NON-FICTION

BUTCH CASSIDY: A Biography by Richard Patterson. University of Nebraska Press, 312 North 14th St., PO box 880484, Lincoln, NE 68588-0484, 1998. 6 x 9 Illus. 372p. $19.95 soft 0-8032-8756-9.
Butch Cassidy, as are many historical outlaws, is most known from the tales told about him. And for as many tales there are about him, there are that many that are different. Here Richard Patterson searches for a more stable truth about this notorious criminal. His research is not only based on the accounts of those who knew him, but also on newspaper accounts of actual events and the many books that have been written on the subject. Patterson creates an account from a meticulous search for accuracy. He begins with the early life of Robert Leroy Parker and the beginnings of the mischief that led to stealing and cattle rustling. He then traces the path into the of robbing banks and trains. The book also delves into the many stories of men claiming to be Butch Cassidy. What Patterson comes up with is a biography that amuses and informs. Butch Cassidy emerges a more real figure of history. Roy Pivoda

PRESERVING THE GLORY DAYS: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Nye County, Nevada by Shawn Hill. University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada 89557, 1999. Illus., biblio., index 315p. soft 0-87417-317-5.
The lure of ghost towns is as difficult to define as it is impossible to resist. Hall, who has embarked on a county-by-county survey of Nevada's historic mining sites (he has published three volumes so far), has revised and updated his 1981 guide to the state's "largest and least populated county" by adding a score of new entries, correcting errors in the original volume, and incorporating fresh information. Moving from north to south, he lists sites alphabetically within their locale, providing directions, a brief history, and a description of physical remains. Clearly drawn highway maps introduce each section, while historic and modern photographs show the towns as they were and are. This reissue gives Hall a chance to assess changes that have occurred over the past two decades, and he makes the most of the opportunity. It's a sad but typical story of decline and decay hastened by vandalism. Fortunately, Hall's fact-filled book provides arm-chair historians and serious ghost-town aficionados with an imperishable record of a slate that in places is slowly being wiped clean. It is also a practical guide for those who, like himself, suffer from "ghost-town fever," which, Hall reminds us, is "in incurable but enjoyable affliction." Bruce J. Dinges

THE WHEEL OF TIME: The Shaman's of Ancient Mexico by Carlos Castaneda. La Eidolona Press, 11901 Santa Monica Blvd. Ste 525, Los Angeles, CA 90025, 1998. 5 3/4X8 3/4, 304p. $25. hard 0-9664116-0-9.
The combined work of The Wheel of Time consumed thirty years of Carlos Castaneda's life. His dedication to amassing and logging the behavior patterns, customs, traditions and beliefs of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico has resulted in this remarkable assemblage of their thoughts on life, death and the universe.
Dr. Castaneda's research is, and has been, an attempt to describe his entrance into this different cognitive world. The Shaman mind has been fashioned over hundreds and hundreds of years. Their cognizance of mystical realms supercedes that of the modern believer and as an anthropologist, Dr. Castaneda has dedicated himself to defining as much of his insight as time and effort will allow. His research is monumental, not only in volume, but in content and this study is just one of many by the author.
While the work was begun as a study of the belief systems of the shamans, it became a work that was held together by a strand unanticipated to Dr. Castaneda. Without his actually meaning to arrange them in such a manner, the book became quotations that showed, better than any conceptualization, what the "wheel" of time is.
As for readers of this collection, each will find his or her own truths wonderfully stated. Rawlyn Richter

ROADSIDE HISTORY OF UTAH by Cynthia Larsen Bennet. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1301 S. Third Street W., PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806, 1999. Biblio., illus., maps, index 428p. $18. soft 0-87842-383-4.
History of Utah takes on a different light by an author who obviously loves her subject. From the past to the present, the makings of this state are put together as an exploration of not only the people, but also the sites and stories that have played a part in its colorful development. The book is divided into eight geographical-historical sections and takes its format from a journey through time and a following of the state's highways. This history is not a dry set of dates--it is a personal guide relating stories that will educate and amuse. One such story is that of a 75-foot monster of Bear Lake that haunted the locals. Eventually, of course, it was found that the disturbance in the water was caused by cattle.
The book focuses on the people who have given life to the state. Most important is the culture that has developed from the natives, pioneers, workers and developers. The stories of landmarks and events fill this portrayal. Shiloh Richter

