1 comments about Wilderness: A New Mexico Legacy.

1. Wilderness: A New Mexico Legacy by wilderness expert Corry McDonald is an informative history of the conflicting forces striving to determine the fate of New Mexico's wild lands -- on one hand, the press of population growth and the desire to "tame the wilderness"; and on the other, the efforts of environmental movements and outdoor recreation groups to preserve the wilderness and its heritage. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this thoughtful and moving account which is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to Environmental Studies reference collections and reading lists.

3 comments about Southwest : Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico (National Geographic's Driving Guides to America).

1. This is a good sightseeing guide that should help anyone who is interested in traveling the States of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico by car.

   Even if you know you want to see the Grand Canyon, what else do you do in the Northern Arizona / Southern Utah area? This book answers that question.

   Arranged by state, the book highlights different attractions in each area. It also suggests driving loops, designed to hi-light the highlights while traveling a circular route along major highways. This is certainly designed well for someone who is unfamiliar with the area and wants a travel itinerary laid out with suggested sights and attractions.

   Accommodations or restraints are not listed, so one would have to look to another guide or the internet for those. This book can get you started with your destinations, however.




2. Nice pictures but pretty lame as a guide book. Very little in the way of useful information. Go with Roadtrip USA's "California and the Southwest." A GREAT book.



3. bought this book at a used book store just before our SW vacation.It came very handy in planning what sights to see before we went. It was also handy when we were driving around in the SW and came across an attraction,looked it up in the book and stopped.It even gives info on the history and other facts of the great SW.I was very happy to have it with us and I recommend it for your trip to the desert,especialy if you are from the NE like me.

4 comments about Secret Gardens of Santa Fe.

1. The photographs, in The Secret Gardens of Santa Fe, offer a glympse of a very special place in the western states. Sydney Leblanc does a fine--brief--job descibing the history of Santa Fe, and the reasons the gardens of this unique area do so well. Charles Mann has the touch when it comes to photography. He captures the mystery, the spectacular colors and design, and the fabulous art that adorns many of the gardens. A terrific book that makes one want to visit New Mexico, and see for one's self the magic of the high desert.



2. Santa Fe is a pretty tough place to garden. At 7,000 feet, the growing season is short, winds are high, and a five-year drought has made watering your garden politically incorrect.
   
   Nevertheless, serious gardeners persevere, and some of the better results are documented here. It helps to be rich, to have a private well, to have a gardener -- best if you have all three. The color photo reproductions here are simply splendid. The text ranges from OK to pretty good (but who buys flower-porn for the text?) Recommended for gardening and Santa Fe fans, who will surely drool over the lovely gardens, homes and art so beautifully portrayed here.
   
   Happy gardening,
   Peter D. Tillman
   Santa Fe



3. This is a beautiful book for artists and gardeners. Wonderful color combinations in landscapes & hardscapes, all accented with inspiring art pieces. Good text but...the photos say it all! (No offense to the author, I know writing is hard work.)



4. This is a beautiful book! I am designing a garden in Australia, this has given me so many ideas, from plant selection, colours, points of view and interest. Incorporating modern art and traditional building ideas. I hope you enjoy this too!

2 comments about Mountain Biking Northern New Mexico: A Guide to Taos, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque Areas' Greatest Off- Road Bicycle Rides.

1. This book has some great rides with good descriptions and directions. It is lacking some critical closure information that a NEW guidebook should have. For example, the Otero Canyon ride has been closed, but this book does not mention any access issues at all. Some similar problems on other trails.



2. This is as good as a mtb guide gets. The focus is small enough that it can really cover the 3 areas thoroughly, the advise is good, the trail selection is good, and the maps are...standard Falconguide maps, which are OK. D'Antonio doesn't make the mistake of underrating the technical difficulty of his trails. Two caveats: he omits the wonderful Horse Thief trail in Taos--go to Gearing Up bike shop and they'll sell you a stunningly good map; and he tells you to ride the Chamisa Tr in Sante Fe backwards--take his advice and you'll do all the dirt uphill and all the pavement downhill.

1 comments about Road Biking New Mexico (Road Biking Series).

1. Full of great ideas for a host of diverse rides! The author has a voice that reaches out and describes each ride. All rides include a precise description of elevations, views, interests, etc.

No comments about The Royal Road: El Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe.

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.

No comments about 2009 New Mexico Wall Calendar.

2 comments about Walks In Literary Sante Fe.

1. Barbara Harrelson has put together a wonderful way to explore the very interesting city of Santa Fe. More than just a guide book to Santa Fe, it is more like a knowledgible friend taking you by the hand and leading you on adventures both historical and modern.
   
   For example. How many of us know that the English writer D. H. Lawrence owned a ranch a few miles from Taos, New Mexico, and his wife Frieda lived out the rest of her life there after D. H. died. They are both buried on the ranch.
   
   Have this book in hand when you explore Santa Fe and the surrouning area, or when you just want to curl up in a comfortable chair in your home to learn something about the history of the Southwest.



2. Santa Fe is home to an amazing abundance of well-known and talented authors--literally dozens of them--and this little book is an amazing guide to the city's incredible literary history.
   
   The book is divided into two easy walking tours--one in the plaza area and one around Canyon Road--and using those two tours to give the book a structure, this very readable little volume gives a concise and clearly written crash course in the city's literary past. What's even cooler is that you can't really tell such a history without incorporating facts from the city's broader history, so by the time you reach the last page, you're guaranteed to know the City Different much better than you ever did. It'll make you see the place differently, for sure.
   
   This is one of three great books about literary Santa Fe (that I know of), and certainly the fastest read of the bunch. For anyone who lives in New Mexico, and especially for anyone who lives in or visits Santa Fe, I couldn't recommend it more highly.
   
   The author also gives actual walking tours of the city (which inspired this book), and if you ever get a chance to take one, you really should. They're as good as the book--except you'll need to find a place to park.

No comments about New Trails in Mexico (Southwest Center Series).