Book Description
In a time when the world has become a global village and America a global nation, there is one place where things are largely as they used to be. Protected by mountains, largely ignored by modern industry and developers, Appalachia is America’s first and last frontier. Encom-passing more than 195,000 square miles in thirteen states, it possesses the least understood and most underappreciated culture in the United States.
A beautifully produced companion volume to the PBS documentary narrated by Naomi Judd, The Appalachians fills the void in information about the region, offering a rich portrait of its history and its legacy in music, literature, and film.
The text includes essays by some of Appalachia’s most respected scholars and journalists; excerpts from never-before-published diaries and journals; firsthand recollections from native Appalachians including Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, and Ralph Stanley; indigenous song lyrics and poetry; and oral histories from common folk whose roots run strong and deep. The book also includes more than one hundred illustrations, both archival and newly created. Here is a wondrous book celebrating a unique and invaluable cultural heritage.
Customer Reviews:
The beautiful south.......2006-07-28
My parents are from that area. They moved up north when they were young to a large city. And I was born up there. They were simple, hard working people. They didn't drink and my mother read the Bible and prayed every night (BTW, I'm an agnostic and now a UU). My dad chose to move to my hometown because he was a machinist with only one leg. That was before the civil rights laws that protect the disabled and he never got over the fear of people finding out his disability.
I found this a wonderful book and made me homesick for a place that could have been my home.
Anyway, I have a love/hate relationship with the South. I hated being called a "hillbilly" and was often made fun of. Yet when I've gone down there, I feel a kinship with the land and the people (the ones who are not mean rednecks). I hide the fact that I'm just a generation away from being a Southerner from most people until I get to know them. I live far away from my hometown. My adult children know little about their background and I don't know if that is good or bad.
well meaning but little new information.......2006-01-31
I picked up this book like most folks, I bet, after watching the PBS series. I found the film more effective than the book. The book is really a rehash of a lot of old stories that don't veer too much off the well-trod paths...that is, fine folks in the backwoods, front porch story tellers, and mostly white Appalachians.
To be honest, a far more groundbreaking and fascinating and rich portrait is the new book, The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America.
Great Introduction to America's Southern Treasure.......2006-01-30
Mari-Lynn Evans and others have compiled a very nice volume of stories, information, and cultural images from the Southern Mountains called Appalachia into a concisely written book. The book is also rich in color and b/w pictures too. This book is in my opinion for those Americans who know nothing of the mountain history and cultural and want the truth about this often misunderstood and sterotyped part of our nation. The book was written in sections so one could read the book in parts and lay it down, then pick it up and resume reading. The book had some colorful stories in it that entertained and yet other sections that were deeply informative and historically ancedotal. That was a nice mix so the reader doesn't lose interest in the subject. There were no blatant mountain stereotypes or overly romanticized stories in the book, yet I have read other books on Appalachia where the information on the mountains was more in depth and dry reading. I have personally purchased this book for three other people besides myself. For those interested in this treasured part of America, this is a great book to read first.
Glad You Suggested This Book & "People Of Passion" Together.......2005-03-22
This book provides great insight for readers into an often misunderstood and underappreciated area of our country. I was born and reared in the highlands of Southern Appalachia and I was happy to read of some things I already knew and then learn some new things. The book has great photos and descriptive essays.
And, Amazon, under the "Better Together" banner, suggested buying "People Of Passion: Stories of Faith & Determination That Will Touch Your Heart & Warm Your Soul." What a great companion book this proved to be!
Through 48 brief personal stories, "People of Passion" presents 200 years of history in the Southern Appalachian Highlands. Beginning in the 1770s and going through the 1960s, these dramatic accounts are in chronological order, which I think makes them even more interesting. These informative chronicles often tugged at my heart strings and definitely caused me to even more deeply appreciate the courage and sacrifices of our ancestors. I was also surprised at some things that I had no idea of. "People of Passion" is an informative, entertaining, and inspirational book that complements well "The Appalachians: America's First & Last Frontier."
