc., Regimental History books focus on people and individuals.

Covered with Glory was particularly enlightening, as it sheds some light how Confederates felt about the war.

It is a very focused and straight forward read. Don't expect this to be a comprehensive book on the Civil War, but to experience a "little piece" of it, this is a great book.

An outstanding read! The author does not spend a great amount of time dealing with the formation and early days of the regiment. Instead and pleasantly so, he provides the reader with just enough information to get a feel for the regiment and its officers and concentrates on Gettysburg.

Additionally, the book is in simple and plain english allowing the reader to easily navigate troop movements, etc.. I especially enjoyed the "what happened to" part of the book, something which is missing from too many volumes.

Overall an excellent book about one of the ANV's best regiments -BUY IT!!!!!!

goes to Mr Gragg for his excellent book on the 26th NC Regiment. As a long time Union County resident in the "Old North State", I have often times looked at the Confederate Memorial located on the old courthouse lawn in Monroe listing all the various units which volunteered to do battle from this area. Units such as Co B, 15th NC Reg/ Co F, 35th NC Reg/ Co D, 37th NC Reg/ Co B, 43rd NC Reg/ Co A,E,F and I, 48th NC Reg/ Co I, 53rd NC Reg/ Co C, 10th Bat, NC Artillery/ Co F, 2nd Reg, NC Artillery (Jr Reserves) and of course ... Co B, 26th NC Regiment.

Who were these men, what were they like, what battles did they participate in, how many made it home and what were their lives like when they returned. Political Correctness has taken it's toll in the South, demonizing all those who participated in the Confederacy as extremists and traitors to the United States and so ... from the very towns and villages and hamlets where these men came from, little is known or even spoken of concerning these men today. Indeed, more roadside historical markers of the exploits of Gen Sherman exist today in this area than tributes to the men who defended their homeland.

It is true that the cause may have been all wrong ... men fighting for their own liberty and independence while denying the same to an entire race of people is hard to justify. I do suppose that "States Rights" must fit somewhere in the total picture of the war, but I am convinced that slavery was still the main cause of the war ... so in the end, I guess that we are only left with the devotion to duty, the courage and valor with which they performed that duty and the truly horrendous losses they sustained in trying to achieve their ends. But I do not judge men who lived so long ago by the standards of today and slavery was truly a world wide phenomona not so very long ago ... yes, the South held on to it a little longer than other sections of our country ... and it has paid a price for it ever since.

But Mr Gragg has put a face on those men of so long ago for me, one which I can put in my heart ... that of Col Lane ... who spoke at the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. If Mr Gragg would permit me I would love to quote from his book.

"When Lane spoke, the croud hushed. Looking down into the faces of his audience, he saw many who had witnessed the excitment, tragedy and horror of those unforgetable fields of fire. There too were many who could never imagine what he described; they were a new generation for whom those three days were merely history. "I was once a soldier ...", he began, and then spoke at length ... an old man telling a young man's story of smoke and fire and death. He tried to tell them about the shouts and volleys, about brave enemies in Black hats, about dressed lines and fallen color-bearers. He tried to tell them about the courage and confusion, about McCreery and Wilcox and Honeycutt ... and about Colonel Burgwyn, down and dying. He tried to tell them what it was like to look into the face of a twenty-one-year-old when the boyish light in his eyes was fading. He spoke of exhillerating victory and searing losses. "On the third day," he told them, "the remnant with colors flying stepped out, with hearts of oak, to take part in that memorable third day's charge." He gave them brutal numbers and awful statistics of bloody subtraction: 800 young and healthy men with homes and families and futures reduced to so few and then reduced again to nearly nothing.

Always, he came back to his men."Your valor is coming to be regarded as the common heritage of the American nation," he told them. "It no longer belongs to your State alone; it no longer belongs to the South; it is the high-water mark of what Americans have done and can do." He wept. In front of everyone and without apology, the old warrior looked at the tiny, aged remnant of the 26th North Carolina and he wept. "I give you the highest tribute," he told them, " ... a comrade's tears." A blue uniformed band of Pennsylvania veterans then broke into a spirited rendition of "Dixie," and the audience ... Northerners, Southerners, Americans all ... erupted in cheers.

Thank you Mr Gragg for pouring so much of yourself into this book, for in so doing you have given something priceless back to those of us who claim the Southern heritage. I can now look at that memorial in the courthouse lawn and feel a sense of pride for in the end ... the question is not what a man can scorn or disparage or find fault with, but what he can love and value and appreciate.

The narrow focus of what the 26th is most famous for is wonderful because it allows for many details. For those that don't know, they took atrocious casulaties over a 48 hour period, basically 8 out of 10 men went down. Their action is legendary, lining up against the Union's most famous, Iron Brigade, and also being the unit that could claim the farthest penetration into enemy territory on day 3.

