Arizona Books

Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon

Michael P. Ghiglieri, Thomas M. Myers

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Sociology -> Death

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 93 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Should be Required Reading 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Although it sounds a bit morbid, this book is a very good read. There is a good mix of entertaining anecdotes and statistical analysis. The authors delve into the root causes and chains of events that have led to the hundreds of deaths in the canyon and really drive home the point that people make the same mistakes over and over and over again. If you are thinking about hiking, backpacking, or rafting in the canyon, I highly reccomend reading this book first - it will help you make the right decisions about your time in the canyon.

Editorial Review:

Gripping accounts of all known fatal mishaps in the most famous of the World's Seven Natural Wonders.

Two veterans of decades of adventuring in Grand Canyon chronicle the first complete and comprehensive history of Canyon misadventures. These episodes span the entire era of visitation from the time of the first river exploration by John Wesley Powell and his crew of 1869 to that of tourists falling off its rims in Y2K.

These accounts of the 550 people who have met untimely deaths in the Canyon set a new high water mark for offering the most astounding array of adventures, misadventures, and life saving lessons published between any two covers. Over the Edge promises to be the most intense yet informative book on Grand Canyon ever written.

Weird Arizona: Your Travel Guide to Arizona's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets (Weird)

Wesley Treat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fascinating 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I grew up in Arizona--born, raised, educated. . .I'm a native. One of my earliest memories as a child, was my father holding me up to one of those $0.25 telescopes at the Grand Canyon--and looking at the wreckage of the two airliners that crashed there in the late 50's. . .I didn't know the mass grave was, however, in Flagstaff--or that there was a mass grave. This book does a service to the history of Arizona--as well as to the weirdness. I think I'll buy 50 of them and give them to my east-coast buddies. . .

Weird indeed. 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Decent book. We do have some pretty awesome "attractions" here in Arizona. Its the "Old West"! Of course we have weird things. Its still best to find a local with roots here to tell tales, but this book helps.

Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache

Keith H. Basso

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This remarkable book introduces us to four unforgettable Apache people, each of whom offers a different take on the significance of places in their culture. Apache conceptions of wisdom, manners and morals, and of their own history are inextricably intertwined with place, and by allowing us to overhear his conversations with Apaches on these subjects Basso expands our awareness of what place can mean to people.

Most of us use the term sense of place often and rather carelessly when we think of nature or home or literature. Our senses of place, however, come not only from our individual experiences but also from our cultures. Wisdom Sits in Places, the first sustained study of places and place-names by an anthropologist, explores place, places, and what they mean to a particular group of people, the Western Apache in Arizona. For more than thirty years, Keith Basso has been doing fieldwork among the Western Apache, and now he shares with us what he has learned of Apache place-names—where they come from and what they mean to Apaches.

"This is indeed a brilliant exposition of landscape and language in the world of the Western Apache. But it is more than that. Keith Basso gives us to understand something about the sacred and indivisible nature of words and place. And this is a universal equation, a balance in the universe. Place may be the first of all concepts; it may be the oldest of all words."—N. Scott Momaday

"In Wisdom Sits in Places Keith Basso lifts a veil on the most elemental poetry of human experience, which is the naming of the world. In so doing he invests his scholarship with that rarest of scholarly qualities: a sense of spiritual exploration. Through his clear eyes we glimpse the spirit of a remarkable people and their land, and when we look away, we see our own world afresh."—William deBuys

"A very exciting book—authoritative, fully informed, extremely thoughtful, and also engagingly written and a joy to read. Guiding us vividly among the landscapes and related story-tellings of the Western Apache, Basso explores in a highly readable way the role of language in the complex but compelling theme of a people's attachment to place. An important book by an eminent scholar."—Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.

Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography

Stephen Trimble

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The finest Grand Canyon book at the lowest price.... 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This book is so awesome, and of such high quality, that its Amazon price seems surreal...I have two copies and am ordering a third, for posterity or whatever.

Intensely beautiful photographic prints, at the very leading edge of Canyon photos....almost beyond description!