ANCIENT MEXICO: An Overview by Jaime Litvak King. University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-1591, 1999. 5 1/4 x 8 Illus. 134p. $10.95 soft 0-8263-0817-1.
An in-depth picture of Mexico before the Spanish invasion is offered here with research of the amazing ruins of ancient Mesoamerica. Litvak King is knowledgable and inviting--showing quite an excitement for the topic at hand. Beginning with the hunter-gatherer society and moving into the development of the intricate, advancing civilization that amazed the Europeans who encountered it, this text is an important addition to the study of ancient civilizations. The author is careful to maintain his point that trade played a major role in the development of Olmec peoples. He interestingly points out that it was also trade that led to the downfall of the Aztec empire.
The book is readable and is probably most valuable for travelers or beginning students of ancient Mexico. It provides an engaging examination of vanished cultures across the Mesoamerican countryside. One will find it to be not only a source of fascinating archeological discoveries, but a guidebook of mesmerizing places. This is history brought to life. Roy Pivoda

NATURE'S KALEIDOSCOPE: The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden by Robert G. Ketchum, Theodore R. Gardner, and Stephen G. Schott. Allen A. Knoll Publishing, 200 West Victoria St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3617, 1999. Biblio., illus., 48p. $22. Hardcover 1-888310-02-2.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a refuge of California native plants living only by the grace of the winter rains. Filled with Live Oaks and swaths of brilliantly colored wild flowers, this garden offers the visitor a place to learn and to feast with the eyes. To photographers, it is obviously a wonderfully seductive subject as witnessed by this publication's generous collection of prints. The text is sparse, as this is mainly a photographic account of the garden.
Nature's Kaleidoscope is California at its best--the Pacific West in all its grandeur. From its colorful introduction to its last spectacular frame, this book is a promenade through the wild--second only to being there in person.
Everything this book flaunts and the sanctuary it presents is as nature intended it. It is said to be the only garden of its kind anywhere. Each photograph in this amazing record influences new levels of understanding our biosphere. From the smallest wild flower to the steepled Red Wood Trees, the beauty and diversity of this collection is not only spectacular, but like the garden itself, unique.
A bit of delightful "Folk Wisdom" concludes the book:
" If you want to be happy for a few hours, get drunk.
If you want to be happy for a weekend, get married.
If you want to be happy for a week, butcher a pig.
If you want to be happy for all your life long, become a gardener."
This book should be of interest to all ages and a cherished addition to any admirer of nature. Hilda Bohem

THE FREEING OF THE DEER: and Other New Mexico Indian Myths/Se da libertad al venado y otras leyndas de los indios de Nuevo Mexico by Carmen Gertrudis Espinosa. University of New Mexico Press, 1999. 83p. soft 0-8263-2985-6.
We learn that the late Dr. E. L. Hewett, former Head of the Anthropology Department of the University of New Mexico and well-known for his archaelogoical studies of the pueblo peoples of New Mexico, asked the author to accompany a group of students to a dig near Jemez Pueblo. She was to record legends and creation stories. Espinosa does not tell us when she did her work, but it had to be sometime during the late 1930s and 1946, the year Hewett passed away. The author further tells us that she recalled listening to some Pueblo Indians and a few Navajos, adding that most of the eleven tales came from Zuni or Jemez pueblos. Informants are not identified. The author has translated each tale into Spanish, so mainly this small book contains a collection of stories of how things came to be. Since individual tribes are not identified, it will be most useful as a bilingual exercise. Patricia A. Etter

