I gave this book to my husband. He is a rangeland management major and he is in love with the book. I do not know anything about plants, but he seems to love it and find it extremely useful. Compare to the expensive "weeds of the west" this book is relatively cheap for the amount of plants it has.

As a Range Conservationist in WA State a great book for all range mgrs, range techs., however, I was surprised to see Thurber needlegrass taken out of the most recent issue.

North American Range Plants is a great book for any beginer, taxonomy student, layman, and expert alike. It is easy for the novice, because it's not in a key format, which may disappoint some more serious plant collectors. It contains 200 of the most common, and important plants found in the United States, Canada and Mexico. I have had this book for sometime now, and it has become an invaluable resource in my studies at Texas A&M University, where I have come to know one of the co-authors, Stephan Hatch. He has an unparralled knowledge of plants and a dedication like no other to put forth a good product, so i know from experience that this book was written by folks who are the top in their field of study. Being from Texas, i have worked internships in the plains of central North Dakota and the desert "outback" of eastern Oregon and have found the book to most useful, oftentimes referring to it before trying to "key out" a plant in a more technical publication. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Having recently moved to Mohave County in Arizona (not far from the Colorado River), I was interested in reading "Crazy Weather" to get a little of the "flavor" of the area, and to learn something about the Mojave Indian culture as well. The book lived up to my hopes in both of those respects, but what surprised me was how absorbed I became in the story itself. On one level, it's a simple adventure story involving South Boy (who's actually white but was partially raised by Mojaves and was given that name by them) and his best friend Havec (a Mojave) as they travel up the Colorado River into Piute territory --- and in some places it almost reminded me of Huck Finn travelling along the Mississippi with the runaway slave, Jim, and meeting an assortment of characters along the way. On another level, though, it's really about the challenges of truly understanding another culture and way of thinking --- and in the end the pull of their respective societies is too strong and the two friends inevitably have to part and follow their separate destinies.

The author seems quite knowledgable about Mojave culture and history, as I've confirmed from subsequent readings on the subject. If you're interested in the American Southwest, the Colorado River, native American cultures, or just a good story, I think you'll enjoy this book.

McNichols crisp writing, detailed knowledge of Mojave Indian and Colorado Desert ranching, and realistic plot make this a genuinely timeless work., My tattered copy was given to me 45 years ago by the writer Madge Harrah. Every half decade or so I dig it out and read it again. It taught me to write and, in a way, was a model for my North Of Nowhere. Bravo Charles!

South Boy goes with his friend Havek on a Mojave name-quest. It sounds simple -- but under the surface is a breath-taking wealth of experience, mythology and understanding of the many personalities in one person, or one horse, or one culture. Every sentence of this book is laden with knowledge of its time and place. Even the mention of the "little yellow catfish," about which no more is said than that they "make good eating," reflects the fact that in this period the US Government seeded the Colorado river with the Yellow Catfish, a transplant from Texas. This is the key to the book -- that everything is in flux, as two cultures melt together, and new ways try to live with old ways. The ending seems to be a conclusion -- until you realize that it's only one more step to escape from final decisions. The book begins a long way before the first sentence -- and would finish a long way after the last. Dreams and visions reverberate through the telling, and Great Things are done.

An excellent addition to the Civil War literature and one that examines race relations and the feelings of those that tried to move forward after the Civil War. Well written.

Mr. Price brings the reader back to the Curtis family (first introduced in his novel, Hiwassee) and a society faced with new challenges in Reconstruction. This book is educational as well as entertaining--it offers a fascinating look at day-to-day life, the state of medicine, societial problems, romance, suspense, and the tenacity of the human spirit. I couldn't put this book down! It also illustrates how at any given point in history, people are faced with differing--but just as complex--challenges. Good reading, not only for history buffs, but for anyone who appreciates fine literature.

