Non-Fiction

THE OPAL DESERT: Explorations of Fantasy & Reality in the American Southwest by Wild, University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819, 1999, notes, bibliography, index, 219p., $37.50 hard 0-292-79128-3; $18.95 soft 0-292-79129-1; 99-6113
Using sixteen headliners and a host of lesser lights in the literature of the desert southwest as his stalking horses, Wild takes us through a fascinating progression that begins with Cabeza de Vaca and ends with living writers whose work is perhaps harder to understand in historical context because so little history has yet passed since their writing. The book's flow is well maintained as Wild shows with each change in public attitude how the writers of that era both shape the public's perception and have their writings shaped by it. Each of Wild's thirteen chapters uses one or more major pieces of desert literature to exemplify certain attitudes and changes in those attitudes while simultaneously laying out for the reader a summary of the literature itself. Never strident, always looking for comparisons and contrasts, perhaps the best understanding of the value of this book comes from a simple listing of chapter titles: 1) "Cabeza de Vaca--Flaming Entrails, Burning Trees", 2) William L. Manly--"The Classic Account of Desert Horribilis", 3) J. Ross Browne & Samuel W. Cozzens--"Happy Travelers Through Lost Lands", 4) Charles F. Lummis--"The Showman with the Shining Right Hand", 5) Mary Austin--"Beauty, Madness, Death, and God", 6) John C. Van Dyke & "The Desert Aestheticians", 7) William T. Hornaday--"Happy Travelers". Part Two, 8) John Wesley Powell & William E. Smythe--"God Smiles on the Irrigationist", 9) J. Smeaton Chase--"Our Araby", 10) Joseph Wood Krutch--"The Pronaba Moth and the Modern Dilemma", 11) Edward Abbey--"Ned Ludd Arrives in the Desert", 12) Ann Zwinger & Charles Bowden--"Pondering These Things in Her Heart"; Tacitus Flips Out, 13) Peter Reyner Banham--"Wheeled Voyeur from Overseas". It's a good read for anyone with an interest in the literature of the region which I think of in caps: DESERT SOUTHWEST. W. David Laird

REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK FIREARMS by Konrad F. Schreier, Jr., Pioneer Press, Union City, TN 38261, 1987, 41 b&w photographs, 45 line drawing, fully illustrated, historical information, index, 61p., 8 1/2 x 11, $8, soft 0-913150-39-8
Schreier illustrates the many modifications, conversions, and adaptations that the Remington Rolling Block Rifle underwent during its development and production, and as a result, literally swept the world's gun markets with its simplicity and strength. Schreier also documents the evolutionary process that made Remington famous. He relates names and places of other arms companies that competed and even joined forces in this historical venture of creating the safest, fastest, and most reliable firearm of its age.
Line drawings, photographs, illustrations, and text give pen-point accuracy into the history of the world's most ubiguitous rifle. Here, Schreier's long acquaintance with Remington Firearms gives him the edge. His research extends into the early years of firearm manufacturing when most new designs were purely experimental--a time of converting the long proven muzzle- loading rifles into the more modern breach-loading cartridge type.
The Remington Rolling Block rifle was unquestionably proven to be the world's most accurate rifle during the international rifle matches of 1874. Its cartridge sizes ranged from the .22 Cal. rim fire to the awesome .58 Cal. converted musket. It was produced in everything from military rifles to youth rifles, from long rifles to hand guns and is considered by many historians to be one of the most important arms in American history. A product of design evolution, this one style of action (rolling block) was in production for seventy years.
Century-old rolling blocks were being used and actually captured from hostiles in the Viet Nam War in the mid-1960s. The "rolling block" action was copied by gun makers the world over, and estimates of its production numbers go as high as 70 million firearms.