If you buy one copy of this book, you'll then want another for a gift, and another for your own collection.....etc.

off the charts superb stunning startling good heavens 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Yes, you would expect truly astounding photography here, and you get exactly that, in lots of different flavors too, but the stories are deft and revealing -- far more than in a book of photos alone of a place that you couldn't take a bad photo if you tried. Trimble himself is a master craftsman with the camera, but his service here is to gather some really remarkable work and voices into a tome that anyone who has gaped and prayed there will want to paw through before you get major brownie points for giving it to someone else. Terrific work.

Editorial Review:

One of the most photographed subjects on earth, the Grand Canyon continues to inspire awe, admiration, and frustration for those who attempt to capture its majesty with a camera. Reaching back 125 years into the photographic record of the Canyon, this book artfully explores the experiences of the earliest photographers as well as today's most exceptional artists through intriguing narrative and exceptional photography.

Grand Canyon: A Different View

Tom Vail

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Religious Studies -> Science & Religion
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

I SAW THE LIGHT! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I'm SAVED! Now I believe in GOD thanks to your book Tom Vail! I once was blind but now I see that I had been deceived by the devil's sedimentary rock scheme! There is NO WAY that this canyon was created by ANYTHING but GOD! Holy Holy Holy! Now I will have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN! Jesus is my friend! Science is EVIL! Praise be to Jesus! Praise be to God! Praise be to Allah! Praise be to his follower Tom Vail! Tom Vail "God's Paparazzi"!

if you have a brain...... 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 7 people found this review helpful.

As a practicing 'real live' geologist over the past 30 years, who has worked extensively in the Grand Canyon area, I can only suggest that instead of reading the nonsense presented in this book that one consider buying the a knowledgeable source on the geology of the Grand Canyon ('Grand Canyon Geology' edited by Beus and Morales). Unfortunately, the type of folks who will willingly buy this book feel more comfortable in a 'soft and fuzzy' world where everything has a simple explanation. WAKE UP! If you believe in the beauty of what you may consider to be 'God's Creation' then do not be afraid to embrace the astounding beauty of geologic complexity. If not, you may just as well read comic books.

Editorial Review:

Explore the majesty and beauty of one of God’s greatest creations

Includes 20 Essays from Leading Grand Canyon Authorities:
Steve Austin
John Baumgardner
Ken Cumming
Duane Gish
Werner Gitt
Ken Ham
Bill Hoesch
Russ Humphreys
Alex Lalomov
Henry Morris
John Morris
Gary Parker
Andrew Snelling
Keith Swenson
Larry Vardiman
Tas Walker
John Whitcomb
Carl Wieland
Kurt Wise

Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest (Deluxe Edition)

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Nature & Wildlife

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Straddling the borders of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico lies a magnificent wilderness known as the Colorado Plateau. Encompassing over 130,000 square miles, it is a high, eroded tableland of rock, canyon, and desert, and within its boundaries are the greatest concentration of National Parks, National Monuments, State Parks, Wilderness areas, BLM holdings, and Native American tribal lands in America. There are thirteen geographical areas included in the book: Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Gulch, Petrified Forest National Park, Hopi Tribal Lands, Grand Canyon National Park, Navajo Tribal Lands.

