I think this is the best art book I have ever seen. The author, George Everett Shaw, wrote a fascinating comparison between modern art and Antique American Iindian Art. This book has gripping photos and exellent writing. I hope to see another book from the autor soon!

This book has exquisite photography,art,and writting. It is one of my favorite art books I have purchased.If you are a collector of books or art this will add life to your collection.

Nothing short of a dream come true for a great lakes history or indian history students. I stumbled across this book at a local college library and was hooked. This book is put together in a clear and easy to understand format and would be a jewel in anyone's collection of great lakes or indian history. The illustrations are beautiful and the maps detailing the tribal centers and distribution are numerous, clear and very detailed. Much more than a mere atlas, this work actually seems to TEACH the reader because of the friendly and easy to comprehend writing style. Why various tribes lived where they did, where the came from and where they moved to (forcibly or otherwise), relations between tribes, how they got the names they are commonly known by today, how they lived.....As you read more and more you can actually see why the large groups of Native Americans(because of old animosities, heritage, etc.) did not band together and change history how the Americans and Europens were able to dictate terms over and over as the years went on. Never before have I come across something so complete and accurate on this subject.

If you enjoy reading pre-Revolutionary history, this book will help you get your bearings. Marvelously crafted.

Despite its small size and paperback format, this is one of my most treasured books. I am a resident of Michigan, and the fall is always a highlight of our year. Michiganders, as an army, await autumn leaves and "leaf peeping", as young children await Christmas morning. This is the ONLY book I've ever seen that really gives its reader a good understanding of this beautiful phenomenon.

The first 17 or so pages give a physical, chemical, and biological discourse on why leaves change, and on what goes into the makeup of the various colors. The next 100+ pages cover all deciduous trees of northeastern North America, in turn, with a good discussion of each species being attended by excellent four-color photographs of the subject tree in various formats, including group, solo, and partial shots. Finally a sixty-page section gives the same ememplary treatment to northeastern North American evergreens. These, too, form part of the fall patterns, albeit in a more subdued way.

If you live in the area bounded by Ontario, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec, or are planning to visit any states or provinces in that area this fall, buy this book now, and read it over. You'll be glad you did, this year and every year. I would give this book a ten-star rating if I could, and recommend it highly. An invaluable bargain.

This is really well done. There are numerous color photos (both closeups, some whole tree shots, and often a shot of a grouping of trees showing the characteristics of the tree being described. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting a guide to Fall trees or even for planning your plantings. It's also reasonably priced. My only misgiving is that it isn't longer and cover the entire eastern US!

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.

"Bears Make Soup and Other Stories" might seem like a collection of ancient Native American stories but this is actually a rather unique collection of new tales reflecting the time when people and animals spoke to each other in dreams. Artist Lisa Fifield, a watercolorist and quilt maker enrolled in the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, created 14 paintings focusing on animals that still live on the plains and in the woodlands of North America, such as black bears, deer, moose, loons, and crows. Then writer Lisa Erdrich, who is enrolled in the Turlte Mountain Band of Plains Ojibway wrote stories to bring the pictures to life. The stories are organized by animals, so that you start with several stories about bears, including "The Bears that Couldn't Hibernate" nd the title story, then move on to the other species of animals. The points made by the stories are usually subtle, and reflect the sense of harmony between living things as much as anything else. The stories show animals and people teaching and learning from one another, as well as helping each other in times of need. I can see a teacher showing a class one of these paintings, such as The Naming Ceremony or Forest of the Deer Spirits, and having students come up with their own stories before sharing the one with the book. It would interesting to see if the students would catch on to the spirit of these stories if they did this a few time and became better able to anticipate what Erdich came up with from Fifield's artwork. "Bears Make Rock Soup and Other Stories" is a simple but elegant collection of stories.

Bears Make Rock Soup And Other Stories is a highly recommended children's picture book of original tales written by Lise Erdrich (a member of the Turtle Mountain and of Plains Ojibway) and illustrated with paintings by water colorist Lisa Fifield (member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin). The distinctive and colorful art wonderfully complements the brief, unique, fairytale-like narratives of creatures of the earth and sky.

It is not often one can read of the intermingling of cultures so successfully combined as in Eva Wilber-Cruce's work. It is remarkable for its objectivity, its vivacity, and as a lesson of how best to get along with one's neighbors. Eva's recollections as a child and woman are remarkable and is a person easily taken to one's heart. Her considerable life is a valise which contains a portfolio of memories of the most meaningful sort. I would compare her book with Mari Sandoz' Old Jules; both about frontier life, one in the SW, the other in Nebraska. The reader has the added benefit of increasing his or her Spanish vocabulary that reflects the lifestyle in which Eva was raised. Beautifully written. An added plus for me was the reference to Archbishop Salpointe who was the heir to "Lamy of Sante Fe." It's a treat when a book ties in with another source written by a respected historical author like Paul Horgan.