A must for library records and historical gun enthusiasts. Douglas L. Quentin

PLATICAS: Conversations With Hispanic Writers of New Mexico by Nasario Garcia, Texas Tech University Press, Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79410, 2000, Index, selected bibliography, photographs, acknowledgments, 224p., 6 x 9, $27.95, hard 0-89672-428-X
A land of enchantment and beauty, New Mexico has a rich heritage of literary traditions that come to life in this collection of interviews with authors Sabine R. Ulibarri, Erlinda Gonzales-Berry, Rudolifo Anaya, Denise Chavez, E.A. Mares, and Orlando Romero, and their contributions to the Hispanic legacies of today.
Life may seem simple to those who merely pass through this colorful but expansive state; however, a closer look into its rich culture and complex history will reveal a more dramatic side of its nature.
Nasario Garcia, a professor at New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico, is also the author of Comadres: Hispanic Woman of the Rio Puerco Valley and Mas Antes: Hispanic Folklore of the Rio Puerco. Garcia'a area of expertise is grounded in Hispanic language, culture, folklore, and literature of the Southwest in general, and New Mexico in particular.
The conversations recorded in this work represent a blueprint of New Mexico-Hispanic intellectual and artistic history that has yet to be assembled anywhere else in literature. Garcia's role in this work seems to be the gathering of like minds for the purpose of consolidating historical information, which further corrects the misconceptions of a culture that has constantly advanced since the sixteenth century in this area alone.
Every discerning student of Hispanic literature should find within this work a fresh perspective of what it means to have an Hispanic heritage. Mary Blake
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FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN by John N. Maclean, William Morrow & Company, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, 10019, 1999, glossary, notes, photographs, one map, 275p., 6 1/2 x 9 1/2, $24., hard 0-688-14477-2
How could so many beautiful people perish? What happened that turned another day of fire fighting into a hellish nightmare of choking smoke and an inferno of death?
Fire on the Mountain is the gripping narrative of the blaze and aftermath of the South Canyon Fire. It is a true story about Colorado's Storm King Mountain forest fire on July 6, 1994 that took the lives of fourteen young smoke jumpers (four of them women). It is an account by account reenactment of the day when the fire would have its way, and no other. It is also a grim reminder of its resemblance to the "Mann Gulch Fire" on August 5, 1949, in Montana, where thirteen experienced smoke jumpers fell prey to the brutality of nature, and in its aftermath, those who survived set out on a campaign to make sure that this type of tragedy would never happen again.
John N. Maclean was a writer, reporter, and editor for the Chicago Tribune for thirty years. Here he has brought to bear his absorbing style of expression in order to inch the reader closer to the fire that day than he or she will ever feel comfortable with. His accounts are breath taking. One can almost feel the panic in the air. Maclean's work generates a great respect for those who dare to try to contain Mother Nature when she is furious. It is a tribute, and a good one, to those who risk their lives every year to redeem what belongs to others.
Fire on the Mountain is a heartbreaking and honorable work of literature. Rawlyn Richter

SPANISH EXPEDITIONS INTO TEXAS 1689-1768 by William C. Foster, The University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819, 1995, 22 maps, 13 line drawings, 11 tables, index, bibliography, notes, journal of encounters with 140 different Indian tribes, appendix, 351p., 7 x 10, $19.95 soft 0-292-72489-6, $45. hard 0-292-72448-8
Between the years of 1689 and 1768 eleven Spanish expeditions forged into the territory now known as East Texas. Spanish Expeditions into Texas offers a compilation of rare and accurate accounts of those explorations. In cross referencing rare journals, old Spanish maps, and diaries from each of those eleven journeys, Foster has accomplished an unprecedented feat of geographical research.
The headwaters of these eleven expeditions are in northeastern New Mexico. Their trails blazed through areas now known as San Antonio, Austin, Lufkin, Bryan, San Marcos, and other places well known today.
The author is an independent scholar of Texas history. His form is both clear and informative. The text, drawings, and maps are complementary to the whole, and collectively make up a chronicle of Texas history not found anywhere else.
