This is certainly not a book for the casual Lewis Carroll fan, but a book for the hard-core, already-own-the-complete-letters-and-diaries kind of fan. It's a fascinating look at Dodgson's Oxford writings, including many previously unseen by the public.

Charles Dodgson's Oxford writings are full of items that the average person, having not been to Oxford in the 1800's, might despair to understand, if it were not for the helpful explanations supplied by the editors of this collection. These explanations make these writings accessable, allowing us to explore a microcosm of collegiate life. Dodgson expresses massive displeasure with the architectural and staff changes going on at the college, often with satire so biting that you wonder how many friends he must have lost with these little publications.

There are also a couple more serious papers about doings at the college, followed by a tremendous amount of circulars about the common room at the college, which Dodgson was curator of. These circulars are very dry, sometimes amounting to no more than lists of wines in the cellars. These papers take up almost half the book, and present a problem: Surely every Lewis Carroll fan wants a complete collection of his writings, but is this simply too much? However, if they weren't included, the readers would be left wondering if there was anything worthwhile in these papers, and the answer is that yes, about 5% of these papers are worth reading.

Once again, this book is for the truly hard-core Carroll nut. If you enjoyed all the writings in, say, the Modern Library "Works of" Lewis Carroll, then you might enjoy this. But it is not for casual fans, especially at the gold-plated price of [money].

Includes these chapters: From War to Depression, Hard Times, The Great Expansion, Neighbors North and South, and Big City. Important for understanding El Paso.

This book is MUCH better than the first. He references most of the projects in this book. Many of the projects in this book are actually usable.

In Poor Whites of the Antebellum South, Charles Bolton effectively reveals the economic, social, and political complexity of landless white tenants and laborers in antebellum North Carolina and Mississippi. Through census and tax records, court and insolvent debtor documentation, and personal accounts, the lives of Old South poor whites paint a picture that tells far more of their dynamic story than does the stereotypical label "white trash." Bolton focuses on four counties of the South: Randolph and Davidson counties in the central Piedmont of North Carolina and Pontotoc and Tishomingo counties in northeast Mississippi. Arguably the most notable characteristic of the poor whites was their mobility and versatility. Many of them made frequent relocations because of their need to look for employment and the desire to make economic advancements. Poor whites, such as Edward Isham, possessed a wide range of marketable skills since the slave labor in the South made long-term jobs hard to find. Although the most common occupation was a tenant farmer or farm laborer, some poor white males worked as railroad workers, miners, and stock drivers. The wives of these men, like the yeomen, were responsible for many domestic chores, as were the children; however, unlike the yeomen, many poor white women worked outside the home. The meager wages of the poor whites gave them enough money to pay for food, but personal property was scarce (the lack of material possessions facilitated their frequent moves). With regards to the slave society of the antebellum South, poor whites basically disrupted the line between white independence and black dependence. Free blacks and poor whites had many things in common, being as they represented the backbone of the South's workforce - often working side by side in the fields. Both of the groups had horrible clothing, substandard housing, and unhealthy food. Some free blacks and poor whites even engaged in the illegal exchanging of goods such as liquor, while others gathered to gamble, drink, or make love. However, factors such as white racism, kinship ties, religion, and mobility, prevented the development of any political alliance between landless whites and blacks. Between 1830 and 1850, many poor whites began moving to the southwest frontier of the cotton kingdom in hopes of acquiring wealth and land. For the most part, however, poor white emigrants failed to become landowners. The unfortunate story of Benjamin Scarborough, whose dreams of becoming a landowner, was more common than the rags to riches story of Thomas Allred. In Mississippi, for example, the poor whites had several unpromising options: they could obtain the worst land in the area, they could travel elsewhere, or they could live as squatters or tenants on decent land owned by speculators and wealthy planters. Most of them pressed farther west towards Texas and Arkansas, but few found prosperity. Overall, this book is an interesting and comprehensive look at the lives of poor whites of the antebellum South. Bolton's strongest tool in making his presentation is his use of individual stories. The tales of the various poor whites supplies powerful imagery for the reader, and without these personal accounts the book would not be as effective.