A book worth reading.......2004-11-02
This effort is one of a kind! The pictures complement instead of duplicating the text. On page 94 my grandfather's name should be Henry Whitter instead of Henry Whitner. Henry Whitter traveled to New York City in March 1923 to record several country folksongs which he had written and showcased around Southwestern Virginia. He pioneered country recordings and paved the way for recording careers for later artists such as Pop Stoneman and the Carter Family.
Amazon.com
Some people will go to the ends of the earth for a good story; Nick Reding went to the end of the road, which turned out to be one and the same. When the Pan American Highway was extended into Chilean Patagonia, it exposed a people long believed to be extinct--the gauchos. While the gauchos had struggled for centuries with the hantavirus, extreme isolation, and visits by the devil, what the road brought was truly overwhelming. Reding befriends the likes of Duck, an alcoholic slowly breaking from the pressure of the outside; John of the Cows, a cattle thief on the lam; and Don Luis, an aging gaucho with terrific stories to tell. From its dramatic opening to its turbulent end, this elegant, brutal, and funny dispatch from one of the world's most forlorn places attempts to answer the inconceivable: What happens when you suddenly find yourself two centuries in the future? --Lesley Reed
Book Description
Gaucho conjures up an image as iconic as the word cowboy. But according to historians and anthropologists, their semi-nomadic culture disappeared at the end of the nineteenth century, and no one has seen the gauchos since. Until now.
Twenty-five years ago, the government of Chile began building a road into Chilean Patagonia, one of the least-populated regions in the world. In 1995, when Nick Reding traveled down that still-unfinished road into an unmapped river valley, he found himself in a closed chapter of history: a last, undetected, and unexplored outpost of gauchos so isolated that many of them, some of whom are boys as young as thirteen, still live completely alone with their herds, hours on horseback from the nearest neighbors. In 1998, Nick returned to the valley to witness what happens when time catches up to a people whom history has forgotten.
Reding’s account of the ten months he spent in Middle Cisnes, Patagonia, is a riveting, novelistic exploration of the longing for change by a people and a culture that, according to history books and the Chilean government, do not even exist. There’s Duck, the alcoholic with whom Reding lives and who takes Reding on long cattle drives, teaching him to ride and work as gauchos have for centuries; Duck’s wife, Edith, who is convinced she is reliving the life of her estranged mother, who was, according to legend, wed to the Devil; John of the Cows, a famed cattle thief wanted for murder who takes Reding to the secret place in the mountains where he hides his stolen stock; and Don Tito and Alfredo, two brothers who are unsure of their age and communicate with each other through smoke signals.
In Middle Cisnes, Reding watches a singular—and ultimately murderous—conflict take hold between those who want to trade life in the nineteenth century for life in the twenty-first and those who want to keep living as gauchos have for hundreds of years. What all of them understand is the near impossibility of a journey through a world where everything from the fierce landscape to a ravaging disease conspires against them, a journey whose terminus—the Outside, the only town in central Patagonia’s 42,000 square miles—is a place where the gauchos are not only ill-equipped to live, but clearly unwelcome.
The Last Cowboys at the End of the World is a story of regeneration through violence and tragedy. When the people of Middle Cisnes finally try to take their place in the modern world, the results are as horrifying and surprising as they are heroic. In the collision of the gaucho past, our present, and an unknown future, Nick Reding captures a moment in time that we have never before seen and will never see again.
Customer Reviews:
Lose yourself in order to find yourself.......2006-04-26
This is an exceptional study of the Patagonian gauchos and their life style and habitat before it is extinguished forever by western values, money and culture. As a tourist in Patagonia it should be required reading, especially if you are attempting a riding trip there as we were, across the Andes. For a moment you can understand what you are seeing and experiencing, for a second you are part of the scenary, not just watching it voyeuristically unfold before you. I don't think I understood travel until I read this book.I will never travel again with my eyes open and my mind closed.