AMERICA'S 100 BEST TROUT STREAMS by John Ross. Falcon Books, P.O. Box 1718, Helena, MT 59624, 1999. 6X9, Index, maps, charts, photographs, 351p. $18.95 soft 1-56044-830-X.
America's 100 Best Trout Streams is an in-depth guide to the sometimes remote streams that spaun some of America's best angler sporting fish. Each of the one hundred locations listed are charted by state, interstate highways, state roads, local roads, and at times, trails.
Each "Fishing Hole" is presented by location, type of stream, angling method, species of Trout, access to stream, seasons to fish, nearest tourist services, handicapped access and closest TU chapter.
The text is conclusively written and Ross's experience as an angler proves to be the edge needed in locating these arenas and enjoying this growing sport. He is knowledgeable about the many places highlighted in the book. He writes, "For 38 miles, the Gibbon River play's tag with the park's main loop road, but each time you see it, you think it's a different stream. Up above, below the three small ponds that birth and nurture it, the Gibbon sneaks under the Norris-Canyon road virtually unnoticed. But if you take the old road along the Virginia Cascades, there's the Gibbon." There are 99 other Trout "Hot Spots" in the United States that he investigates. Douglas L. Quentin

FAT MAN ON THE LEFT: Four Decades in the Underground by Lionel Rolfe. California Classic Books, P.O. Box 29756, Los Angeles, CA 90029, 1998. 6X9 Illus. 184p $14.95 soft 1-879395-01-0.
California Classic Books basically defines Lionel Rolfe's Fat Man on the Left as a collection of essays about American culture and its politics. Rolfe, the offspring of the world-renowned Menuhin family and author of In Search of Literary L.A., and co-author of Bread & Hyacinths: The Rise and Fall of Utopian Los Angeles, mixes it up with royalty, revolutionaries, murderers, celebrities and visionaries, in a chronicle that juxtaposes his uncle, classical master violinist Yedudi Menuhin, with Frank Zappa.
As a journalist, he has written with intimate knowledge about such people as Cleveland Amory, Scott Newhall, Herb Caen, Slim Connelly, Warren Hinckle and many others including his godmother, Willa Cather. His political coverage is both shocking and extensive.
These tales collectively rip the masks off the politics, culture and society of the last four decades of the 20th century--the doing, fighting, oppressing, liberating, and just being. The reader will not only meet some of the strange shadowy figures in the book, but also some beautiful visionaries. And it all adds up to blinding revelations about the day in which we live.
Many have compared Rolfe to vocal figures like Rush Limbaugh. However, the striking contrast remains that this author is an eyewitness. While Limbaugh and those of his rank speak out with veracity and sometimes clout, they lack the first hand exposure to this reality, and thus to ethically "tell it like it is."
One should brace him or herself before starting to read. Douglas L. Quentin

CHIMAYO WEAVING: The Transformation of a Tradition by Helen R. Lucero & Suzanne Baizerman. University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 78131, 1999. 8X10 Maps, notes, 96 full color photographs, appendix, index, biblio., glossary, 231p. $39.95 soft 0-8263-1975-0.
Rich colors are enhanced by the in-depth study exhibited in this volume. The exploration of the author to chronicle a people and their art has been rewarded by reaffirming a way of life and a tradition. This work could well be called an encyclopedia of Chimayo Weaving. This work may be the first to examine the Rio Grande Hispanic weaving tradition back to 1870. The publisher states that "in the past, the story of the weavers of northern New Mexico has often been distorted in popular and scholarly literature by perpetuating romantic lore that has surrounded the craft and by labeling products for tourist and curio markets as inauthentic and inferior." This work sets out to reverse this myth.
Chimayo Weaving emphasizes that the long tradition of Hispanic weaving was born in the interaction among weavers, merchants, and consumers. It explores this trade and how it has changed over time.
Weaving embodies both the fulfilment of neccessity and the need of expression. The marketability of the product came only after the former was met--and flourished because of the latter. This idea is clearly brought to light here, capturing both an intimate portrait of those who practice the art and the unique art itself. Rawlyn Richter