As always, a couple of more maps would have been extremely helpful, but that being said, the ones there are well done.

Day 1 is treated extremely well with intense description of the action, almost minute by minute as far the 26th was concerned. The reading is smooth however, and most won't get lost in the details.

Day 3 has some of the best coverage that I have read because the author expands the focus for the Picket-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge to cover many of the other units involved. Of course, the 26th still gets the lions share of the commentary.

This book isn't for novices, but at the same time, you don't need to be a hardcore student to get it. I think a simple 2 or 3 page synopses of the battle will help so you don't get bogged down with some of the names, but more so you understand the importance of the battle in an overall perspective.

Again, the focus is the 26th at Gettysburg with a very brief prelude and wrap up to their other action. Highly recommended for the ACW afficionada and casual reader.

My only little quibble is with the quality of paper and tiny font for the paperback. Come on publishers, put the better works on better paper so they'll last longer.

As you read this book it seems as though you are right there with Larry and Lin as they build and sail their small boat from California through Mexico, Central America, Jamaica, up the U.S. East Coast to the Chesapeake Bay and finally to Europe. This is the 25th Anniversary edition of this book. It has been updated from the original with pictures and maps. A great book I would recommend it highly for anyone with an adventurous spirit.

Page turner - made me want to drop everything and sail. The combination of this book and Slocum's book gave me the sailing bug. Contains useful information for those that are thinking about buying a boat. As seasoned, adventurous, resourceful sailors, the Pardeys' books are useful for salties or salty-wannabes (like myself).

Now available in a brand new 25th anniversary edition, Lin and Larry Pardey's Cruising in Seraffyn now sports a new introduction, "Anyone Can Go Cruising," and a new appendix, "Affordable, Attainable Dreams." Cruising In Seraffyn is an exciting, detailed cruising guide with a 16-page spread of full-color photos, making it an adventurous reference for nautical buffs and armchair travelers alike. With its decades of sailor's wisdom and inspirational prose, Cruising In Seraffyn is very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in setting sail for pleasure.

I loved the book, but always wished there were more photos. Now I have seen the new edition, in hard cover, published by the Pardey's. It is great. They have done it for the 25th anniversary of this book. Lots of color photos, a really updated discussion of cruising costs and a really nice story about what has happened to Seraffyn over the past 30 years. The pictures of the Pardey's new boat and Seraffyn sailing side by side are worth the $2l.95 price. Unfortunately, the book will not be on the American market until June. I got one from a friend who is a book reviewer. I was told you could wait till june and get it at ..., or you can go to the news letters on thier web site, ... and order one early.

As other folks have written, this book is lovely to read and inspiring as can be. The new edition, in its hard cover is not just a simple reprint. It is almost a whole new book - the new introduction gives grand info for sailors today, the appendix puts it all where it is for those who want to sail off in 2002. But best of all are the l6 pages of full color photos - stuff to dream about, ideas to use on your boat. Really lovely. If you have the old edition, you'll still want this one. If you've never read the first book, this is the one for you.

The book arrived well within the promised delivery date. And the condition of the product surpassed the description given. Great quality and service. I'll not hesitate to use the service again. Thanks!

This book is like a workbook to the 1st Fools Crow book. It has changed my life and assisted on the spiritual path that I am walking. I am sure it will help anyone who reads it with an open spirit, heart, and mind.

For those who have read Fools Crow by Thomas E Mails should follow up with this book. If you have not read it I would sertainly do so as a companian to this book. Timeless Wisdom from the Old Lakota Holy Man that anyone can bennefit from the power of these teachings.

For a person interested in American Indian Medicine People, this Book, and it's companion book - Fools Crow, ISBN 0-8032-8174-9, will
read as a Treasure of insight, clarity, simplicity & wonder. This reviewer has been reading books on this subject for more than 40 years, and these 2 books are true Treasures of this world view. Fools Crow is magnificant.

Fools Crow Wisdom and Power is interesting in that the memoir is an account of a Sioux "holy" man. Yet, Fools Crow's holiness is not consistent. He has some good ideas about general spirituality but this is more of a plea for the Native American movement.
I read it for a graduate class in religion but was disappointed.