A Fascinating Person and a Fascinating Story.......2003-05-24
I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Reding earlier this year, and as I chatted with him over some drinks, I was really struck by the thought, "This guy has led a really amazing life!" As a result, I went out and grabbed this book and as I read it, I became even more amazed.
Nick tells the story of his experiences in the Chilean Patagonia in a way that draw you in to every moment. The vividness of his writing and the beauty of some of his comparisons made this quite an enjoyable read. His attention to detail leaves the reader with a feeling that they are right there staring over Nick's shoulder as he goes about life in a very different part of the world.
Nick has that knack that some of the best writers have of being able to see the common thread that exists between very different experiences and places. This book is also extremely well researched with a lot of attention to historical detail, but this detail is not integrated in a dry textbook like manner. Instead when Nick feels it is neccessary to illuminate the reader about a particular piece of history to provide context for an event, he explains that history without distracting from the main storyline.
Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing and I look forward to future books by Nick (he assures me at least one more is on the way).
Gauchos are not chilean.......2003-01-13
This is just to correct a gross mistake from one of the other reviewers. Gauchos are the archetypical argentine country men, not chilean. and Patagonia is argentinean in more than 90% of its extension.
Gaucho literature is almost exclusively argentinian. An obligatory introduction to the world of gauchos is José Hernández' Martin Fierro. See this book first to get a glance at the gaucho's rough life before embarking in a second-hand misleading historiography.
A Great Read!!!.......2002-06-16
If you have been to Cisnes,Patagonia (or want to go there) this is a must book to read. I spent 10 days in this area in February, 2002 and saw some of the people that Nick writes about. In reading the book Nick made me feel that I was back there as I could visualize where the events were taking place. The changes to Coyhaique have continued since 1999 as I found it to be a very modern town. After reading this book I would like to make a return trip.
A book you won't forget.......2002-06-16
If you cherish the ways in which John McPhee and Barry Lopez make meaning out of landscape, if you appreciate a writer with an observant heart and a feel for language, and if you wonder how people manage to live--for well and for ill--in a world turned inside out, this is the book for you. By turns harrowing, hilarious, and touching, "The Last Cowboys" will command your attention and remain in your thoughts long after you have read the last page.
Book Description
Named a Best New Chef in America by Food & Wine and Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation, rising star Fabio Trabocchi offers a unique take on his native cuisine, that of the until-now-overlooked Le Marche region of Italy.
Every chef is a product of a place and a tradition. Fabio Trabocchi's soul is in the Italian province of Le Marche. Equidistant from Rome and Florence, Le Marche is on the Adriatic coast, bordered to the north by Emilia-Romagna, to the west by Tuscany and Umbria, and to the south by Lazio and Abruzzo. This geography accounts for the rich variety of Le Marche's food traditions. The first chefs of Le Marche assimilated recipes, ingredients, and techniques from visiting mariners from Greece and North Africa. In his debut cookbook, Trabocchi showcases his signature style of cooking—called "soulful and passionate—not pretentious" by Food & Wine—combining traditional elements of Italian cuisine with a contemporary European sensibility that draws on the many flavors he's experienced throughout his extensive travels and techniques honed at restaurants around the world.
Customer Reviews:
A Solid Book for the Serious Cook of Regional Italian Food.......2007-01-12
This book is based in large part upon the story of the Familia Trabocci,
That story gives the reader/cook some real insight into the spirit of the food which is made with the excellent recipes. This is not really a cookbook for the beginner because, although it has very fine illustrations of dishes on the table, there are few procedural illustrations and many of the regional ingredients may be difficlt to obtain. It is a fine book of the cooking and customs of a region of Italy. Buy it and read it, you will enjoy it! You should also try to reproduce the cooking through some of the recipes in the spirit of the region.
Very enlightening.......2007-01-05
I love Fabio's cooking. It's Inspired and exploding with amazing flavor. Fof over a year and a half worling in Maestro, I didn't always understood where the genious came from. This book has allowed me to understand a lot about him.