In this work, Foster produces the first highly accurate maps of those eleven Spanish Expeditions. His work corrects many misconceptions of the lay of the land and the people who inhabited it. He lists many of the original names by which the rivers and landforms were known at the time. He also includes information about the "Little Ice Age" along the Rio Grande Valley. This book also documents the existence of 140 different tribes of Native Americans living in these areas. Albert Allen
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THE ORGINS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE: Selected Essays From "Architecture Record" Edited by Eric Uhlfelder, Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501, 1998, bibliography, illustrations, photographs, maps, line drawings, clippings, 320p., 6 1/2 x 9 1/2, $16.95, soft 0-486-40145-6
At the end of the 19th century, momentous changes were afoot in many areas of art and technology. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower proved to be a formidable harbinger of innovative construction projects of the 20th century. Art Nouveau and Post-impressionism threatened the older artistic life, while music by such "avant garde" composers as Igor Stravinsky prompted catcalls and demonstrations from audiences. In architecture, the innovation of steel-frame construction made skyscrapers possible, and a young architect named Frank Lloyd Wright was developing a revolutionary "organic" style of building. This compilation of twenty-two articles by photographer and architectural historian Eric Uhlfelder, considers these far-reaching innovations as well as many other aspects of the art and architecture of the day.
Published in the Architectural Record between 1891 and 1914, the pieces include William Fryer's "Skeleton Construction," which outlined the technology that made the skyscraper possible; Claude Bragdon's overview of "Architecture in the United States"; Frank Lloyd Wright's seminal essay "In the Cause of Architecture," and discussions on such important new structures as the Lincoln Memorial, the Fagin Building in St. Louis, Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station and the Flatiron Building, among others.
Of great interest to architects and cultural historians, this profusely illustrated collection of essays--appearing on the threshold of a new millennium--should provoke equal interest among today's students intrigued by the technological developments that opened new vistas in architecture and other areas of modern life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tim West
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VISIONS OF THE WEST: Art and Artifacts from the Private Collections of J.P. Bryan, Torch Energy Advisors Incorporated, and Others, Edited by Melissa Baldridge, introduction by Patricia Nelson Limerick, Gibbs Smith, 1999, illustrations, index, 320p., $60 hard 0-87905-854-4; 99-11445
Grouped thematically, with ten essays to match the objects displayed in fine color photos (standard for Gibbs Smith), this book displays the depth and breadth of our regional art. "Revisionist historian" Limerick's introduction is appropriately titled "Art Unbounded" and takes a look at western art in the broad sweep. Other experts focus on subtopics, such as Gloria Fraser Gifford's commentary on "Christian Art and Imagery in Mexico"; William Loren Katz's understanding of the diversity of the African American image in his essay "The Black West"; and Richard C. Tarrenbury's tackling the essence of the western myth in "Tools of Triumph and Tragedy: Firearms in the American West." One essay out of step with the general theme is Gilberto M. Hinojosa's "The Missionary-Led Indian Communities." While certainly relevant to our region, this essay focuses on Hispanic/Native American history and conflict, while the illustrations are photos of architectural aspects of missionary buildings, rather than collected and collectible art. Still, an interesting survey overall with many interesting objects to browse. W. David Laird
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TEXAS WILDSCAPES: Gardening for Wildlife by Noreen Damude and Kelly Conrad Bender, Texas Parks and Wildlife Press
Distributed to the Trade by University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819, 1999, 239 pages of tables, glossary, bibliography, sketches, color photographs, illustrations, 387p., 8 1/2 x 11, soft 1-885696-30-2
This is a formidable source of information for Texas wildlife and gardening practitioners. Everyone, from the professional to the back yard want-to-be will find hints and ideas for the perfect display that will attract the attention of wildlife with an aesthetic appetite, as well as those winged spectators with a nutritious appetite.