Jon Ortner captures it all in this encompassing volume of full-color photographs. Packaged with a limited edition print signed by the photographer, this impressive collection features over 200 photographs accompanied by quotes from authors, travelers, and nature enthusiats who have fallen under the spell of this incredible region. Featuring the most extraordinary collection of multicolored landforms found anywhere on Earth, this remarkable assemblage of geological diversity and spectacular beauty attracts growing millions of U.S. and foreign tourists every year. These time-worn canyons, mesas, and vast wind-swept deserts form the greatest expanse of exposed rock in North America. Without cover of dense vegetation or topsoil, the jagged skeleton of the earth is revealed, providing a continuous geological record spanning over 300 million years. Nowhere else is the ancient history of the planet laid bare in such a clear and dramatic way. Mesas, buttes, towers, spires, hoodoos, arches, windows, fins, domes, bridges, and badlands, all are infused with incomparable colors, creating a surreal world of chromatic rocks, tinted soils,
and shimmering sand dunes. It is a luminous painting with hues that change with each hour of the day. These locations have long attracted photographers, but few have photographed with the unique 6x17cm Panorama Camera and modern fine-grain transparency films. The ruggedness of the land, the great distances to be traveled, and extreme weather conditions magnify the logistic difficulties of photographing in the deserts and narrow slot canyons of the Plateau. Transporting heavy photo equipment and film by backpack over long and difficult trails, presents both mental and physical challenges. And the desert is unforgiving of even the smallest errors, treating the unprepared harshly. But, for the few with passion, for those who are willing to begin their trek at the end of the road, the secret world of the high Southwest reveals its treasures.

These photographs reflect the power and stunning beauty of these incomparable monuments to time and the inexorable forces of nature. It is a portrait of a wonderland of colored stone that is the eternal soul of Mother Earth, the foundation of the planet, and a reminder of the ultimate insignificance of man and his creations.

Arizona: A History

Thomas E. Sheridan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Thomas E. Sheridan has spent a lifetime in Arizona, "living off it and seeking refuge from it." He knows firsthand its canyons, forests, and deserts; he has seen its cities exploding with new growth; and, like many other people, he sometimes fears for its future.

In this book, Sheridan sets forth new ideas about what a history should be. Arizona: A History explores the ways in which Native Americans, Hispanics, and Anglos have inhabited and exploited Arizona from the pursuit of the Naco mammoth 11,000 years ago to the financial adventurism of Charles Keating and others today. It also examines how perceptions of Arizona have changed, creating new constituencies of tourists, environmentalists, and outside business interests to challenge the dominance of ranchers, mining companies, and farmers who used to control the state. Sheridan emphasizes the crucial role of the federal government in Arizona's development throughout the book.

As Sheridan writes about the past, his eyes are on the inevitable change and compromise of the present and future. He balances the gains and losses as global forces interact more and more with local cultural and environmental factors.

Hiking And Exploring The Paria River: Including, The Story Of John D. Lee And Mountain Meadows Massacre

Michael R. Kelsey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is a hiking guide to the Paria River drainage of southern Utah. The upper part of the system begins near Bryce Canyon National Park, and flows south to the Colorado River and Lee's Ferry. Lee's Ferry is not far below the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. Many people have now heard of the hike down the Paria, but there are many less-known and less-visited parts of this drainage included in this book.

This guide covers the entire river system, including a couple of mountain climbs in the far north, plus the dozen or so slot canyons in the middle and lower end. The more famous slot canyons are Bull Valley Gorge, the scene of a pickup wreck (still lodged in the slot) which left 3 hunters dead. Also,Round Valley Draw, the Buckskin Gulch and of course the Paria itself. This 3rd Edition includes for the first time Coyote Buttes and its best know part, The Wave, an international destination for fotographers. For this edition, 16 pages and several new hiking areas have been added, plus the author re-hiked many canyons and updated all of them. This editon has 178 fotographs.

As in previous edtions, the history of early-day ranchers and cattlemen are included. The history of gold miners at Lee's Ferry and around the old ghost town of Pahreah is also discussed. And the best story of all is that of John D. Lee, and his involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre (about 120 people were killed), and his life on the run from Federal authorities. It was John D. Lee who was sent by the Mormon Church to the lower end of the Paria River to hide out and build & operate a ferry across the Colorado River. His entire life story is told.

A Field Guide to the Grand Canyon 2nd Edition

Stephen Whitney

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Concise, and yet thorough 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I agree with everything the previous reviewer said, except that I really like the overviews of Canyon geology and so on, and don't feel that those make to book too heavy to be useful as a field guide. This is probably the best and most informative guide for a hiker or visitor to the Grand Canyon to take along.

nice intro to canyon flora and fauna 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was a nice introduction to the geology, plant and animal life of the grand canyon. It is small enough to take in your pack and is fun to read once you've arrived at camp and try to identify the plants, animals and strata you saw. Not too much specific information about any one species, strata, etc., but good general intros to flora, cacti, etc. I'd recommend it if it's your first hike in the canyon and you're just looking for a simple book to become familiar with the names of thing. You can find it in the gift shops on both rims too.