The recipes in the book are not your typical italian fare, it's a rustic, culinary treasure from a relatively undiscovered region of Italy. Very recomendable.
Italian charm, top-notch food.......2006-11-03
Part travelogue, part cookbook, Cucina of Le Marche intersperses its recipes with family memories and great storytelling. This is not just a cookbook to quickly consult over the stove; it's a book you'll want to curl up with and really read. Some of the recipes are fairly involved, but the writing is easy to follow and what I've made so far has been delicious. The rice and spinach soup with prosciutto and parmesan is heavenly, and the Le Marche risotto is easy to make but super yummy (the secret ingredient is cinnamon). Beginner cooks, advanced chefs and avid readers should all find something to love here.
Even with all the amazing restaurants in New York, I still crave the delicious food at Trabocchi's restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in VA. With this cookbook I can bring a little bit of his cuisine to my own kitchen. Bravo!
Finally... and worth the wait!!.......2006-10-27
As an avid cookbook collector, this is my favorite 2006 acquisition. I have been a devoted fan of Maestro, Chef Trabocchi's marvelous DC area restaurant and have been eagerly awaiting the publication of this book to learn more about his inspirations and bring some of the magic into my own kitchen.
Even if you haven't had the privilege of dining at Maestro, this book is a must-own for anyone who appreciates authenticity and a unique take on a traditional cuisine.
Buy this book and be prepared to fall in love with Le Marche!
Book Description
Personal stories about Alaska too often are told by men. Not this time. Here are stories written from women such as Molly Heath, stranded with her children far from home after the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, and Janet McCart, whose eyes are opened working on the trans-Alaska pipeline. One of the first women to work as a deckhand on a tender is seen through her daughter's eyes. Another struggles to fly. Yet another falls in love with fishing. Sixteen women test their spirits against everything Alaska throws at them with laughter, tears, and courage. Journey's end finds them stronger and smarter than they thought they could be.
Customer Reviews:
A SNAPSHOT OF ALASKA.......2003-09-27
A friend sent me this book and am I glad she did! It really gave me a broad view of Alaska and the women that have made it their home. It was great to read such a cross section of short stories and tales of our 50th state.
A Must-Read!.......2003-05-26
For anyone curious about the mystique of Alaska, this is a must-read. If you can't make a trip to Alaska, this is the next best thing. Not only for women, anyone will enjoy this book.
Book Description
Have you always wanted to go fishing in Alaska, but figured it was way out of your budget? If so, then this book is for you. Bernard has almost 20 years of experience planning spin fishing trips to Alaska at a very affordable price. This complete trip-planning book includes: resources; timing your trip; best fishing locations; arranging your flight and itinerary; vehicle rental; equipment and necessities to bring; protection from bugs, bears, and rain; packing for the trip; stocking up in Anchorage; on the road; techniques; preserving and processing your catch; etiquette; and so much more. Bernard can orchestrate the perfect trip for the minimum amount of money, follow his blueprint and you can't go wrong.
Customer Reviews:
A practical guide for car-based fishing for salmon in Alaska.......2007-07-12
This book has really grown on me. When I first received it I was a little disappointed thinking it was a little light on content. As I've thought more about planning my own Alaska fishing vacation, I now value the author's pragmatic style. He tells you with detail and precision how to get the most out of a car-based excursion fishing for salmon. From what and how to pack, to specific milepost markers for the best fishing at specific times, to how to get your catch home, it's all there. Be aware that this book is ONLY about car-based fishing and ONLY about fishing for salmon; also many of the areas identified as hotspots are very popular and will be crowded (the author uses the local phrase "combat fishing" to describe such situations).
good resource.......2007-03-16
A bit limited in scope, but overall a good source of information on getting around. full of good resources to help you plan your trip
Very helpful in planning .......2007-01-27
I purchased this book to aid in planning our first fishing trip to Alaska. The book was very helpful in providing insite in all parts of the trip. I would strongly recommend it for any first timers going fishing to Alaska.