Texas Wildscapes is an exceptionally detailed book of step-by-step methods for creating gardens that attract attention. It lists plants, flowers, trees, scrubs, and settings that draw desirable insects and birds, as well as those which repel unwanted guests.
It contains 239 pages of detailed tables that hone in on the particulars. The table of "Native Plants of Texas" are listed by Species, Ecological Region, Habit Height, Flower, Fruit, Sun Exposure, Habitat, and, Soil and Moisture Regime. The tables list the "Birds of Texas" by Species, Ecological Region, with Notes and Habitat. "Hummingbirds of Texas" are listed by Common Name, Scientific Name, region Common, Identification Marks, and Abundance. It also lists the "Mammals . . .", "Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas" by Common Name, Scientific Name, Ecological Region, Habitat, and Description.
The brilliantly colored photographs and the attention placed on detailed instructions make this book a valuable source of information. Paul K. Rorick
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OILER BLUES: The story of pro football's most frustrating team by John Pirkle, Sportline Publishing, Box A-16, 3346 East TC Jester Blvd., Houston, TX 77018, 1999, index, b/w photographs, table of abbreviations, 368p., 8 1/2 x 11, $19.95 soft 1-891422-01-4, $24.95 hard 1-891422-00-6
Sportline Publishing is pleased to present Oiler Blues: . . .
Mr. Pirkle is a former U.S. Justice Department attorney, Houston native and University of Texas graduate. Oiler Blues is a detailed, season-by-season accounting of the Houston Oiler and Tennessee Oiler franchises of the NFL from the first AFL championship season in 1960 through their final season as the Oilers in 1998. The book is well-researched, thorough and sensibly designed.
From a historical perspective, this book describes not just the evolution of pro football, but also a fascinating era of Texas, Houston and American business and culture. Among the many larger than life personalities profiled are Bud Adams, Roy Hofheinz, George Blanda, Bum Phillips and Earl Campbell.
The timing for this title is ideal with Houston being recently awarded the next NFL expansion franchise and as the Oiler's successors, the Tennessee Titans, begin play in their new stadium in Nashville. And, as the reviewers at Booklist Agree, Oiler Blues will also appeal to the general football fan by presenting "an intriguing and instructive slice of NFL life."
This publication has a major distribution arrangement with Midpoint Trade Books of New York for trade (bookstore) sales. It is also available through Amazon.com and the Sportline web site. June Denson
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THE SANTA FE TRAIL by R.L. Duffus, University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, 1999, one map, index, bibliography, 283p., 5 3/8 x 8, soft 0-8263-0235-1
This is a history book of the Santa Fe Trail. It was first published in 1930, and at the time was considered to be the ideal work on the subject and the source of information for scholarly research about the Trail. Because of its enduring contributions to historical analysis, this exceptional book has been placed back into circulation by the University of New Mexico Press.
The book explores, in great detail, this famous western passageway as the main artery of travel for those determined to find a new way of life in the "West." It traces the evolution of the trail from as far back as the early Spaniards, and develops its contribution to U.S. expansion in the "Manifest Destiny" era. Duffus explores individual groups of travelers, such as Indian traders, miners, missionaries, and follows the trail's progress to the nineteenth century. He records the personal life of some who traveled it and exposes many of their emotions and fears. He also records life on the trail as a social history.
It has been said that this work by Duffus, ". . . was obviously a labor of love." That he had a feel for the trail is a truth that few have come realize.
The New York Times stated, "Written with distinction and charm. . . Duffus has caught the spirit of the time and the color of the environment, . . .". Douglas L Quentin
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LAND OF A THOUSAND DANCES: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll From Southern California by David Reyes and Tom Waldman, University of New Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, 1998, index, discography, 29 b/w photographs, 178p., 7 x 8, soft 0-8263-1883-5
This book rekindles a lot of old feelings and found memories for those who lived its subject. Reyes and Waldman take a historical look at the vibrant music scene of Southern California. Paul Rodriguez said, "It's like a historical cruise down Whittier Boulevard--but without getting pulled over by the cops."