This book is an excellent sequel to Price's first Civil War novel, Hiwassee, which dealt with the war as experienced on the home front in NC mountains. Following the family introduced there we find the ex-slave holder and the ex-slave having to deal with each other and the feelings of hate and love and bitterness they both feel. The characters are rich and forceful. The language strong and emotionally evocative.

Although Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert" is the most encyclopedic book about the West and its problems with water, this book actually gets closer to the bone of what's wrong with the way we in the US live in our desert climes. The book focuses first on how the O'odham and Pima indian cultures managed to live sustainably in the Sonoran Desert with its unpredictable and rare water flows. While I doubt that many of us but the most idealistic and romantic would want to live the life of these peoples, there is a certain genius in the ways they made the land and its water work for them that we could do well to learn from. Bowden contrasts this with the civilization the European cultures came and built during the last 150 years, a civilization built on "mining" the ice-age aquifers so rapidly that they will soon be drained once and for all. Having turned the plains to a dust bowl, will we just pack up and move on as we always have in the past?

In his later books, Bowden's bitter spleen often spills uncontrollably from his pen, but his tone here is much more restrained. In "Waters," his voice is almost scholarly scholarly and tinged with sad wisdom. This is a great book, and one that deserves far more readers.

Although Marc Reisner's "Cadillac Desert" is the most encyclopedic book about the West and its problems with water, this book actually gets closer to the bone of what's wrong with the way we in the US live in our desert climes. The book focuses first on how the O'odham and Pima indian cultures managed to live sustainably in the Sonoran Desert with its unpredictable and rare water flows. While I doubt that many of us but the most idealistic and romantic would want to live the life of these peoples, there is a certain genius in the ways they made the land and its water work for them that we could do well to learn from. Bowden contrasts this with the civilization the European cultures came and built during the last 150 years, a civilization built on "mining" the ice-age aquifers so rapidly that they will soon be drained once and for all. Having turned the plains to a dust bowl, will we just pack up and move on as we always have in the past?

In his later books, Bowden's bitter spleen often spills uncontrollably from his pen, but his tone here is much more restrained. In "Waters," his voice is almost scholarly scholarly and tinged with sad wisdom. This is a great book, and one that deserves far more readers.

7-306 Sanup Utong Center 129 Songhuy-dong Dong-gu Inchon, Korea. post no. 401-040

This is by far the most comprehensible work on DeSoto that I've read to date. It fully brings to life the stuggles of the expedition, as well as the depridations done to the indeginous peoples of the Southeast. It reads much like a novel, bringing to life several key participates, both Spainards, and natives alike. This book is a masterpiece, decades in the making, wonderfully researched, and written. If the early exploration of the Southeast is of intrest to you, then this is a must own book.

I bought this book on a whim, but ... wow ... what a journey. Hudson has been intimately involved in combing through the journals and reports of the De Soto expedition, cross-referencing the reports with examinations of the geography of the areas covered and archeological/anthropological studies of the 16th century inhabitants of the region.

Hudson's approach to the expedition is interesting. He is a partisan arguing in favor of the route he delineates for the expedition, but he lays out the journey in a fairly straightforward manner that is very engaging. The Afterward, however, gives a quick rundown of the differences in opinion over the route, the still-unfolding evidence to support Hudson's claims, and what remains to be proven.

All it all, it is a vivid retelling of the first planned European expedition into southeastern North America, which was quite a different place than when much of it was colonized by Europeans a century later. The native cultures were near the end of the moundbuilding Mississippian culture, and Hudson notes how the disruptions of De Soto and his men may have contributed to the eventual changes in native society.

Fascinating.

This book uses journal entries from those who traveled with De Soto to recreate the Spaniards trek through the eastern United States. The book documents everything from the ordinary - such as the number of pigs the Spaniards had to the number of Indians encountered - to detailed and horrific accounts of the brutality the Spaniards exacted on those tribes who did not welcome them with open arms. This book provides a rare look at what life was like for those native to the Southeast on the cusp of great change. A bit sad but a fascinating read, especially if you are interested in gleaning details of pre-contact life for the Southeastern tribes.