Alaska.. say no more.......2006-07-28
this is a great book if you're getting ready for alaska. well written
Good for the first time visitor.......2005-08-26
This book is well organized and provides a great deal of useful information for the first time alaska visitor. The charts are particularly helpful as you travel along the highways. They quickly identify and rate all the major rivers and their salmon runs.
However, there is very little information here that every traveler I met on the highways didn't seem to already know. All the rivers rated as excellent are known by every highway angler in the state and they are all vying for some room at these locations. The best way to discover 'good' fishing locations is from the alaskan neighbors you meet at the campgrounds. So, I feel it's a good get acquainted book. A one trip book. A useful handbook. Keep it on your dashboard.
Average customer rating:
- Best book I've read in many moons
- At Last A Truthful View!
- Incredible!
- All right story, BUT...
- Great American Classic
|
The Last of the Mohicans (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
James Fenimore Cooper
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Cooper, James Fenimore
| Classics
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
19th Century
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Classics
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Cooper, James Fenimore
| ( C )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French and Indian War
| Colonial Period
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Colonial Period
| United States
| Americas
| History
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
( C )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
| Carroll, Lewis
| Cather, Willa
| Collins, Wilkie
| Conrad, Joseph
| Crane, Stephen
Classics
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
19th Century
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Classics
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
| Cather, Willa
| General
| Hawthorne, Nathaniel
| Irving, Washington
| Melville, Herman
| Poe, Edgar Allen
| Twain, Mark
| Wharton, Edith
| Whitman, Walt
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Last of the Mohicans (Cliffs Notes)
-
The Last of the Mohicans (Director's Expanded Edition)
-
The Deerslayer (Leatherstocking Tales)
-
The Pioneers (Penguin Classics)
-
Treasure Island (Signet Classics)
ASIN: 1593080654 |
Book Description
During the fierce French and Indian wars, an adroit scout named Hawkeye and his companion Chingachgook weave through the spectacular and dangerous wilderness of upstate New York, fighting to save the beautiful Munro sisters from the Huron renegade Magua.
The Last of the Mohicans is the most popular of
James Fenimore Cooper’s five Leatherstocking Tales. With its death-defying chases and teeth-clenching suspense, this American classic established many archetypes of American frontier fiction.
An engrossing “Western” by America’s first great novelist, The Last of the Mohicans is a story of survival and treachery, love and deliverance.
Customer Reviews:
Best book I've read in many moons.......2007-09-08
This book has lost none of its flavor. The writing is wonderfully lyrical, and the plot is set at a breathless pace. It may be old, but it still reads as well as ever. It deserves the place history has given it.
At Last A Truthful View!.......2006-09-22
I grew up reading the Longstockings Saga. As an African American mixed with Native American, there was much pain in my reading. I thought that this was a true image of the Native American, whites, and the few Negroes who were mentioned. Although Chingachgook and his son, Uncas are depicted as proud and pure, they never seemed to be equal to Deerslayer.
I also bought the DVD with Daniel Day-Lewis, in which Uncas dies and there is a painful speech given at the end which offers no hope for the Native American. Then I read the introduction of Stephen Railton. What a revelation tnat was! How much research did John Fenimore Cooper do on the Native American tribes he describes as being so terrible in his writing? I can remember trembling as a young student reading of his Mingo
warriors! Mr. Railton sheds much light and truth on the subject... Yes, the Last of the Mohicans is an exciting story, but it would have been better well research, with honest views of that period.
Incredible!.......2006-05-20
This book is a very well-written and amazing book. To be honest, it was hard to start out (because I didn't get used to Cooper's method of writing), but once I was a chapter or two into it, it was quite excellent. The portrayal and story and characters were all admirably well designed and I am glad I bought it.
All right story, BUT..........2005-03-18
If you've seen the 1992 movie "Last of the Mohicans" with Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. The movie is an almost completely different story from the book, and if you ask me, the movie is a much better adaptation. The movie will ruin the book for you.