Chicano rock 'n' roll is a mixture of blues, funk, R&B, punk, and the British invasion. Its effects have rippled the music scene forever. This book tells the story of this uniquely American sound which began with Lalo Guerrero and Chico Sesma and was recognized by DJs and black musicians as a powerful market yet to be exploited. Mark Latters
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AN INTRODUCTION TO GRAND CANYON GEOLOGY by L. Greer Price, Grand Canyon Association, P.O. Box 399, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, 1999, index, credits, glossary, illustrations, 25 color photographs, 4 b/w photographs, maps, 63p., 7 1/2 x 9, $9.95, soft 093821668-6
This is an overview of Grand Canyon geology and is perfect for the first-time visitor or the seasoned Grand Canyon traveler. It includes sections on the geologic record at the canyon, regional geology, plate tectonics, and the Colorado River. It offers a fresh new approach with emphasis on the basic geologic principles.
The text and illustrations are true to form for Price. To those who know his ability, his professionalism always precedes his work. Here the maps, drawings and photographs combine to reinforce the instructional process.
This would be a fine addition to any library interested in current geological research on the Grand Canyon area.
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ADIOS NUEVO MEXICO: The Santa Fe Journal of John Watts in 1859, Transcribed, Edited and Annotated by David Remley, Yucca Tree Press, 2130 Hixon Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88005-3305,1999, index, 24 b/w photographs, illustrations, 238p., 6 1/4 x 9 1/4, $24.95, hard 1-881325-30-X
A diary of nineteenth-century life in territorial Santa Fe, this book offers a fresh and accurate account of John Watts' early years as a teenager away from his family who lived in Bloomington, Indiana. It gives us a rare glimpse into the private conversations and encounters with the people with whom he becomes associated. It allows us to step back into time through his eyes.
John's father, John S. Watts, was denied the appointment as a territorial judge and became a local attorney for land grant claims. His job as an attorney called for a considerable amount of time to be spent away from home in traveling to and from Washington D.C.. This absence left young John and his brother J. Howe Watts to their own devices. In an attempt to improve his literary habits, young John writes this journal of his day-to-day life.
Santa Fe was experiencing many difficult changes during these last few years prior to the Civil War. Possibly without even knowing it, John's journal reflects the tensions caused by the issues that fueled that conflict.
Reflected also are the social lives of men and women, from the governor of the territory to the children playing in the streets. Here, we are invited to share a moment in time that has all but been erased forever. W. Bill Tillus

ADIOS NUEVO MEXICO: The Santa Fe Journal of John Watts in 1859, Transcribed, Edited and Annotated by David Remley, Yucca Tree Press, 2130 Hixon Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88005-3305,1999, index, 24 b/w photographs, illustrations, 238p., 6 1/4 x 9 1/4, $24.95, hard 1-881325-30-X
Watts was a teenager when he kept this journal for more than six months from spring through fall while living in Santa Fe. He had taken time out of his college career to recover from "chills and fever," and the heady summer climate in northern New Mexico did its work, allowing John to return to his home state, finish college (in 1861) and go on to a long, successful and productive life that ended in Kansas in 1925. The journal's entries provide a boy's-eye-view of people and events in the capital of Territorial New Mexico just a few years after it became U.S. territory and when daily life was still somewhat primitive by modern standards (John found it difficult to bathe) but already showing signs of "civilized amenities" (he regularly played pool in a hotel near the square). As entertaining and informative as the journal is, the notes of David Remley are what gives it value to the modern reader. He reminds us, for example, that when John mentions the excitement of the arrival of a train it is not the iron horse but a string of freight wagons which stirs up the town. Remley's notes not only identify the otherwise mysterious (to us) people such as Jacob Amberg or lawyer H.N. Smith while also admitting failure when he cannot discover more about someone gossiped about by John. Solid piece of basic historical work that is simultaneously revealing and readable. W. David Laird