This IS the book for Urban Adventure. And Yes, it did start a movement, or more properly, collesced a movement of people who were already exploring abandoned buildings, subway tunnels, storm and steam dreains, and labyrithian basement complexes. This is the grandfather of all of the great sites ont he Web today that deal with Urban Exploration and Infiltration.

Strangely, when I interviewed North for an article years ago, he wasn't hung up on urban exploration, per se. He was a real outdoorsy guy who prefered the mountains to the city, climbing a rock face to a building face. For him Urban Adventure was something that provided surrogate outdoor pleasure when he didn't have the time to get away to the wilds.

Urban adventure, as Alan North says, "will change the way you see your urban environment. The structured, asphalt-and-concrete, developed world will become your wilderness playground." North wrote the book on it, The Urban Adventure Handbook (Ten-Speed Press, 1990), the definitive urban adventure "how-to" manual.

An old brick building becomes a cliff face to scale. The clogged rush-hour streets become rapids to navigate on two wheels. A grim steel and glass office building turns into a fortress to penetrate with cunning and stealth. The city sewers are a labyrinth to explore.

Why risk life and limb for adventure? North says it's a "genetic imperative. People want to push. They strive for what's new and exciting. And there is nothing like an adrenaline rush."

"I won't say urban adventure is the greatest thing," North says. "I'd much rather be climbing in the Sierra or hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. I think it's a great thing because it's available."

"There's nothing wrong with spending money for adventure," North says. "It's one of the best investments I can think of. But you don't need to spend the money. You don't need any special tools or shoes or anything. With urban bicycling, for instance, just any old bike will work. One speeds work fine."

It doesn't take much to have an adventure. A good pair of tennis shoes, a flashlight sometimes. A map might help. What else? "Just an attitude," North says. "All you need is a creative view toward the sculpture that is all around you, a few free hours and the will to be an adventurer."

You can get this great book from the Booksource in St. Louis, Mo.

This book is great. For those of us who like interesting/odd actvities, this is THE book. It provides basic and advanced methods for scaleing buildings, exploring steam/drainage tunnels, and other urban activites. Espcially nice is that the book includes sections about what to wear, equipment, and how to deal with people who think your nuts. It's thanks to this book that Urban Exploration and the Infiltartion zine came into existence. Even though it is 10 years old, the book is still very relivent to today. This book is a must... Oh, and sorry for my rampent misspelling.

This was a good book. General MacKenzie WAS the great American Indian/bandit fighter which spawned the myth(?) of the American West in the next century (John Wayne played MacKenzie's role in "Rio Grande"). As for his place in history, he was not shot down in his prime the way the inept Custer was, and as a result, he has all but been forgotten in Western lore (his going mentally insane didn't help matters either).

The book reads easily, flows well and the author doesn't bog you down with unimportant details. I recommend this book to anyone with a mild-to-high curiosity about the Indian Wars and the history of the American Southwest in the late 1800s.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Coverage of Ranald Mackenzie is rather sparse and this book does a great job of detailing the man's entire life. Mackenzie was one of the many frontier heros who did not gain the notariety of other Indian fighters, but he was one of the most successful. Mackenzie showed the ability to learn from his mistakes and adapt tactics as necessary. He also served in all the theaters of Indian warfare (Northern Plains, Southern Plains, US/Mexico Border, and Arizona). This book is easy and entertaining to read and will hopefully help us remember an Indian fighter that history has tried to forget.

When Charles Kuralt retired from CBS he decided to do something enjoyable.... spend a year vacationing at his favorite places in the country. He selected twelve places, and spent one month in each place in it's peak season: January in New Orleans, October in Vermont, August in Maine, etc. Each chapter gives a 20-30 page account of his experiences in each individual location.