The day I heard this book was out, I bought it. The Bents were influential men in the Colorado, New Mexico region, but it is not because of who they were that I use the work influential, it was what they did and who they used to achieve social control. They worked with Kit Carson, Charles St. Vrain and were central to taking most of the Southwest from Mexico. For some of us this was not good and we live with those contradictions today. Read this book. Do not give it away or lend it out. You will not get it back. This text is about power and control, who had it and who did not. It adds to my own work dedicated to telling the truth from a minority perspective. Few know the William Bent children became Dog Soldiers and fought American colonization. These authors have done a great job and a great service to those of us dedicated to telling the truth. Look at my work on Hispanics, Chicanos and women The Feminization of Racism: Promoting World Peace in America and
Researching Chicano Communities: Social-Historical, Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual Space

The true story of the mixed blood George Bent is far more exciting than most fiction novels. The authors do an outstanding job of giving George the credit and recognition he deserves. Clearly George Bent, Chyenne raised and white school educated, had a never ending challange fitting into either world. His trials and tribulations are vividly portrayed in this book.
Review by Will Davis- Author of "Bell County Bushwhackers"

George Bent was truly one-of-a-kind. Born the son of a wealthy and prominent White trader and a beautiful Cheyenne woman in 1843, he was raised half-White and half-Cheyenne. He was educated in the White man's world and served in the Confederate Army, but became a Cheyenne warrior when his tribe went to war with the United States, participating in 27 war parties. He later worked as an interpreter and a broker -- not always a good one -- between the Whites and the Cheyennes. Perhaps his more important role came late in life when he served as an informant to the historians and ethnologists studying the Cheyennes. That they are among the best documented, most admired and studied of all Indian tribes is largely attributable to Bent.

The authors have done an outstanding job in compiling the story of George Bent. This is a scholarly, well-researched, well-documented, book that is complex but reads easily and tells a fascinating tale of a man between two worlds and comfortable in neither. The characters of Western legend appear in the book: Kit Carson, Wild Bill Hickock, George Custer, Phil Sheridan, and Buffalo Bill. Desperate forgotten battles between the Cheyennes and their White enemies are recalled and described. Perhaps the most interesting chapters of all describe the relationship between Bent and the scholars -- Hyde, Mooney, and Grinnell -- who used him as a resource to write their books. Bent had a burning interest in assuring that the story of the Cheyenne was recorded and remembered. He succeeded.

"Halfbreed" is a sad book as it describes the destruction by disease and war and massacre of a people and of Bent's own efforts to survive in a world that collapses around him. I don't know of any other book that delves so deeply and movingly into the world of the halfbreed. Bent deserves the recognition this book accords him almost a century after his death on the Cheyenne Reservation in Oklahoma.

Smallchief

This is a brilliant study of George Bent, the son of William Bent and Owl Woman, a physical union of the American settler and the American Indian in the west during the 19th century. He was not necessarily a central figure but nevertheless is emblematic of an entire era. In a time when we have few sources and fewer books regarding the progeny of Indian-european unions, this serves as an important and fascinating book that looks into the two worlds and momentous events of Bent's life. He lived among those great men of the American west such as Buffulo Bill and Kit Carson as well as witnessed the destruction of the native-American way of life. As a dog soldier, or elite warrior, of the Cheyennes he saw the massacre of Black Kettle's people and the subsequent war between whites and Indians on the plains. He later lived to serve as translator to the slowly defeated tribes and ended his days as a teacher at an Indian school, witness to the passing of an era. This is a well written book that reads like fiction but serves as an important testimony. A fascinating story that anyone will enjoy but should truly be read by anyone who enjoys the American West in all its flavor.

Seth J. Frantzman

When I moved to Santa Fe in 1983, I became fascinated with the history of this area and all things related to the Santa Fe trail. David Lavender wrote a great book on Bent's Fort that has always been a favorite of mine. Bent's Fort is a "living museum" in south eastern Colorado that is really worth visiting. When my friend loaned me his copy of Halfbreed, I was so impressed with its insight and easy reading that I bought two copies and sent one to another friend to enjoy (he did). I've read it three times now and will enjoy it again. I was moved by the authors' sensitivity of a true unsung hero who tried his best to preserve his knowledge of the Cheyenne oral traditions before they were forever lost. I will one day soon travel to the village of Colony, Oklahoma and visit his grave sight to pay homage to a great man that through this book, I have come to know and honor. I recomend this book for all who are looking for a good book to read.

I'm not easily impressed, either. Homicide My Own sucked me right in and held me right to the end. It is wonderfully well-written with a catchy voice which provides just the counter-balance to the weird nature of the story. I loved it so much I read it twice through in one sitting. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Argula writes with a deftness and confidence one would expect from a well-seasoned author.

Argula's debut novel features really great writing and extremely realistic, quirky characters. I'm reminded of poetic authors like Richard Hugo. The author has a gift for evoking physical environment and getting inside the skin of her heroine. We can feel the weight of her clothes and at times more physical detail than we need. She's a little young for hot flashes but that could happen. Her marriage seems puzzling but totally realistic. If this book begins a series, these developments should unfold in interesting ways.

The novel takes a sharp, bizarre turn with no warning. That's why I awarded 4 stars instead of 5. There's no reason for these characters to have some of these off-beat experiences (to say the least).