In the book, the characters are prety one dimentional, with Hawkeye doing nothing but bragging how many Hurons he killed with his rifle, Cora doing nothing but being a damsel in distress in one scene after another, Major Hayward doing nothing but showing how incompetant he is in the woods, and all of them speaking in the exact same confusing monotone as every other character does. It's as if Cooper didn't think to actually create any distinctive personalities for his characters. Compare that to the movie, which has the grizzled woodsman who resists anything remotely resembling authority, the sheltered girl who eventually opens her eyes to the brutal realities of the frontier, and the stuffy army officer whose manhood is being threatened by a rival. I didn't mention any names, but you already knew exactly which character was which.
Even Cooper's own literary peers comment how banal this work is. In the back of the book, Mark Twain comments how, whenever the characters are required to remain silent in a scene, someone is bound to step on a dry twig and have everyone within two hundred yards hear it and come running.
It's not a horrible read, mind you, but after seeing the movie this book does little more than make you wonder what all the hype is about over this book. It may have been great for readers back in Cooper's day but I'd be amazed if this would ever get published today.
Great American Classic.......2005-01-12
The Last of the Mohicans was the first successful American novel and Cooper the first major american novelist. His desriptions of the New York wilderness and the Indian tribes that inhabit them are beautiful. They also are for the most part accurate. There are romantic themes running thorough the story. The reader feels the loss of a dying people and a dying way of life. The settlement of indian territories by colonists and native American tribal warfare are also rendered in deft prose.
This certainly is not an easy read, but one that is well worth the effort.
Customer Reviews:
A BOOK FOR A LIFETIME .......2007-03-05
Here I am ordering another copy of this book. I keep "loaning" them. I received my first copy in the mid-1950s as a horse/cowboy-loving teenager in Indiana. My USFS Ranger uncle sent it to me because he knew....!!! Knew it would be another huge nudge in getting me out to the Great Pacific Northwest other than just for visits. I made it in 1968 and my husband and I have visited the area depicted in the book countless times. I will soon turn 70 and have enjoyed reading this book every few years throughout my life. It is most compelling. The reviews of others are definitely right on. What more can I say other than, read it?
Amazing.......2007-01-10
A personal look in living real life in a land that little is known
Grass Beyond the Mountains.......2006-01-31
Pan Phillips had the "Pan Phillips International Airport" at his fishing camp beyond Anahim Lake B.C. For several years, we flew into his little airport between 2 lakes. Pan told us some of the same stories that are in this book. Louis Soukup was one of the first pilots to the area. Louis would fly in, any equipment that Pan needed, on the pontoons of his airplane. This book gives the stories as though you were sitting at the feet of the men who were the first settlers in this area of British Colombia. It is really an adventure to read.
Read It!.......2001-12-18
We own the Legacy Ranch high in the mountains of Northeastern Utah. For years we have loved the beauty of the unspoiled wilderness. Nursing newborn elk calves, watching Canadian Lynx outside their lairs, and many other adventures have cast us in the mold of lovers of the wilderness. To read the adventures of true cowboys, who started with nothing else but their "grit" and ended up with lives spent plumbing the depths of fun and hard work was one of the top literary experiences of our lives. This book, far better than the sequels, will be part o four Christmas giving this year.
Nothing To It!.......1999-12-12
Nothing to reading it, that is. This is one of the first nonfictions books I've read that I have ever liked. I got interested in it when I saw the TV show 'Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy' and had to read the books. This book made me laugh and almost made me cry. The characters are too funny and very heart-warming.
