New Mexico Books

As an artist I love books on artists studios, seeing what "artist plunder" they have or do not have, clues as to how they make their way with their work.

New Mexico Artists At Work is a work of love. From the beautiful color photographs to the commentaries to the wide varity of lifestyles. There is a long history of artists who have chosen Northern New Mexico as a place to live and work and This book shows why artists continue to settle here.

Artists studios come in so many sizes and shapes, and artists working styles range from the perfectionists to the life in progress. There is often an element of play, elements spread
out over the floor. A studio is as intimate as one's bedroom or library, where the artist is bringing the internal to the outside.

Agnes Martin, New Mexico's most famous artist after Georgia O'Keefe, lived a monastic life in her studio. Susan Rothenburg's studio reflects her complex personality, as does Paul Sarkisian, who now works on monumental paintings that become wall sculptures.Many of these artists became established in New York and then chose the open spaces of Northern New Mexico to make their homes and do their work.

This book is about modern color, the people who live and work with it, all the taste and style of New Mexico, it is about real lives of real people.

This reprint includes articles: John Simpson Chisum, 1877-84 (Part 1) by Harwood Hinton, Jr.; A Sidelight on the Tunstall Murder by Frederick Nolan; and The Horrell War by P. J. Rasch. Also: Colonel James Reily's Diplomatic Missions to Chihuahua and Sonora, notes and documents, and book reviews.

I've travelled New Mexico extensively and love each new scene. Upon opening this book I was flooded with the sense of being back in the places that brought me so much joy the first time around. The pictures are fabulous and convey so much of the true atmosphere found only in the high mountain desert. I will make a present of this book more than once.

Spanning the years 1840 to 1890, New Mexico In The Nineteenth Century by Andrew K. Gregg is an impressive and informative "picture history" of New Mexico's history and features more than 500 original woodcuts and steel engravings by 19th Century artists and explorers. Replete with scenes of Indian pueblos, Spanish villages, and frontier army posts, the engaging text draws from diverse sources as the journals of early travelers, long out of print books, official reports. Each illustrations is enhanced with an accompanying text and is identified as to its source. New Mexico In The Nineteenth Century is a unique and highly recommended contribution to American Frontier History in general New Mexico historical studies in particular.

All the route information you could want while traveling through
the State Of New Mexico and then some.
Excellent !

This is a beautiful book of pictures from a beautiful state. It's hard the describe the diversity New Mexico offers. This does a great job of at least scratching the surface. I highly recommend this as a coffee table book, or a gift.

Adults and children (recommend age 10 and up) can enjoy this project together, as we did on a winter afternoon. The result is a 4-room Spanish style New Mexico adobe home with many pieces of authentic furniture and details. It also includes substantial historical information about the house and it's contents. Great for people who enjoy paper crafts. Would also make a wonderful project and learning experience for a group of students in the upper grades (4-8), with adult assistance.

This books makes you feel like you can go and find the treasure yourself. It is a book of stories of treasures in New Mexico. It is a fascinating read with enough detail to keep it interesting anad yet not too much detail that you get bogged down while reading it. Each chapter is a short story or a short essay about one treasure. This is a good book to use for ideas of exploring underexplored areas of New Mexico. It is an enjoyable read.

This book enlightens the reader to major enconimic forces influencing the history of New Mexico while telling the story of the development of the Camino Real through New Mexico and into the United States.

From Smokey Bear to the "Sundance Kid" from Pablita Velarde, Jake Viarial to Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici, New Mexico: A Biographical Dictionary is a must read for anyone interested about individuals who influenced our state's legacy. Historian Don Bullis compiled and wrote New Mexico: A Biographical Dictionary and stated that this book represents "a cross section of people who have had an influence on life - and sometimes death - in the Land of Enchantment." Hot off the press from Rio Grande Books - publishers of Tradición Revista Magazine - I found the book packed with a wealth of fascinating historical tidbits. New Mexico: A Biographical Dictionary is organized alphabetically by last name and includes a short biographical sketch of each individual listed. In addition, some black and white photographs are included throughout the book.

The earliest entry begins with Etevanico, a Moroccan slave, who is recognized as the first non-Indian to enter Pueblo Country in 1539. Although as New Mexicans we recognize the historical legacy of indigenous leaders and presence long before European arrival, Estevanico is a prominent figure because he served as a guide for Fray Marcos de Niza who set out from New Spain in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola.

While flipping through the pages I recognized many prominent leaders as well as not so prominent leaders that I would not normally think about when it comes to remembering New Mexico's influences. For example, some of these include Dennis Weaver, who starred in the long running television series Gunsmoke. Weaver also starred in McCloud as a Taos Marshall named Sam McCloud. Others mentioned are Television Actor Bill Dailey, most known for his role in I Dream of Jeannie, who retired in Albuquerque and the "Rhinestone Cowboy" Glen Campbell who spent time in New Mexico and performed in several Albuquerque venues. I was delighted to read about the legendary Buddy Holly and his New Mexico connection. Holly worked with Norman Petty in Clovis and recorded That'll Be the Day, which attracted the attention of Decca Records.

Among U.S. Presidents, Herbert Hoover is noted for signing the legislation that created Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 1930. And, Abraham Lincoln is noted as making a number of appointments including that of Henry Connelly as Governor of New Mexico. Among Pueblo people President Lincoln is revered for giving each of the Pueblo Governors the "Lincoln Canes" which was recognized as a symbol of sovereignty in the 1860s - which continues to present day. The issuing of canes is not mentioned in the book. And more importantly, readers should remember the biographical sketches are not meant to be exhaustive but serve as citations for further research.

From the previous publications by Don Bullis on the Old West it is not a surprise to read about outlaws such as Davy Crocket and William Henry Bonney aka "Billy the Kid." But, it is quite fitting in New Mexico history and modern day influences to read about folks like the legendary Al Hurricane, Albuquerque Astronaut Sidney Gutierrez and the auto racing Unser Family.

New Mexico: A Biographical Dictionary has a good overview of what I call the "classic notables." These include Po'Pay, leader of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680, Anthropologist Adolphe Bandelier, Robert J. Oppenheimer, Maria Martinez, San Ildefonso Potter, U.S. Senator Dennis Chavez, Rudolfo Anaya and the late Storyteller and Linguist Esther Martinez of Ohkay Owingeh.

In the Introduction, Bullis states that this is not a complete work and not all historically significant New Mexicans are to be found in these pages. This is Volume I in what will hopefully become a series of notable individuals who influenced New Mexico. This book represents a significant step to capture notable leaders, artists, outlaws and educators. A future publication should ideally build upon this and include biographical sketches of those who shaped New Mexico history like the first woman Governor of Isleta Pueblo, Verna Teller, and Dr. Beryl Blue Spruce the first Pueblo Indian physician, as well as inclusion of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon who signed over Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo in 1970. Regardless, New Mexico: A Biographical Dictionary offers a valuable step for students interested in pursuing further research about the famous and infamous people who influenced our state. This first volume should and must be read for those interested in New Mexico's historical and cultural legacy.

Matthew J. Martinez
Ohkay Owingeh