Dunn's invaluable book offers an impartial examination of historical basis of the conduct of our past presidents. Rather than taking the standard polemical swipe at one political party, this book succintly and usefully explores how the moral integrity and failings of previous presidents have much to tell us. By force of a clear, readable writing style, Dunn offers strikingly lively vignettes of each president to have served, and through this to deliver an authoritative narrative regarding the moral underpinnings of our culture and what should be expected of our leaders. Cutting through both the inanity and ideological preconceptions associated with most, if not all, of the writing that address the political scene, Dunn's detached, scholarly and firmly objective treatment of what he terms, "the seamless garment of personal and public morality" that underlies our nation's highest elective office, promises to enliven the commentary on this timeless topic. This book offers a history lesson that civic-minded individuals should assuredly encounter.

SHAPING SURVIVAL is a wonderful quartet of essays written by four talented and accomplished American Indian women from the Northern Plains. Each woman opens personal windows to her experiences of survival in the midst of prejudice and abusive situations beginning in early childhood. Each of these four life stories is a tribute to American Indian spirit, intellect, and patience, and each challenges the pervasive stereotypes and domineering attitudes still common in general society. The thoughtful reader of SHAPING SURVIVAL will come away with new respect for the strength of spirit and courage that thrives among American Indian communities and how that strength makes American better.

At last, someone takes on the task of recording the history of the A-36 and those who flew her. Peter C. Smith has assembled in this volume accounts from the designers, builders, and pilots of this little-known offshoot of the P-51 family as well as an impressive selection of photos. From the design and construction, through training stateside and deployment in the Mediterranean and China-Burma-India theaters of operation, the author's narrative links the recollections of those who made history in this machine. He also addresses the many falsehoods that have somehow become accepted as fact regarding the combat use of the A-36, and properly points out that this is the aircraft that kept the Mustang alive as an Air Corps project. Overall, Mr. Smith displays a command of the subject that puts him above many of the other writers of aviation history, and I would have rated this a five-star effort if he didn't have several mis-identified photos of P-51B Mustangs labelled as A-36 Apaches. If this sounds like nit-picking, than feel free to cross out the four stars above and replace it with a full five. I have been a die-hard A-36 fan for many a year, and this is the best book thus far on this amazing dive bomber.

Tales of an American Hobo was a collection of short stories about the life of a Hobo. This book taught me a lot of lessons in life one being, "Treat everyone with the respect that you would liked to be treated with." The hobo in this book was always disrespected and discriminated against in his life. The cops in the towns that he traveled to would tell him to leave and never come back. They didn't even give him a chance to start over and get his life going. He meet some nice people on his journey. He was as kind as possible to them and never took more than he would need to survive. There were the other people who tricked him into thinking that they where nice and gave him water that was bad and made him sick.

"Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend" is a part of the "Native American Legends" series. The presentation of the legend makes it accessible to readers while maintaining an accurate image of the Navajo culture. The illustrations use warm colors and geometric shapes and symbols common in the Navajo world. The text is a delightful retelling of a traditional Navajo legend. Turquoise Boy, the son of Sun Bearer and Changing Woman (Navajo spirits of creation), goes in search of a way to make the life of his people easier. He travels across the Navajo world and implores the Holy Ones, his father above (Sun Bearer-the sun), and Mirage Man below to help the People. Mirage Man shows Turquoise Boy a secret gift, and the People participate in a ceremony to bring the gift forth.

This book is a beautiful way to learn about the Navajo culture. The retelling of traditional legends are such an important part of preserving any culture, and this series has made us all participants in a wider American culture. I would recommend the whole series as well as the books from the "Legends of the World" series.

Being somewhat familiar with the history of the Navajo-Hopi conflict, I was naturally drawn to the premise of this novel which resulted as being a one-sided, extremely inaccurate account of the 20th century Hopi history. After performing my own "due diligence" on the subject, I was appauled to learn that the author's slanderous accusations of attorney John Boyden are not substantiated and grieviously misleading. Peabody Coal has officially denied and submitted written proof that Boyden was never engaged in any "conflict of interest" nor on any payroll while representing the Hopi. I discovered that Wilkinson's mysterious "proof" of Boyden's affiliation with Peabody is painfully erroneous as the author draws awfully creative conclusions from very little evidence.
In 1997, Wilkinson suggested that legal recourse would be sought for Boyden's "devious conduct" against the Hopi, but seven years later, Wilkinson's claims have not been substantiated at any significant level. Why is this? I was very unimpressed to learn that after writing with such conviction and certainty, Wilkinson's "shocking revelation" about Boyden's "misconduct" as a focal point of the novel is and will most likely remain a hollow witch-hunt. I would not recommend that anyone read this novel because of it's poorly executed investigation of John Boyden's service to the Hopi Indian Tribe.

