2 comments about The wild Colorado: The true adventures of Fred Dellenbaugh, age 17, on the second Powell Expedition into the Grand Canyon.

1. Richard Maurer's new book chronicles Powell's second expedition through the eyes, words, and illustrations of Fred Dellenbaugh - a 17-year-old boy from Buffalo, NY who, along with some rowing experience on the turbulent Niagara River and a facility for drawing, had the gumption to make his dream come true. This story is very well written and quite compelling and will appeal to those who love adventure stories set in the Old West. The photographs and illustrations are remarkable. My hats off to the author!



2. I read Dellenbaugh's reprinted "Canyon Voyage" (the much abbreviated title) as a young man in the flatlands of western Kansas in the 1960's. The romance of the period of Dellenbaugh's youth, and the Powell Expeditions in particular (1869-72), stimulated in me an ongoing interest in the history of the region. I have read the edited and published diaries of most of the participants of the two expeditions, and continue to invest in an array of scholarly and coffee table books that even remotely address the subject. My annual crossings of the Colorado and Dirty Devil rivers to pursue research interests in southeastern Utah never fail to regenerate my own wish to have participated in such an epic adventure. Thus, when I saw the notice of publication of Maurer's book about Dellenbaugh on the second Powell expedition, with the expression in the title "the true adventures," I was expecting something on the order of D.D. Fowler's book about Jack Hiller's, another expedition participant. That is, a pretty serious biography of the man and a pretty faithful reproduction of the daily diary kept during his time in the field. Well, it might be the former, but it is certainly not the latter. Unlike the other expeditioners who kept diaries, Dellenbaugh's original diary has never been published. Perhaps this is because his 1908 "Canyon Voyage" was a timeline-based (albeit compressed) narrative and researchers may have believed there was nothing more of value in the original diary. While Maurer read the diaries of all the participants, including Dellenbaugh's, as well as Dellenbaugh's "Canyon Voyage" and the earlier "Romance of the Colorado River," Maurer's timeline is even more compressed than Dellenbaugh's. Consequently the book lacks the rich detail of Dellenbaugh's diary and earlier publications. For example, unlike the present book, the consecutive daily diary entries of "Looked for the Major today but of course he did not come; carried the rations over," "Looked for the Major again," and "Still waiting,"conveys a real sense of frustration at being in the same camp, on the bank of the Colorado, day after day, laying up under a boat to avoid the oppressive August heat, with nothing to do, waiting for the Major and Prof to come in so the party can continue the trip down the river through the Grand Canyon. Maurer acknowledged that in the writing of the book he "sometimes resorted to the methods of historical fiction to flesh out some of the stories" and that "footnotes would be out of place in a book like this." Thus despite having the best possible materials at hand from which to draw, this book was never intended as a scholarly work. In that context, the writing was a success. Maurer did locate some great historical photographs and drawings not published elsewhere, and that alone is an important contribution. More than that, though, the book was a really entertaining read. I can well imagine some person, like me once, never having heard of either Powell or Dellenbaugh, picking up the book and just marveling at what they did. And, interest aroused, they have an avocation.

No comments about New Mexico: Images of a Land and Its People.

2 comments about The Gringo's Guide to Acapulco, Third Edition.

1. The Guide was very helpful in getting our family oriented in an area where we had never traveled before. The resturant advise was right on as were the warnings about the traffic!! It was used by several members of our group to find interesting activities from surfing to fishing to ski boats.



2. This book is the most thorough book on Acapulco that I have seen to date & its strictly on Acapulco unlike many others that begin to dive into other Mexican destinations...

1 comments about Mexico in Mind.

1. This book is a collection of essays and stories, each by a different author. As a group, they capture a real feel for the country, its culture, and the people.
   
   A must read for anyone from Mexico - or anyone who just loves the place.

2 comments about Cancun, Cozumel & Riviera MayaAlive (Cancun & Cozumel Alive!) (Cancun & Cozumel Alive!) (Cancun & Cozumel Alive!).

1. Now in a significantly updated and revised fourth edition, "Cancum Cozumel & The Riviera Maya " by the husband and wife team of Bruce and June Conord is a handy, pocket-sized, 306-page, illustrated travel guide that is part of the superbly produced 'Alive!' series from Hunter Publishing. An impressive and thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of practical travel tips, "Cancum Cozumel & The Riviera Maya" offers invaluable information on hotels for every budget; local, casual and fine dining cafes and restaurants; town and regional maps; suggested day trips; as well as nature and eco-tours recommendations. Fully indexed and replete with 'insider info' by travel writers who have actually 'been there and done that', "Cancum Cozumel & The Riviera Maya" is an indispensable and very strongly recommended guide to getting the most out of traveling to Cancum Cozumel and the 'Riviera May' country whether for vacation or for business, as a weekend getaway or an extended recreational holiday.



2. I purchased this book in preparation for a trip to playa del carmen and found it to be pretty out of date (but with a publication date in 2007) and not sufficient to plan a week long trip. It was hard to find information and simply did not meet my basic information needs and I am returning it. I am much happier with another travel book I recently purchased.

