No comments about Xavier's Folly, and Other Stories.

No comments about Southwest Adventures/the Driver's Guide: Southern California Nevada, Utah Arizona, New Mexico.

No comments about Historical Markers in New Mexico.

2 comments about Art of the State: New Mexico (Art of the State).

1. I loved the book. I have lived in N.M. for 27 years and find this book the best short history thru Art I have ever seen. It has everything you would want down to the UFO's.



2. Years ago, when preparing for my three-year 50-state road trip I'd purchased a load of travel guides to help plan what to see in each state, and was fairly satisfied until I stumbled upon my first ART OF STATE book in Iowa. This unique book made all other travel books pale by comparison. Although small and slim the books throughout this series are packed with meaningful information. Beautifully designed and written, they are thoroughly engaging and a joy to read--like finding an ancestor's scrapbook or diary in the attic and reading a fascinating family heritage while viewing images of a buried past. Each author in the ART OF STATE series must be a native or a deliberate transplant, for each state story is lovingly told with a deep appreciation of the state--and not just its good features, but the blemishes, too, described evenhandedly and complemented by photographs of architecture, landscapes paintings, crafts and memorabilia. Each book presents the state's history, climate, landscape, traditions, symbols, recipes, must-see destinations as well as a statewide calendar of events. I've since purchased all the books in the series (20 of the 50 states as of 2008). If your budget won't allow you to buy all 20, at least buy two: one of your home state and one of your adopted state. You'll be amazed at what you'll discover.
   
   I apologize for raving so much about THE ART OF STATE series, but it was such a find for me, like discovering a diamond in a sea of glass. I can't help but gush.
   
   Each book's frontispiece has a wallpaper design: a background color, unique to the state, dotted with a state motif. I've begun playing a game with each new book I purchase in this series trying to guess what the wallpaper motif will be before opening the boo. Sometimes I correctly guess the motif, but rarely the background color. For New Mexico, it's bright red chili peppers dotting a Yucatan yellow background. Sweet.
   
   Now, about the New Mexico edition ... On the dark side, New Mexico served as the hideout for two killers: Billy the Kid and the atom bomb. But that's the only shadow on this sun drenched land. Read about the various Pueblo, Mexican, Spanish and American influences in this state of fabulous landscapes, luscious cuisine, turquoise jewelry, and clay art, architecture and crafts. The vast desert vast terrain and limitless sky not only attracted artists, but aliens, too, in the town of Roswell, where aliens landed and a museum marks the spot. The fabulous land of mountains, deserts, mesas and pine forests attracted writers and artists to Taos and Santa Fe which became celebrated artist colonies, by accident. In the 19th century two traveling artists broke a wagon wheel en route to California and stayed in the glorious state, founding artist societies in each town. Famed New York artist Georgia O'Keeffe spent the second half of her 90 years painting the doom of the New Mexican desert bones, abandoning her typical bold blooms. Writer D.H. Lawrence said: "I think New Mexico is the greatest experience from the outside world that I ever had. It certainly changed me forever. Curious as it may sound New Mexico liberated me from the present era of civilization..." No wonder the state nickname is "Land of Enchantment."

No comments about Wild life in the far west: Personal adventures of a border mountain man.

No comments about Thomas Gage, the English-American: A new survey of the West Indies, 1648 (The Broadway travellers, ed. by Sir E. Denison Ross and Elleen Power).

1 comments about Travels and Researches in Native North America, 1882-1883 (University of Arizona Southwest Center).

1. Travels And Researches In Native North America, 1882-1883 by Herman ten Kate is an amazing travelogue that has only recently been Collaboratively translated by Pieter Hovens, William J. Orr, and Louis A. Hieb from the author's native Dutch into English. Offering studies and impressions of the Pima, Hopi, Apache, and Zuni people, with especial interest in the roles of women and children in these tribes, Travels And Researches In Native North America, 1882-1883 offers a clear and insightful perspective that is especially remarkable for its respect of native attitudes and culture, which it holds in higher regard than many other late 19th century treatises. A highly recommended addition to reference shelves that cover Native American history as well as outside cultures' perceptions of them.