Amazon.com
Escape from Five Shadows is another great Elmore Leonard prison-break novel set in the Old West, with Corey Bowen as an innocent man looking to escape from a work camp run by a sadistic embezzler willing to kill to keep his scheme running. As always with Leonard, there are no throwaway lines, and success comes to those who act with competence and conviction. In Last Stand at Saber River, a Confederate veteran returns to his Arizona homestead to find that Yankee mercenaries are occupying his home. That situation's bound to change, and not peacefully. In The Law at Randado, a young deputy must prove himself to a rich man who represents the legal authority in their community. These three short novels from the early stages of Leonard's career are like blueprints for the crime fiction he would come to master in the 1980s and '90s, and will prove a delightful surprise to any of his fans. If you don't think you like Westerns, read any of these stories and you may find yourself reconsidering your taste for the genre. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
Escape From Five Shadows: It was supposed to be impossible. No man could break out of the brutal convict labor camp at Five Shadows. Until they locked up Bowen. He was like dynamite--charged to go off, to explode out of that desert hell so he could clear his name. Already the deadly trackers have caught him, dragged him back through the mesquite and rocks, beat him and left him to rot in the punishment cell. But they can't stop Bowen. He's a different breed, a man who will go to any extreme to escape. Any extreme.
Last Stand at Saber River: A one-armed man stood before Denaman's store, and the girl named Luz was scared. Paul Cable could see that from the rise two hundred yards away, just as he could see that everything had changed while he was away fighting for the Confederacy. He just didn't know how much. Cable and his family rode down to Denaman's store and faced the one-armed man. Then they heard the story, about the Union Army and two brothers--and a beautiful woman--who had taken over Cable's spread and weren't going to give it back. For Paul Cable the war hadn't ended at all. Among the men at Saber River, some would be his enemies, some might have been his friends, but no one was going to take his future away--not with words, not with treachery, and not with guns
The Law at Randado: Kirby Frye was a local boy come home again--with a badge and a reputation in some circles. But to the men with money in Randado, Kirby Frye meant nothing. Twelve upstanding citizens, prompted by a hard-drinking, free-spending cattleman, hanged two of Kirby's prisoners behind his back. Then they laughed in his face. Frye was young, but he was no fool. He took their taunts, took their hired men's blows, and waited. For with a hotheaded sheriff from Tucson and a breed tracker on Kirby's side, it would be three men against many. And what they didn't know about Kirby Frye was that three against many was good enough for him--good enough to go up against their guns, good enough to bring the law back to Randado, and good enough to drive a rich man to his knees.
Customer Reviews:
A great Leonard Western.......2004-09-23
In the course of the last month, I've become a big fan of Elmore Leonard's Westerns. I'm new to the Western, late in the game. After a few L'Amour's, a friend put me on to Leonard. He's the very top of the genre, in my view. The dialogue and the action tell the story and make the points about toughness and character, not the sentimental interior thought process of the hero, so common in this genre; at least what I've seen thus far.
In The Law at Randado (one of the titles in this collection), Kirby Frye is young and green (as a deputy), but he stands up to the townsmen and Phil Sundeen, the bad cattle baron, much to their surprise. He reminds me a lot of the implacable Roberto Valdez in "Valdez is Coming" (I think Leonard's greatest Western), and there are similar qualities to the story. But this is early Leonard (1954), and he only gets better as time goes on.
We again meet the scoundrel Sundeen and see his fate in Gunsights, a much later book (1979).
It's going to be hard to go back to other Western authors having been introduced to Elmore Leonard this early on!
Western fiction may be out of style, but not Elmore Leonard........1998-09-21
Although the author has tended to underrate his earliest work in the Western genre, later Elmore Leonard crime novels like CITY PRIMEVAL, KILLSHOT (a corker, by the way) and OUT OF SIGHT are certainly influenced by earlier books such as VALDEZ IS COMING. He will often include references to the movie Westerns that were made from his stories in the novels. The famous restaurant confrontation between Chili Palmer and a stuntman-bodyguard in GET SHORTY imitates a similiar scene in the Leonard-written Clint Eastwood movie JOE KIDD (which Chili, a true movie buff, remembers vividly). The very funny novel PRONTO gets even funnier when you realize that Leonard is, to a great degree, satirizing traditional Western heroics and the conventions of a genre that he truly understands and loves. I can't imagine any fan of Elmore Leonard's - or the American Western - being disappointed in THE LAW AT RANDADO (my personal favorite), HOMBRE (which won the Golden Spur Award for the 100 best Western novels of all time) or VALDEZ IS COMING. It's great to have these books back in print in any form (as well as the new set of Western shorts THE TONTO WOMAN) and collectors should move fast - these tend to be taken out of print very quickly. Don't buy one - buy all three!!
