Dead Water Rites is the fourth book in the Booker Series by Monty Joynes, however readers new to Joynes will understand its powerful message of man's fate if he continues to rape the earth.

A white man known sometimes as Booker and sometimes as Anglo "searches for new identity and spiritual completeness among the Pueblo people." He learns how water is the very lifeblood of the People, and that they regard it as a "living being." A tribal elder sees the water drying up and dying, and trusts Booker with the mission of finding the source of the "sick water."

If the water is truly dying, then the dead water rites will be performed, and life will cease to exist.

As he searches for the sick water, Booker also continues his journey of spiritual growth. He meets a militant female environmentalist, and begins learning of some of the politics involved in water rights. He also learns that perhaps the celibate life isn't right for him after all.

A group of land developers with the philosophy that "any day is a good day to make money" are also looking at the water. They draw up a proposal for a gambling casino, replete with promises of economic security. Buried in the fine print are the clauses handing over all water rights.

A former real estate developer himself, Booker recognizes the true impact of the casino on the People. He explains this to the tribal elders, who say they will "continue to pray and seek a vision." Booker and the young woman are seriously injured in a car accident, from which it takes months to recover. The developers move ahead unhampered with their plans.

Dead Water Rites "is lucid and literary, an articulate and artful plea to cease our self-destructive exploitation of the environment and native people." Those who read it will gain a new respect for the liquid essential to all life on Earth, and a better understanding of those who seek to keep it alive.

Illustrated by Mr. Goble's usual beautiful pictures, this is the dramatic story of the time that a group of plains Indian warriors fought against the invasion of the "iron horse", or steam train.

this book is a must for collectors and dealers of stoneware.The auther goes into greater detail than most books on this subject.

What a thrill to see this book back in print. It's first edition was one of the Outdoor Life series and has given us the tools to understand one of North America's most majestic creatures. The life cycle, aging, growth patterns, habitat and environmental needs of the whitetail are explained in detail with the writer's storyteller style mixed in. This book can be understood and enjoyed by young and old, hunters and ranchers, nature lovers and anyone interested in learning more about one of the most unique animals on earth.

This book is a treasure. Mr. Van Dyke obviously has the soul of a poet, and within his graceful prose he paints vivid and soul-stirring pictures of some of the most beautiful places on earth. He describes in fine detail observations he made on a long trip, on horseback in 1898/99, over, around, and through the lower deserts of Arizona and California. He leaves no stone unturned as he describes the magnificence and beauty of each aspect of the desert, and pulls no punches in his criticism of man's destructive intrusions. To Van Dyke, the play of light and shadow, the star-pocked night skies, the ragged and jagged ranges of mountains, the perfectly adapted plants and animals, the sometimes shifting sands, and the silent river barrier known as the Colorado are each part of the unique sum which is, in its own harsh and angular way, a paradise of color, form, and life: "The Desert."

Speaking as one who has lived on and wandered through this same desert for nearly forty years, I can attest to the accuracy of Van Dyke's physical descriptions and, perhaps more importantly, I can note that I've found here both the magic and the majesty which he so ably describes. Still, this isn't a book for everyone. Those who prefer the gleam of glass towers and the roar of jet planes to flaming sunsets and yapping coyotes, save your money. Van Dyke wrote, "Not in the spots of earth where plenty breeds indolence do we meet with the perfected type. It is in the land of adversity ... that finally emerges the highest manifestation."

He was right, and he leaves us "The Desert" as evidence.

I have this book, but it was published in 1990. In other words, I do not have the revised and updated version.

However, if this one is anything like the copy I have, it is wonderful. The full color pictures are lovely and are used to enhance the text.

Although this book doesn't tell the history of these states, it visits historic places within each state. Much of the history of these four states (NM, AZ, NV, UT) is told through the landscape and historic buildings of each state.

I have enjoyed every place that I have visited and my visits have only been enhanced by using this book as a resource in my travels.

This is the largest fragment of Columbus's first voyage log, as abstracted by Bartolome de Las Casas. Of the many editions in print, Dunn & Kelley stands head and shoulders above the rest. The format has a new Spanish transcription on the left-hand pages, exactly as hand-written in the original manuscript by Las Casas: same abbreviations, strike-outs, diacriticals, and marginal notes. The right-hand pages contain an English translation.

But perhaps the most valuable addition for the scholar is the Spanish concordance of the entire text, giving folio and line numbers for every appearance of almost every word. (Common words such as prepositions are given only with word counts, not references.) All in all, a must-have for any serious scholar or afficianado of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea.

Vinyard's Diatoms of North America is one of those little gems that generally pass unnoticed by the public but are well known by both professional and amateur biologists. As a professional biologist (who is also an amateur fresh water microscopist) I appreciate such books, which are disappointedly rare. While now almost certainly dated, Vinyard's book remains the classic guide to these fascinating organisms. Diatoms provide a major part of the oxygen that we breathe- a fact that is not generally appreciated- and so are very important to our life on this planet.

Vinyard has, in a very short book, admirably summarized the knowledge of North American diatoms to the date of publication (1979) and he uses bold text to highlight unfamiliar terms, which than can be looked up in the glossary. This is in my judgement a model for short handbooks. I recommend it to all microscopists who are interested in aquatic microorganisms.

.......................... Stammel knew the scope of Native American medical traditions like few others, and presents them sensitively and thoughtfully, without ever becoming sentimental or leaving the bounds of his science. His respect and admiration for Native American medicine are marvelously articulated. This book is a must for anyone interested in Native American medicine and culture, and I just hope that one day it is translated into English -- then all the detailed remedies for women's medicine will also be available to the English speaking world. HJacobson@compuserve.com

Digging Up Texas: A Guide To The Archaeology Of The State by archaeologist Robert Marcom is a solid and thoroughly "reader friendly" archaeology guide to over 15,000 years of history, researched and discovered in the archaeological endowed state of Texas. Ranging from the remains of ancient proto-historical Native American cultures, to the contemporary and diverse resources available for avocational archaeology, Digging Up Texas is an exciting and practical resource for archaeology buffs of all experience levels, from the amateur enthusiast to the trained professional.