Eva Wilbur-Cruce describes memories as far back as when she was three, and captures the wild yet captivating valleys of the Arizona/Mexico border, painting word pictures of Mexican ranchers, Tohono O'odham Indians and many other cultures intermingling. It is a story of how to live life to the fullest, as she learned it from nature, her family and those around her. She has learned well what the beautiful cruel country has to teach and she passes it on through artistic imagery.

Lois and Jerry Jacka do an EXCELLENT job with every project they undertake. Certainly this book is no exception. The text by Lois is insightful and well written. Jerry's photography and layout are some of the best. With an historical introduction by Clara Lee Tanner, the book is COMPLETE from Preface to page 206. Works by many of today's MASTERS are illustrated and a brief description of each item is included. The number of Native American artists is far too extensive to list, so may a half dozen suffice: Charles Loloma, Grace Medicine Flower, Rondina Huma, Jesse Monongye, Loren Phillips and Doug Hyde. There are so many more! Since the book is now OUT OF PRINT, grab a copy; it truly is one to own.

This is an excellent sourcebook for those wanting to learn more about quality Native art. The information provided will help you learn about the various associations that work with Native artists as well as wonderful insights into many of the artists themselves. "Anything by Lois and Jerry Jacka" is the recommendation given in the conclusion of The Native American Indian Artist Directory (a book that gives you actual contact information, i.e. phone numbers, mailing addresses, etc.) for good reason. The quality of their work has been recognized for many years. If you attend the major Native art events in the Southwest you're likely to see them there, keeping current on the latest in Native arts. One more terrific publication from the Lois & Jerry Jacka team!

I really enjoyed this book. It is spoken as if Worth was relating his stories to a friend. I will be getting a sneakboat this fall and was made even more anxious by reading the accounts of brant and wigeon landing right on top of these crafts! David Hagerbaumer's artwork is a great addition to this book. His sketches are amazing! If you liked this book, try to find a copy of Hagerbaumer's Waterfowling These Past Fifty Years, Especially Brant. It is a great book based in the same area.

When I ordered this book I was looking for some reading about Canvasback ducks. If that is your interest in this book you will be fooled as I was. There is relatively little specific material about the species. However, Mr Mathewson has done a nice job of informing the reader about hunting waterfowl on the northwest coast. He talks of the various birds as well as the tools used to pursue them in that region. His ability to inform the reader at the same he reports a story from his past is enjoyable to say the least. The pencil sketches of Mr. Hagerbaumer add to these stories. For me, I was sad when I finished the book, which is an indication of my appreciation of it.

I love this book! So does my 4 1/2 year old stepson, and his Dad has gotten a lot out of it too. The idea of choosing how you are going to respond to a problem rather than just throw a tantrum is something we are teaching the children, and constantly learning for ourselves too. This book is warm and loving, an excellent quiet time read for people of all ages.

I really enjoyed this as a book to read with my 4 1/2 year old daughter. It has a neat story line, wonderful word pictures, lovely illustrations and is suitable for 4 years and up. It encourages kids to think about different ways of solving the problems that arise in life.

The story follows a young girl who, in a hurry to join her Indian grandmother making tortilla's, upsets her homework and eventualy breaks her glasses. The girl is devestated by the turn of events. The grandmonther gently restores her, giving her options on how to solve the problem while gently repairing the glasses. Is this a time to "be like a tree in the desert, standing tall and looking all ways at once" .... "a time to stay still like stone and wait for the problem to pass" .... or a time to fly high like and eagle looking far down to the problem which now seems so small and laugh at it..... As her glassess are mended and the homework reworked the girl can decide that the best option is to look at the big picture. To put the day in perspective and fly high like the eagle. The other options can be considered, thought about and keep hidden away for another day when maybe they will be the most approprite solution for life's problems.

This is a great book because of the adventures envolved in it. It was full of excitment and humor. It is about a boy going into the southwest (in the 60's) with his older brother searching for his Uncle Clay who he has not seen in years. I enjoyed this book because it kept me reading all of the time.

The Big Wander is a humorous, thoughtful trip through the American southwest amidst the tumultuous 60's. If that era wasn't enough to fuel the author's creative palette, our hero, Clay, is euphorically approaching adolescent replete with starry eyed infatuation and an all-to-well-remembered awkwardness in his approach to young ladies. The novel sets out as an summer adventure ("The Wander") for Clay and his older brother, Mike. But, the story strays from its origins and delights the reader with its creative insight into the workings of a young teenager's imagination; too young to give up John Wayne, but well on the way to his first lovesick romance. Natural beauty, native american lore, and the love and loyalty of distant family are woven into a rewarding tale. The plot is best shared with a young reader, an excellent bedtime "chapter book" for Dad to read each night. Oh, I imagine the rigidly fixed realist may have problems with the unfolding of events that defy a likely outcome; but the child you read to (and the one kept deep inside) will receive each and every adventure Clay encounters with a smile, a giggle, and a brief reflection on life as they have known it.