Anyone with interest in the Four Corners/Colorado Plateau, Native America, Public Land issues, wilderness, law or Western Americana must read this book. Wilkinson's credentials and legacy of work for justice are impeccable. His "Land and Resource Planning in the National Forest" is the best on the subject.

Critics on this site claim that it never happened; that is, Mormon attorney John Boyden never created a conflict of interest by represented Peabody Coal Company and Native America concurrently. (Read: "a Mormon simply wouldn't do it"). Mormons might think themselves irreproachable but greed and the need for glory know no boundaries. The veracity of Boyden's conflict of interest is archived at the University of Utah Marriott Library Special Collections. Anyone can read Boyden's own documents and come to their own conclusion. I have.

Conflict with Peabody or not, the critics have not disputed and cannot dispute the fact that Boyden represented both Hopi and Navajo horrendously over decades, advising them to accept legislation, water and mineral contracts that favored Anglo government and industry -- not the Indian or his land. (I use both "Native American" and "Indian" because some of my Native acquaintances prefer "Indian.") The contracts were so obviously bad and so far below market rate, they were successfully renegotiated many years later.

Wilkinson does a great job of explaining the cultural roots of both Mormons and Native Americans on the plateau that led to such travesties. The ultimate tragedy is that the Hopi and Navajo will never get back any of the plateau land that defines -- or rather defined them culturally.

From the detailed maps to the near 350 sources cited at the end of Fire on the Plateau, it is clear that Charles Wilkinson pours some of himself into these pages. He blends his personal experiences into the stories of the Colorado Plateau, especially the times he has with the people of the Hopi and Navajo culture binding together the issues that have defined the four corners region for over the past two centuries. His affection and admiration for the region and Native American cultures adds to the intimacy of the discussion about how those cultures have been affected by what has happened in the Southwest.
Wilkinson's extensive historical background and personal narratives makes for a powerful combination that is critical to understanding the conflict that has dominated the Plateau. Issues such as greed, ignorance and long drawn out legal battles prove to the reader that this 'wasteland' is being pulled at from all sides by all types of corporations. Especially good are Wilkinson's discussions of the Mormon influence on the region, and the dubious dealings of John Boyden, a questionable lawyer who is said to have gone behind the backs of the Hopi people to benefit himself financially.

Fire on the Plateau is a book that needed to be written. Misdeeds, betrayal and environmental chaos are all subjects that have been brought up and dealt with on the Colorado Plateau. These are issues that no human should have to deal with, no matter if the people are "just Indians" or not. The book addresses not only the people of the Four Corners area, but anyone who lives, or has lived, in the Southwest. The facts cannot be ignored and doing so only eludes one from the truth of what has happened, and what will continue to happen in the Southwest if people such as Charles Wilkinson do not speak up for the land.

Wilkinson is a rare mix of a writer who demonstrates an expansive knowledge of the subject matter and who also exhibits a fiery passion for his subject. A major strength of the book was the audacity that Wilkinson possessed as he crusaded for justice, peace and equality for the Native American people. Although Wilkinson can play hardball with the toughest lawyers in the West he portrays a man who is very down to earth and appreciates the beauty of the land.

Overall, I would be lying if I said the book did not captivate my attention. I have lived in the Southwest all of my twenty-two years and did not know injustices such as these were going on right under my nose. Wilkinson has enlightened me and woken me from what I thought was a peaceful and undisturbed land. Fire on the Plateau has kept me up well throughout the night and as I turned each page of the book, I was just as engrossed as the last page. Wilkinson does a fantastic job creating such an informative narrative and to say the least, I was not disappointed.