Abbey's Road  •  Edward Abbey NATURAL HISTORY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 198 PAGES Famed as a rascal, misanthrope and cantankerous lover of all things untamed, Abbey's writings reflect the beauty and spirit of wild places. They are also insightful and laugh-out-loud funny. This volume collects his explorations of varied locales around the globe, including the Sierra Madre of Mexico. If you like this book, we also carry Abbey's tribute to the American Southwest, Desert Solitaire. (DES04, $17.00)
Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest  •  Stephen Plog  •  Amy Elizabeth Grey CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2008 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES An illustrated introduction to the people, ancient pueblos and cliff dwellings of the American Southwest, ideal for the traveler with an interest in the prehistory of the region. Organized chronologically, it features hundreds of maps, mostly black-and-white photographs, and site diagrams. (USW131, $24.95)
The Archaeology of Ancient Arizona  •  Stephanie Whittlesey  •  James Jefferson Reid ARCHAEOLOGY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES An archaeological survey of the state. The book follows archaeologists as they trek around the mountains and deserts of Arizona, profiling them as well as describing the knowledge so far unearthed. (SWU36, $17.95)
Arizona Flipmap  •  Universal Map Enterprises MAP A laminated, fold-up map of Arizona, shown at a scale of 1:2,200,000. It overlaps 65 miles north into Utah, including Bryce, Zion and Monument Valley. (USW211, $4.95)
Arizona, A Cavalcade of History  •  Marhsall Trimble HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A delightful collection of stories about Arizona's rugged history, both informative and entertaining. Trimble covers the legends of Geronimo and well known generals like George Crook and Nelson Miles. With over 80 photographs and maps. (USW274, $15.95)
Arizona, the Grand Canyon State  •  Steven Walker NATURAL HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES A photographic overview of Arizona's geology, natural history and people. (SWU08, $9.95)
Arizona/New Mexico Map  •  AAA Publishing MAP A fold-up road map of Arizona and New Mexico, shown at a scale of 1:1,250,000. It includes insets of Alberquerque and Santa Fe. (USW302, $4.95)
Barren, Wild and Worthless, Living in the Chihuahuan Desert  •  Susan J. Tweit CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 203 PAGES These seven personal essays celebrate the nature and culture of the Chihuahuan Desert. Tweit's topics of choice include ecology, conservation and immigration. (USW431, $17.95)
A Beautiful, Cruel Country  •  Eva Antonia Wilbur-Cruce BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1991 •  PAPER  • 318 PAGES An absorbing memoir of growing up on a ranch along the Arizona/Mexico border in the early 20th-century. Wilbur-Cruce evokes the landscape and cultural diversity of her home through memories of cowboys, cattlemen and Papago Indians.With illustrations depicting the rituals of planting, harvesting, roundups and everyday life on her grandfather's ranch. (USW325, $22.95)
The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry  •  Theda Bassman ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES This thin book offers readers a glimpse of beautiful Hopi handiwork and the artists who created it. With 66 color photos by Gene Balzer. (SWU122, $15.95)
The Best of Edward Abbey  •  Edward Abbey ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 440 PAGES Abbey compiled this generous collection of his fiction and non-fiction in 1984, including excerpts from The Brave Cowboy, Black Sun, and The Monkey Wrench Gang, along with sections of Desert Solitaire and other essays. (GEN336, $16.95)
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West  •  Wallace Stegner EXPLORATION •  1992 •  PAPER  • 438 PAGES The classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of explorer John Wesley Powell by the great Wallace Stegner, first published in 1954. It's both the stuff of high adventure and an insightful look at the politics of development in the American West. Chosen as one of 13 enduringly significant books by Audubon Magazine. (USW78, $16.00)
The Big Year, A Tale Of Man, Nature, And Fowl Obsession  •  Mark Obmascik NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES Obmascik, himself an over-the-edge birder, recounts with glee and page-turning detail the race to see the most birds in North America in a year, a quest that has his three competitors on the road at a moments notice, heading out in the middle of the night, and combing the beaches. As he so winningly demonstrates, these people are driven. (BRD29, $14.00)
Birding in the American West  •  Kevin Zimmer FIELD GUIDE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES An illustrated guide to finding and sorting out similar species of birds in the mountains, deserts and other habitats of the West. Zimmer provides plenty of useful information on individual species, including behavior, habitat and identification. Useful as a site guide, he includes detailed listings by state -- and suggestions of the best places to find individual species. With numerous black-and-white illustrations and photographs of similar species and sought-after birds. (USW404, $29.95)