Good: Kuralt is just an excellent writer. After reading each chapter you feel like you've visited each place yourself. In my opinion his most interesting visits were Twin Bridges, Montana; Ketchikan, Alaska; Key West, and New Orleans. He gives brilliant, flavorful descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, and personalities he runs into in each part of the country.

Bad: Kansas wasn't included in his travels. Also, it would be interesting to see how someone from my generation would do a book like this. Kuralt's perspective seems more geared towards his own generation. But that certainly didn't keep a young buck like me from enjoying it.

Opinion: This book is a great retreat for those of us who would like to travel to the wonderful places this country has more often but have neither the time nor the resources to do so.

This is one of the best books ever! It was a gift given to me a while ago, and I have listened to it several times. I actually own it on audiocassette, and I think that this is one of those books that are better listened to and experienced that way than through reading. The sound of his voice adds so much expression and emotion to his recounts, and the stories are entertaining with an underlying "life lesson" in each. His appreciation and admiration of the world are simply, absolutely beautiful.

You simply cannot pass up such a wonderful book.

Poetic and inspiring, Charles Kuralt at his best

A comprehensive discussion of the history of cemetery design and management rather than graves, this resource is organized by historic periods and traces the shift from cemetery churchyards to memorial gardens within a social context. Concerned primarily with large eastern cemeteries. About 50 illustrations, a nice bibliographic essay which discusses sources, and a very complete index.

This book is without any doubt the best book written on cemeteries in the English language. Anyone with even a remote interest in the way that culture shapes the spaces of death should read this informative, accessible and well-illustrated text. Cemetery studies needs more work of this high quality.

After reading a few score of cemetery-related histories, and being someone that checks every index of every history book for cemeteries, death, funerals, and graveyards, Sloan was a revelation. Most cemetery books drill down into a single cemetery or a single region's cemeteries, and ultimately give us no tools for understanding other cemeteries. Sloan provides a roadmap that can be used in any cemetery. You can walk the grounds and identify when sections were opened, which stones of what type were used when, and so forth. But he does not simply throw out a hundred chronological tables. He weaves everything into a cogent narrative. Along the way the book throws light on politics, law, culture, religion, and the powerful influence of public opinion on our individual choices.

There are weaknesses, but they are minor compared to the scholarship poured into this book. Sloan focuses to some extent on New York State, but this merely means most of his examples are from there. Very little coverage of the west, except Forest Lawn. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more on western cemeteries. I also felt that the cemetery types he identifies are accurate and instructive, but in reality we tend to see hybrids of these. They act for most cemeteries as strong influences rather than as a mold.

This is well worth the purchase, however, for cemeterians, historians, and those that just enjoy good nonfiction.

Charles Young's fascinating, intensely readable novel vividly recreates the relatively recent history of eastern Connecticut's Native Amnericans, how they lived and worked, interacted, squabbled and dreamed of a better future, soon to be realized. In riveting, cleverly evoked flashbacks, the author takes us back more than 275 years to dramatize how Potassett's forebearers survived tribal jealousies, betrayals, bloody warfare and meager resources to sustain hope for future generations. A marvelous reading experience which shows how indomitable spirit and will bring triumph in the end.

Charles Young has a neat way of combining history with fiction. The book describes the life of the protagonist, a native American male, from childhood to manhood in a modern Indian village set down amidst the populous Connecticut shore. Along the way he is surrounded and educated by crusty, eccentric, lovable characters.

There is a sweet love affair, and the solution to a mystery about the tribe's heartbreaking past.

The action precedes the establishment of the casino of the Mashantucket Pequots.

I found Potassett to be both entertaining and educational. Charles Young has done a masterful job of combining a story of the early history of the Indians of eastern Connecticut with a modern day account of Native Americans of the same tribe in the pre-casino era, and all in an engrossing and delightful novel. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Native Americans in New England or who just want to read a good novel.