I read this book last December and liked it enough to pre-order the second book, "Walla Walla Suite," which is just as good. The slightly supernatural twists in both books set them somwhat apart from the run-of-the-mill PI stories. And Quinn, a menopausal cop, is a unique creation, especially in her insights into the male mind and psyche. A woman who understands (although she may not like it) that sometimes men think (NOT!)with the wrong parts of their anatomy. A fascinating character in so many ways. So, yeah, like li'l Oliver once said, "Please, may I have some more?" - Tim Bazzett

This little book is very different from the run-of-the-mill mystery (which I also love) The characters are quirky and interesting. There is a bit of "woo-woo" so if you don't like that, don't read this. Give it a try.

Homicide My Own has just been nominated for an Edgar as Best Paperback Original Novel. The Edgar Award is the Oscar for mystery writers. It's presented by the Mystery Writers of America, a prestigious group of writers, reviewers, and publishers. This is a wonderful and well-deserved honor for Anne Argula.

The Hunting of the Snark is a whacky piece of poetical silliness by Lewis Caroll. Complete nonsense, no-one knows what a Snark is, or why Snark hunters hunt it, or why anyone would want to become a Snark hunter to start with. Anyway, the poem is definitely amusing at times with some of the humour he slips in.

The Hunting of the Snark seems to be a very, very short imitation of The Canterbury Tales. The first chapter (titled a fit) introduces all of the occupations of all the different people going on a journey. However, instead of going on a general pilgrimage and telling tales along the way, their trip is very specific to hunting.

The Baker actually attempts to tell a story, but the Bellman (who leads the group) says there's no time for storytelling. They have to catch the Snark before nightfall.

Along with the Bellman and Baker, a Banker, a Bonnet-maker, a Butcher, a Boots, a Billiard-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, and a Beaver tag along to hunt for the Snark. The Beaver is afraid of getting cut by the Butcher, so he puts on a dagger-proof coat and talks to the Banker about buying an insurance policy.

The Beaver is involved in a hilarious scene with the Butcher later, when the two attempt to compute sums. But perhaps the funniest scene of the entire book is in the Barrister's dream when the Snark declares sentence on a pig, only to find out the pig has been dead long before the trial even began.

I'd highly recommend this short poem for Carroll fans, even though it's not big enough to contain but a small portion of what's to be found in the Alice books.

I have read a great deal of nonsense in the past, but this was by far the best nonsense that I have ever read. There is no point, no meaning, no sense, and no boringness. It is a delightful poem (which is well written and very fun to read aloud) about a crew on a ship hunting a snark. The crew includes a captain who only rings a bell, a beaver, a cook who only cooks beavers (the beaver and the cook did not get along well), a man afraid that the snark would turn into a boojum and make him disappear, etc. As you can tell, this makes for an insanely silly poem. The subtitle is rather fitting, as my sides were definitely hurting from laughter when I was done. Well done Mr. Carroll.

Overall grade: A+

Nonsense poems can easily miss the mark
Yet, this masterpiece has that spark.

"How do you kill a _____?", you ask
To find the answer was the hunters' task.

"What was their fate?", you wonder
Did they ever catch their elusive plunder?

A paragon of haunting Carollian lore
Be in no doubt that you'll finish wanting more.

This poem is just great!

First, this one of the most delightful pieces of writing that ever appeared in (more or less) English. It succeeds as a sustained exercise in illogic. I am sure that only a mathematical logician like Dodgson could possibly have pulled it off - only someone with such deep understanding of reason could master unreason so completely.

Second, Martin Gardner's commentary adds depth and background to the reading. Gardner explains terms that are now obsolete, but also adds his own analysis and a rich history of the Snark phenomenon. It should be no surprise that Gardner is still best known as the long-time editor of Scientific American's column on Mathematical Games, a mathematician himself.

I can't add much to the scholarship or praise that already surrounds this incredible poem. I would like to point out, however, that most non-native English speakers are unfamiliar with this poem. Many of them have only ever seen the serious side of the English language, and have never seen English at play. I consider this short work to be the ideal introduction to the very best of English-language nonsense.

//wiredweird

This is a must have for anyone who owns or is considering getting a Lodge (Tipi). The experienced Lodge owner or the Newbie will find a wealth of information here. It is everything I heard it would be and more.

I have read the Laubin book a number of times and have decided to get into tipi building as a result. The stories and history that the Laubins present in this unique and very personal book are moving and very revealing of a couple who shared a rather loving adventure through life with their constant life deep in the history and life of native Americans and their culture. Well worth reading. Recommend this title and "Make your own tipi" by James E. Jones if you can get a copy of that rare title.

Some of the best information available on tipi living. When they were still living, we used to visit the Laubins at their cabin home beneath the Grand Tetons. A day spent in their company was worth a book in itself. A walk through the pages of western Native American history.

Abit outdated, but provides insight into some pioneers of the 1950's. Definately worth the read if you are into the subject of Plains Indian lifestyle.

Enough said, you want to know anything about Tipis, how to build one, etc, this is THE book.