No comments about Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. Introductions and Indices (Monographs of the School of American Research).

No comments about Cowpokes to Bike Spokes: The Story Of Moab, Utah.

1 comments about Salt Lake Impressions (Impressions (Farcountry Press)).

1. A superbly compiled and presented collection of captioned and full color photographic images by Scott T. Smith and Stephen Trimble, "Salt Lake Impressions" is a visual celebration of Salt Lake City, the capital city of Utah, and the surrounding countryside that includes the Great Salt Lake basin and the surround Wasatch mountains. This compendium of engaging images includes elements of area's city architecture, natural landscapes, people and places. A remarkable photographic album of sights, many of which rise to the level of visual art, browsing through the pages of "Salt Lake Impressions" is the next best thing to actually being there. Also very highly recommended from Farcountry Press is another in their 'impressions' series: "Santa Fe Impressions".

No comments about Old Reliable a History of Bingham Canyon Utah.

3 comments about Portrait of Utah (Portrait of America Series).

1. I went to school with David Muench's sister. When she bragged a bit about him (and rightfully so), I began to follow his work. When I lived in Arizona in the early 60s, I saw his photographs everywhere. His images have become so much a part of my consiousness that I often wonder how many of the descriptions in my book were inspired by "the real thing" and how many reflect Muench's vision.

   Muench's work is everywhere. It's in Arizona Highways, calendars, and in the libraries of many who love the Intermountain West.
   
   This book is pure pleasure. Anyone who loves Utah will want to turn its pages and keep a copy with their other coffee table treasures.

   Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"




2. Utah deserves its PR-created title as "The Best of the West". When it comes to bright, even garish, multi-colored rock formations, canyons, mesas, arches, pillars, cliffs, and grottoes, Utah has no equal. What would be a national park or monument in any other state is a feature whose name isn't even known to most locals here. From Zion to Dinosaur, and all points south and east, Utah is a scenic wonderland par excellence.

   This is the second of two books, bearing the same title, by photographer David Muench. Here, the companion writer is Ann Zwinger, the renowned Western naturalist. Zwinger's writing, of course, is peerless. In a brilliant essay, she captures the nature of this beautiful, but difficult, land and those who have settled it. I commend it highly.

   Muench's photography is another matter. The subject matter is excellently chosen. In this book, as opposed to its predecessor, Muench has left behind the obvious tourist magnets such as Zion and Bryce Canyon, to focus on such little known, but equally striking areas of beauty and wilderness, such as the San Rafael Swell, an area that could easily be a national park. This is commendable.

   However, as with most of Muench's work, undue emphasis is placed on use of the wide-angle and, particularly, the telephoto lens. The result is pretty pictures, but ones that are deceptive to the traveler/reader. No one is ever going to see, except through a telephoto lens, the things Muench shows in this book. You may detect that I don't care for this form of presentation, and you are right. I would much rather see photographs by Ray Manley or Fred Hirschmann, who obtain items of surpassing beauty without visual distortion being necessary.

   So, while the book is a nice loaner from a library perhaps, I was disappointed after having bought it.




3. I bought this book after seeing one with the same title and photographer in a bookstore while traveling. I thought it was the same book, but this one is paperback and only 80 pages (1/4" thick). The pictures are beautiful, but if you're looking for a coffee table book, this isn't a good choice--it's too thin and flimsy. You'll need to be careful to make sure you don't damage the pictures while viewing them (e.g., by creasing them if you open the book too wide).

No comments about A Guide to Exploring Oak Creek and the Sedona Area.

No comments about Canyons of Color: Utah's Slickrock Wildlands (Genesis).

2 comments about 100 Utah Waterfalls.

1. If your heading to Utah I would recommend this book, the writer of this book has black and white photo's of each waterfall he listed in his book, near the middle of the book he does have 16 pages of color photo's of waterfalls.
   As far as the detail on how to get to the falls, he does a pretty good job on giving that- only complaint is he has no maps whatsoever in the book.
   At the end of the book, the writer gives his top ten list of the waterfalls in Utah- which I did like, although in order to find the waterfalls in his top ten list's you have to search through the index page.



2. This is a great book, the only complaint is that all of the pics arent in color, but overall a very use full guide.

No comments about Engendering the City: Women Artist and Urban Space (Nexus, Theory and Practice in Contemporary Women's Photography, V 1).

2 comments about Frommer's America on Wheels Southwest: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (Frommer's America on Wheels Southwest).

1. This book was our Bible for our recent road trip through the four states covered. Accurate listings, in-depth coverage and helpful tips abound in this guide. We would have been lost without it!



2. This book provided me no useful information that wasn't available somewhere else in a cheaper or better format. If you are not a member of AAA, it might be useful, but it adds nothing that I could tell to the free AAA book(s) covering the same areas. I just got back from a trip driving in Northern Arizona/Southern Utah/Northwestern New Mexico and out of 5 sources it was the only one I did not take with me. It's possible the one I had was just outdated, but I don't think that was the only problem. Previous to buying it I looked at some other Frommer's in the book store, which seemed good. However, this (which I had not seen) to me was totally worthless.