UTAH'S BLACK HAWK WAR by John Alton Peterson. The University of Utah Press, 1795 E. South Campus Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84112, 1998. 6X9 Index, biblio., illus., maps, 432p. $19.95 soft 0-87480-508-2.
Utah's Black Hawk War unveils the history of these great and fearsome people and their conflicts with the white man as never before. Often these truths were neglected or suppressed by those in power who's control depended on their ability to keep Jon Doe Public misinformed or confused on the issues that would in time justify the hostility of that nation.
One excerpt states that this was "the longest and most serious Indian-white conflict in Utah history."
Peterson has further established his reputation with the publication of this major contribution to historical reality. The book and its potentially significant enlightenment have been a long time in coming. No account of Anglo/American Indian relations can be complete without its record on file. Margarite Rendon

BEST HIKES ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE edited by Russ Schneider. Falcon Publishing, PO Box 1718, Helena, MT 59624, 1999. $12.95 soft.
Schneider takes off from Jasper National Park in Alberta and hikes over the continent's "backbone" through Banff and Glacier National parks, and continuing south through Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, he covers some 3,200 miles at elevations between 5,000 and 14,000 feet. The author describes and maps some 63 hikes one can take by following the divide over those 5 states. He also writes about the terrain, assigns difficulty ratings, milages, and talks about the many special features one can expect on the various trails. He offers a preface to each state and highlights any special regulations. For example, bear management in Yellowstone National Park may have some impact on hiking trails at certain seasons.
There is no complete, unbroken trail between Jasper and New Mexico. For example, the divide passes through the Jicarilla Reservation and a good deal of private land in New Mexico. Residents in those areas have resisted allowing access to the trail. But for those miles open to travel, the author notes that the hiker will be touring "the best alpine splendor North America has to offer," and be left "speechless, tired, and dreaming of sunny days on the mountaintop." Patricia A. Etter

$10 HORSE, $40 SADDLE by Don Rickey Jr. University of Nebraska Press, P.O. Box 880484, Lincoln, NE 68588, 1999. 10X7, 52 Illustrations, 135p. $19.00 soft 0-8032-8977-4.
$10 Horse, $40 Saddle sets out ". . . to put the records straight." The images sent out through the air waves and stretched across the big-screens have all but glamorized the reality out of the rough, rugged and seldom rewarding task of being a low paid, rarely clean, always tired ranch-hand that either worked fence, punched cattle, or was set to subdue a raving mustang. That is not glamorous, and that probably wouldn't sell movies.
This book provides a wealth of information about cowpoke dress, from Stetsons and unfancy dark shirts to boots and underwear. It includes illustrations of the guns, ropes, and saddles that enabled cowboys to do their unromantic work. Rickey never stints on detail, even noting how the men rid their blankets of lice (by placing them on anthills).
$10 Horse, $40 Saddle is an entertaining narrative that corrects misconceptions about cowboys and offers an authentic look at the Old West.
The information collected in this work is as true as the old-timers who told it. The author founded his story on those who really lived it--those true human beings who were the last of the real cowboys. These are the people who have laughed at the shiny Hollywood image of their hard jobs. The author remains true to them. Roy Pivoda

A BREED SO RARE: The Life of J.R. Parten, Liberal Texas Oil Man, 1896-1992 by Don E. Carleton. Texas State Historical Association, Austin, TX, 1998. Illus. 668p. hard 0-876611-166-5.
Here we have over 600 pages chronicling the life of a successful Texas oilman who shared the same initials as the fictional rascal, J.R. Ewing of Dallas fame. But that is where most resemblances end. Jubal Richard Parten was said to be a man of honor and principle who preferred backseat rather than center stage in his business dealings. We learn that he was a quiet gentleman and a loyal friend. What on earth could the author find to write about such an unassuming figure?