Average customer rating:
- The Best book on western collectibles by far!!!
- The bible on cowboy antiques and collectables
|
Cowboy Culture : The Last Frontier of American Antiques
Michael Friedman
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Americana
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Home & Garden Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0764308203 |
Book Description
The American cowboy's unique life-style inspired tools, clothing, amusements, advertising, and more which are avidly sought by collectors today. They are presented here with over 1000 color photographs identified in text and captions. Each section of this beautiful new second edition is more complete and has better examples than earlier books devoted to each subject. In Cowboy Culture, these items are inspected in their many variations. Here are exquisite spurs, saddles, gambling tools, photography, guns, holsters, bits, chaps, gloves, boots, hats, badges, and knives. Objects related to Wild West shows-which popularized the myths and accomplishments of cowboys to town dwellers who fantasized life on the open range-are also included. That same fantasy endures to this day as people all over the world who today dream of being a "cowboy."
Customer Reviews:
The Best book on western collectibles by far!!!.......1998-11-20
If you're into the antiques of the Old West, this is the one book to have. It's beautiful and comprehensive.WORTH EVERY PENNY. Highest recommendation.
The bible on cowboy antiques and collectables.......1997-12-30
This five pound coffee-table book is clearly the best ever done on the subject. Tons of beautiful color photos and lots of information on just about anything relating to the Old West. Spurs, saddles, guns, saloons and much more. Well worth the price.
Customer Reviews:
Find out about your final destination.......2001-12-23
I can't believe that no one else has reviewed this fine addition to the books by Grant Jeffrey. It contains many interesting tidbits that I found interesting - especially the information about virtually the entire book of Ezekiel being found on stone tablets and how close it is to modern translations. Also included in this book is a lot of info about the coming third Jewish temple and what it means to both Jews and Christians. There are many pieces relating to the Second Coming of Christ, the new Jerusalem, and quite a bit about what our life might be like once we reach eternity. One things for sure - we =won't= just be playing harps and singing hymns. If you've enjoyed Jeffrey's other books, I highly recommend you consider this one.
Books:
- The Art of Crossing Cultures
- The Budget-Building Book for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Managers and Boards (Jossey-Bass Nonprofit & Public Management Series)
- The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, ... Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside)
- The Dead Sea Scrolls - Revised Edition: A New Translation
- The Economics of Natural Hazards, 2 Volume Set (International Library of Critical Writings in Economics)
- The Experience Economy: Work is Theater and Every Business a Stage
- The Gift: Home for Christmas / All I Want for Christmas
- The Giving Tree
- THE GO-GETTER: A Story That Tells You How to Be One
- The GOLD OF EXODUS
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- What We Want Is Free: Generosity And Exchange In Recent Art
- Making Rustic Furniture: The Tradition, Spirit, and Technique with Dozens of Project Ideas
- Idle Hands: The Experience of Unemployment, 1790-1990
- Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy: Studies in Phenomeno
- Kids' Broadway Songbook
- Shameless Shortcuts: 1,027 Tips and Techniques That Help You Save Time, Save Money, and Save Work Ev
- Island Hopping in Tasmania's Roaring Forties
- Be Your Own Headhunter Online:: Get the Job You Want Using the Information Superhighway
- Corporate Financial Analysis in a Global Environment
- Leviathan Three
The Appalachians
The Appalachians
Appalachia: A History
People of Passion: Spotlighting Southern Appalachia, Representing America
The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment to America
