Mountain West Books

This one is on par with his excellent 14ers guidebook. I suppose if I had no nitpick (its why we write reviews I guess?) then I'd wish for color photos instead of b & w. Oh and yes my one complaint with Gerry's stuff is that there really isn't any off-season climbing info. However, since many, heck if not most, people do their climbing in the summer it won't be an issue. All in all an excellent guide that is especially strong in its route descriptions, approach details, and climbing information. Also Gerry's classic rating (basically his stamp of an outstanding climb) is included as with the 14ers guide. Don't go climbing in the Indian Peaks without this in your pack.

Great climbing beta. I never would have tried to climb Skywalker with so much snowpack had the guide been availble at the time.

That's it! I'm moving back.

Osimiti Pine

Most informative for me were the sections on the differing traditions of Texas-style cowboys, who range across the Southwest and eastern slopes of the Rockies, and California-style buckaroos, who work the Great Basin of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. The details of cowboy gear are also presented well, with accompanying photographs and interviews with saddlemakers. A glossary at the back of the book defines a lot of these terms: hackamore, jinglebobs, mecate, snaffle bits. It also includes cowboy terminology, which often shows up in the interviews: roping cattle, drag the calves, pull a wagon.

A great pleasure is reading the words of cowboys themselves, as they express their various opinions, relate their memories of adventures, and talk about horses. What comes across over and again is a love of this way of life, despite the fact that looking after cattle on horseback is hard physical labor and pays little. You understand their pride, their sense of self-reliance and the importance of being recognized by others as "the man for the job." I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the West, cowboys, and ranching. A good companion volume (out of print) is "Buckaroos in Paradise" by Howard Marshall.

Having spent the better part of my childhood on the back of a horse pretending to be a 'real cowgirl,' I found myself all wrapped up in memories while reading this fresh look at the life of modern-day cowboys.

The author, a true cowboy himself, traveled all over the south and west photographing working ranches and the people who own/work them. The author must have spent a good deal of time interviewing his subjects, because the book offers up some great stories/quotes, too.

The book is broken down into interesting chapters such as: THE COWBOY LIFESTYLE - RANCHING COUNTRY - GETTING IT DONE -- FAMILY LIFE - RANCH HORSES (my particular favorite) - DEFINING THE COWBOY - RANCHING TRADITIONS.

Some of my favorite quotes: On Ranch Horses: "If a horse ain't plum lame when you get done nailing the shoes on, you've done all right."

"There is something about a horse. They are a lot prettier animal than a man is, but not quite as pretty as a woman. They are beautiful animals. I was raising horses when I was raising my children. I raised them together. I credit that relationship with the fact that not one of my children has ever been involved in with drugs." (Rex Allen)

Or, the one in Family Life: "I'm Dusty, my wife is Sandy, my boy is Rocky, and my dauther's name is Wendy. Our names describe this ranch perfectly." (Dusty Ray)

I'm keeping this book on my coffee table for easy access. When I'm feeling penned up, I'll open it up, look at the wonderful photos, read the quotes and dream of life under the big sky of Montana or the scrub bushes of New Mexico.

Enjoy!

You will find an awesome view looking up through the trees to the sky, and the beautiful azure color of the Colorado River contrasting against white and rust colored rocks. Views of waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, autumn leaves and desert sands will take your breath away. Natural rock formations and cactus plants are seen in a new light as they become elegant sculptures. Endless, brilliant blue skies are captured against fields, mountains and red rock formations. Close-up of photos vibrant pink cactus flowers and sunny yellow poppies will brighten your day. You also get an occasional glimpse of lush green trees and plants.

As with all of Muench's books this one is printed on quality glossy paper with the highest of production values doing justice to the photography. As a Muench fan this is a treasured addition to my library.

Jim LeMonds, though not neglecting the emotional and substantive areas of contention, focuses primarily on the human contribution and in some cases sacrifices of the loggers themselves.

This book should be read by anyone with even the vaguest interest in forest management and environmental issues. Although he is from a logging family, I feel that the author has been exceedingly fair in his description of todays industry and what the future holds for this industry and more importantly for logging communities.

To me the efforts and accomplishments of the people featured in this book, and the many thousands like them, are what has made our country great. It is ironic that their contibutions and in some cases sacrifices have not received the recognition that they are rightfully due.

Buy this book, regardless of your political viewpoint on the logging industry, and celebrate the spirit that has enabled all of us to enjoy the many privledges of being Americans.

Like Samuel Johnson's dictionary, Cobos's is a book you can sit down and read enjoyably. The entries are not just translations of Spanish words into English. Cobos traces their origin and (in most cases) illustrates their meaning by including them in sample sentences. For instance, "murre" (in standard Spanish, "muy"): "Esta muchita es murre gente" ('This child is very friendly'). Additionally, many words are also explained by the use of proverbs and folk-poems.

Cobos also explains the cultural signficance of about a third of the words in the dictionary. For example, "pitarrilla": "Pitarrilla, f. [Obviously, the dictionary has great value not only (nor even primarily) for the linguist, but for the anthropologist and historian, as well. It is completely free of technical linguistic terminology and accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of standard Spanish. (I might emphasize that the book is a guide to local usage only and does not include standard Spanish words.) Although the pronunciation of the New Mexico/southern Colorado dialect is relatively standard, Cobos has taken care to indicate divergences where they exist (e.g., "raices" is pronounced "rái-ces", not "ra-íces"). He includes a short historical and linguistic introduction, tracing the four-hundred year evolution of the dialect. Finally, for a kick, at the start of each alphabetical section you'll find a short proverb -- "P. 'Pa pendejo no se necesita mestro' (To be a fool one needs no school)."

A valuable book that sells for a good price. Five stars.