Book Reviews
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Elementary, my dear cowpuncher
In Steve Hockensmith’s historical mystery, Holmes on the Range, Montana cowboys inspired by the Sherlock Holmes stories try their hand at solving a murder
by Erica Olsen, Nov 13, 2006 -
A whole lot of shaking
In his book A Crack in the Edge of the World, Simon Winchester takes a comprehensive look at the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and warns of the geological perils still facing the region
by Kirk Zebolsky, Nov 13, 2006 -
A deliberate life in the Rockies
On the Wild Edge is David Peterson’s account of the two decades he and his wife, Caroline, have spent living close to nature in a cabin in the mountains of southern Colorado
by David Morgan, Oct 16, 2006 -
Dry-hiking in a desert awash with history
A 61-year-old hiker and two middle-aged friends take an epic hike through Arizona in David Roberts’ new book, Sandstone Spine
by Lee Ross, Oct 16, 2006 -
Brave 'yellowbellies' served the West well
In Smoke Jumping on the Western Fire Line, Mark Matthews tells the story of the conscientious objectors who pioneered smokejumping to fight Western forest fires during World War II
by Ray Ring, Oct 16, 2006 -
Big yellow taxi — in Duke City
Yellow Cab is anthropology professor Robert Leonard’s poetic account of his after-dark journeys as a cab driver in Albuquerque
by N.P. Thompson, Oct 02, 2006 -
What's wrong with the EPA?
David Schoenbrod explains why the nation’s environmental laws are not being properly implemented in Saving Our Environment From Washington: How Congress Grabs Power, Shirks Responsibility and Shortchanges the People
by Laura Paskus, Oct 02, 2006 -
A tribal renaissance
In Blood Struggle, law professor Charles Wilkinson gives an inspiring account of Indians’ political and legal struggles during the last 50 years
by Emma Brown, Oct 02, 2006 -
Hits and missives from Cactus Ed
In Postcards from Ed: Dispatches and Salvos from an American Iconoclast, David Petersen assembles some of the correspondence of Western writer Edward Abbey into an eminently readable but ultimately unenlightening collection.
by Brian Kevin, Sep 18, 2006 -
In search of giant trees and unseen realms
In The Wild Trees, Richard Preston explores the amazing ecosystems hidden at the top of the world’s tallest trees.
by Stephen J. Lyons, Sep 17, 2007 -
Cowboy love, with a generous sprinkling of sugar
In Crybaby Ranch, novelist Tina Welling tells a romantic story with zest.
by Jennie Lay, Sep 17, 2007 -
Twenty views of the West
In Best Stories of the American West, Volume I, series editor Marc Jaffe gathers 20 very different stories by 20 very different writers.
by Shawn Dean, Sep 03, 2007 -
Sounding the alarm for nature
In Courage for the Earth, editor Peter Matthiessen gathers 14 essays honoring the life and work of Rachel Carson.
by Marilyn Stone, Sep 03, 2007 -
Restoring a Presence: American Indians and Yellowstone National Park
In Restoring a Presence, Peter Nabokov and Lawrence Loendorf shine a light on Yellowstone’s largely forgotten American Indian heritage
by Staff, Jun 13, 2005 -
Desire
In Desire, New Mexico writer Lindsay Ahl weaves a compelling tale set in Albuquerque
by Staff, Jun 13, 2005 -
William Henry Jackson's 'The Pioneer Photographer'
William Henry Jackson’s ‘The Pioneer Photographer’ by Bob Blair is a delightful coffee-table book that collects the photos, map sketches, paintings and notes of the West’s famous 19th century photographer
by Staff, Jun 13, 2005 -
In the nation's most dangerous park, the desert's heat still beats
In Organ Pipe: Life on the Edge, Carol Ann Bassett pays homage to Organ Pipe National Monument and the strange beauty of the desert
by Lee Allen, Jun 13, 2005 -
River tales: The Rio Grande from the headwaters to the sea
In Rio Grande, editor Jan Reid has assembled a marvelous collection of essays and photos about the Southwest’s Great River
by Laura Paskus, Jun 13, 2005 -
A quest for the world’s finest pinot noir
Brian Doyle’s new book, The Grail, lives up to its lively subtitle as it describes “a year ambling and shambling through an Oregon vineyard in pursuit of the best pinot noir in the whole wild world.”
by Heidi Andrew, Feb 19, 2007 -
Ode to a public lands experiment
It may have lovely photographs, but Valles Caldera: A Vision for New Mexico’s National Reserve is much more than just another coffee-table book.
by Laura Paskus, Feb 19, 2007
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