No comments about Santa Fe on Foot: Adventures in the City Different (Adventure Roads Travel).

4 comments about Puerto Vallarta Handbook: Including Sidetrips to San Blas, Guadalajara, and Lake Chapala (2nd ed).

1. This book is very helpful for the first time travler to PV. The suggestions in the book assist the traveler in making sure he/she get the most out of the vacation. I would recomend.



2. After looking through innumerable Mexico guidebooks, we found this to be the most helpful. Highly recommended for those going off the well-beaten path of loco gringos.



3. Great for the 1st time visitor to beautiful P.V. Accurate, detailed descriptions of hotels, sites, excellent restaurant suggestions and very accurate with prices. Seems to give unbiased opinions of places to see, how to get there, what to expect (which is important). Seemed to know P.V. and surrounding area(s) very well. Went to a couple of great restaurants (no crowd, great food, friendly service) and enjoyed excellent, unforgetable meals at both places due to book recommendation. Would certainly not hesitate to use another book in this series when travelling to other parts of Mexico !!!



4. There is very little information here that is not common knowledge, I was looking forward to something more than I could find surfing the web. In fact the web has much more. Try pvmirror.com instead.

2 comments about The Personal Narrative of James O. Pattie (Bison Book).

1. I can't recommend this book because its partly or mostly untrue. Pattie, is one is to believe him, traversed nearly every corner of the old West from 1824 to 1830, participated in countless battles with Indians, rescued Mexican maidens, was one of the first Mountain Men to reach California, became a hero when he vaccinated 18,000 Californians against smallpox, explored large parts of the Rocky Mountains, and ended up in a Mexican jail from whence he made his way back to the United States and dictated his story to a journalist.
   
   Pattie tells a good tale and there is an air of authenticity in many of his travels. He probably saw some country out West, and some of his descriptions are no doubt valuable, but it appears he vastly exaggerated his exploits. The problem with reading the book is that you can't be sure what is truth and what is fiction.
   
   Well, telling whoppers was a tradition among the Mountain Men and Pattie seems to have been a master teller of tall tales -- and smart enough not to make them so tall that they are manifestly untrue. There's enough authentic material about the Mountain Men in the 1820s to ignore this book without loss. If you're captivated by Pattie, the editor, Richard Batman, has written "James Pattie's West" which tries to unravel the truth in this story.
   
   Smallchief



2. Indeed, much of this tale is apparently not true. The editor (Richard Batman) makes this clear from the get-go, and points out the most obvious whoppers with plenty of footnotes and clarifications. He also tells you that the publisher, Timothy Flint, admitted to adding some "topographical illustrations," whatever that means. As you read it, you can inherently sense when the authorship changes, since Pattie's writing style seems to involve an excessive use of commas.
   
   So, what is the value of this book? Regardless of historical accuracy, this is still a reprint of a book that came out in 1831. That in itself gives it historical value, whether fact or fiction. The scenery, the sentiments, the lifestyle - they are all authentic to their time, and offer a window to the past from some primary source, whomever that may be. The relationships between the whites and the Indians are typical of any of the "mountain man" books you may choose to read, which may be more true than this. However I found the interactions between the Americans and the Spanish-Mexicans much more revealing and intriguing. The last third of the book, which depicts Pattie's experiences in California (with many events confirmed by other sources), is more personal, and at times heartbreaking. Whether or not he "saved" the population with smallpox vaccine is not half as interesting as his descriptions of the California missions he visited up the coast. As a Californian, I was pleased to read references to the La Brea Tar Pits, and amused to learn that two priests had robbed the St. Buenaventura mission of silver and gold prior to Pattie's arrival.
   
   I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy Mountain Man lore, Southwest/California history, or 19th century "historical" literature. (This book also contains several delightful original illustrations of a somewhat primitive style, reminiscent of Revolutionary Era artwork.)