1 comments about The Best of Beautiful Cookbooks: France, Italy & Mexico [Gift Boxed Set].

1. This set is a very abbreviated version of the original. The hardcover books are about 8" by 6" and about 120 pages.

No comments about Touring New Mexico Hot Springs.

5 comments about Talking to the Ground: One Family's Journey on Horseback Across the Sacred Land of the Navajo.

1. This book and its predecessor, Cities of Gold, chronicle the amazing, arduous, foolhardy, inspired journeys of a "yankee" in search of the traces of cultures his own people have nearly annihilated. Unlike many memoirists, Preston doesn't shrink from chronicling his own failures and misjudgments, and that's what makes him so accessible to the people he meets along the way, and to the reader him or herself. Most of us will probably never have the guts to make these journeys or get to know all these people - that's what makes this book such a radical act of anti-tourism. Above all it's a poignant homage to "the people." (They know who they are!) If you're a horse person, a traveler to the southwest, or if you're just interested in the question "what is American?" you have to read these books now. And don't miss the great story about the skinwalkers - it's enough to keep you cold in July.



2. A wonderful read, both encouraging and disheartening, with some real family values thrown in. A graphic, first-hand description of the way things were and are, and might be. Mr. Preston provides many enduring messages about the sanctity of life and living that the Bilagaana have nearly completely lost in our rush of subservience to the technology god.



3. It's a pleasure to enjoy the author's background studies (dry) and then his reality (with large hail stones) on a search that leads to more respect... for everything.
   Reading this book caused me to yearn for some concrete search of my own, and that is the dream this book passes along. It was given to me as someone else's favorite book. I can see why. Thanks.



4. It helps immensely to have travelled to the Navajo Nation when reading this story. I found that I had minor interest in the developing family story, compared to the lore and myth of the SW Native Americans. If you've travelled to the SW and are familiar with horses, you'll love this book.



5. As a native of New Mexico I found this book wonderful. I live with a Navajo who was raised very traditionally and he found the book wonderful also. Douglas Preston is the best.

5 comments about Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel & the Yucatan 2007 (Frommer's Complete).

1. If you know any of Frommer's work, you know what to expect from this book as well. These travel guides are always thorough and as up-to-date as possible with a published book. Don't hesitate to pick this one if you are planning to travel to these areas of Mexico.



2. This guide was pretty good. I got it for the Cozumel information. Over half of the guide was for other areas of the Yukatan. The title clearly indicates that, but it would have been nice to see a Cozumel specific guide from Frommers that includes more of the resort/hotels in cozumel.



3. I have used Frommer's guides in the past and found them reliable. I knew nothing about what to expect in Cancun. The guide had useful general advice about travel in Mexico and currency issues, and it was very informative about cultural attractions. It was a bit light on the coverage of hotels.



4. I've traveled to about 8 different foreign countries, and always used Lonely Planet. I thought I'd give this a try. It was dull and boring. I'm sticking with Lonely Planet.



5. I would recommend this for going to the Cozumel-Cancun area. Has some nice tips, maps and other tid-bits of info.

4 comments about Glen Canyon: Images of a Lost World.

1. Anyone will find the pictures breathtaking. If you have an interest in the southwest rivers and canyons you will especially enjoy this book. If you are interested in seeing what they stole from us by the construction of Glen Canyon Dam then this book is required reading. Hayduke lives!



2. This is the best collection of photos I have seen on the now drowned Glen Canyon. Unlike some other books covering the area, this collection was clearly taken by a professional photographer. These pictures could easily be mistaken for Ansel Adams and I believe Mr. Nichols lists him as a big influence on his work. If you are like me and a lover of canyon country, it will definitely make you a little wistful thinking that this area has been lost--probably irretrievably. I just wish there were a comparable collection of color photos of Glen Canyon to supplement this wonderful work.



3. I have been researching Glen Canyon and Lake Powell for years now, for a book I'm working on, and my wife had always taken a very passive interest in what I was doing. She'd listen to me talk and add a comment or two, but it wasn't until I got this book that she realized just what I'd been rambling about.
   The photos are just like that.
   The black-and-white photos of sinuos, twisting, sandstone places like Dungeon Canyon and the Cathedral-in-the-Desert will take your breath away; they will make you ache to see the places the photos are of, and then they will break your heart when you realize all those places are currently underwater.
   Whatever your position on Lake Powell and Glen Canyon is--whether you think that Glen Canyon Dam is a giant, concrete Satan, or that it's a great source of employment, water, and electricity for the people of the West, you will have to admit these photos are beautiful, and of a beautiful place, and that something irreplaceable has been drowned and hidden away.
   By all means, get this book.
   And get Eleanor Inskip's full-color "The Colorado River through Glen Canyon: Before Lake Powell." Both books are excellent.



4. Tad Nichols (memory eternal!) left us a treasure: powerful images of a beautiful canyon now buried under water and mud. The art is amazing, very much in the tradition of Ansel Adams. The loss is stunning: it's difficult to imagine how even hardened landwasters could have condemned this wonder to a watery grave. Now all that's left to us are photographs and memories ... of a world most of us will never have the privilege to see. Enjoy!