Field Guide to Grand Canyon 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Useful guide for visitors who are hiking, but limited use for river runners.

Editorial Review:

Comprehensive guide to Grand Canyon's natural history, including geology, and species illustrations on over 480 plants and animals.

And Die in the West: The Story of the O.K. Corral Gunfight

Paula Mitchell Marks

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

How can one know so much and understand so little? 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.

When I began reading this book, I was quite favorably impressed. The author had obviously done her homework and wrote widely about all manner of happenings in the early west and about the Earps' early days. Gradually, however, I noted that she was cherry picking her facts and was choosing her words quite carefully so as to depict the Earps, in general, and Wyatt Earp, in particular, in the worst possible light. It occurred to me that she must be setting them up to be the villains of the piece when she finally got around to the subject of the book, "The Gunfight at the OK Corral." As I continued to read, I looked forward to seeing if this would prove to be the case. I was not disappointed.

It was hard for me to believe but, in spite of her apparently extensive research, the author had somehow concluded that the Earp brothers were the cause of the problems in Tombstone, and (if I understand what she wrote and I read) that they initiated the action at the corral. She even went so far as to hypothesize a number of scenarios, leading up to that event, all of which reflected badly on Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and Doc Holliday. Strangely enough, however, although she had inadvertently set the stage for an even more likely scenario, she failed to mention it. I refer to the fact that, a number of pages earlier, she had quoted Ike Clanton as telling Wyatt Earp that if his associates ever became aware of the fact that he had conspired with Earp to capture three stage robbers, his life wouldn't be worth a plugged nickel.

What, then, would a cowardly Ike Clanton do when faced with the possibility that that information was, or was about to become, known? Of course: he would get drunk and go on the warpath against the Earps, which is exactly what he did. Add to this the fact that several of Ike's friends and associates, including his younger brother, just happened to arrive in town shortly after his widely known threats and the stage was set for a deadly confrontation largely based on a serious misunderstanding. In this scenario, Ike Clanton, by his threats and blustering tirade, would inadvertently have caused the gunfight at the OK Corral. This, to me, is a real possibility.

But with regard to the Earps and their reputation: does this author seriously believe that men who had been law officers in Wichita and Dodge City over a period of years, with minimal blood shed and with stellar reputations, would suddenly become outlaws? And does she seriously believe that a sickly dentist, who had made his living as a gambler, would all of a sudden decide to become a stage robber? A more likely scenario is that the "Democrats," as she termed them, i.e., those opposed to law and order in Tombstone, would use the same approach that Democrats use today. The best defense being a good offense, they would simply accuse the Earps of doing what they, themselves, were doing. Which is exactly what they did. Furthermore, if one considers the Earp brothers friends and associates, and their accomplishments over the years, as opposed Sheriff Behan's friends, associates, and posse members, Curly Bill Brocius, Ike Clanton, John Ringo, etc., one must conclude that the Earps, although flawed in many respects, acted in accordance with the law and that Sheriff Behan was either an outlaw; an associate of outlaws; or was somehow beholden to them, possibly for voting him into office.

So, although I found this book to be interesting in many respects, I find the author to be on the wrong side of the fence. And I can't help but wonder: How could someone seemingly know so much and understand so little. (For a better read, try "Murder in Tombstone: The Forgotten Trial of Wyatt Earp" by Steven Lubet, "Famous Gun Fighters of the Western Frontier" by Bat Masterson, "The O.K. Corral Inquest" by Alford E. Turner, "Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend" by Casey Tefertiller, "The Earps of Tombstone" by Douglas D. Martin, "The Tombstone Story" by John Myers Myers, or Tombstone's Epitaph" by Douglas D. Martin.")