The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife  •  Christopher W. Leahy  •  Gordon Morrison NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 1072 PAGES A handsome, fully illustrated survey of the birds of North America, organized A to Z, covering birds, bird biology, conservation and birdwatching. Published in cooperation with the American Birding Association. (NAM21, $19.95)
The Blessing Way  •  Tony Hillerman MYSTERY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Hillerman's first mystery introduces Detective Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police, as well as Hillerman's now-trademark attention to Southwestern peoples' cultures and histories. (SWU94, $7.99)
Book of the Hopi  •  Oswald White Bear Fredericks  •  Frank Waters CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1977 •  PAPER  • 345 PAGES Thirty Hopi elders share their legends, ceremonies, history and language, first published in 1963, as compiled by Frank Waters and recorded by co-author Oswald White Bear Fredericks. The book, which addresses questions of spirituality, is considered a key New Age text. (SWU145, $16.00)
The Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses, the Crossing, Cities of the Plain  •  Cormac McCarthy LITERATURE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 1017 PAGES McCarthy's trio of novels chronicle the coming of age in the desert country of the American Southwest. (SWU200, $36.00)
Butterflies through Binoculars, The West  •  Jeffrey Glassberg FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 374 PAGES A photographic identification guide to butterflies found throughout the western United States, from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Range maps and 625 color photos are included, along with short descriptions, information on biology and conservation, and other facts helpful to spotting and identifying butterflies. (BUG11, $24.95)
Canyon  •  Michael Ghiglieri TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 311 PAGES Down the river from Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek in the company of an experienced guide and ecologist. Ghiglieri mixes a travel account with high adventure, drama and a good deal of information on the history, geology and ecology of the Colorado. (SWU75, $19.95)
Chasing Monarchs, A Migration with the Butterflies of Passage  •  Robert Michael Pyle NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 307 PAGES A memoir of Lepidoptery, combing the entomologist-author's considerable knowledge of butterflies and their biology with a rambling road trip from British Columbia through the Southwest to Mexico. (MEX62, $14.00)
Chiricahua Mountains, Bridging the Borders of Wildness  •  Ken Lamberton  •  Jeff Garton NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 86 PAGES A personal celebration of the geology, landscapes, human and natural history of the Chiricahua mountains (one of our favorite places on the planet). With 14 evocative black-and-white photographs by Jeff Garton. A volume in the University of Arizona Desert Places series. Lamberton devotes one short chapter each to his explorations of West Turkey Creek, cave Creek, and Barefoot Lookout. (SWU148, $13.95)
Colorado Plateau Map  •  Hildebrand MAP • COMING IN A detailed shaded relief map (scale 1:1,250,000) of the Southern Rockies, including Bryce Canyon, Zion, the Grand Canyon and New Mexico. Features railroad routes. (USW05, $6.95)
Crossing Paths, Uncommon Encounters with Animals in the Wild  •  Craig Childs EXPLORATION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Adventurer and naturalists Craig Childs vividly describes 23 meetings with the animals of the American desert, from camel to rainbow trout. Each chapter introduces a new animal, and Child offers memorable descriptions of each in this engrossing travelogue. (SWU170, $14.95)
Crossings, Photographs from the U.S.- Mexico Border  •  Tom Miller  •  Alex Webb CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES With gritty, evocative photographs by Alex Webb and illuminating commentary by colleague Tom Miller. (SWU179, $50.00)
The Desert Cries, A Season of Flash Floods in a Dry Land  •  Craig Childs NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 140 PAGES Naturalist and adventurer Craig Childs's impressionistic account of five flash floods which killed 22 people in Arizona in 1997. (SWU172, $14.95)
The Desert Smells Like Rain, A Naturalist in O'odham Country  •  Gary Paul Nabhan CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2002 •  PAPER  • 148 PAGES An ethnobotany, natural history and portrait of the Tohono O'odam (or Papago) people of the desert southwest. A talented writer, Nabhan conveys the everyday life of a traditional desert people in this sympathetic, unsentimental book. Originally published in 1982, it includes a history of government land management practices in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. (USW275, $16.95)
Desert Survival Skills  •  David Alloway GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A practical guide to survival in the desert, leavened by Alloway's sense of humor and own experience in the Chihuahuan desert. Topics include finding and conserving water, fire, shelter, weather, plant and animal resources, vehicle repair and first aid. (DES06, $24.95)
Desert Survivor, An Adventurer's Guide to Exploring the Great American Desert  •  John Annerino GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A well informed, practical guide and handbook for hikers, backpackers and anyone else who would like to explore the parks and wilderness areas of the Chihuauan, Mojave, Sonoroan and Great Basin deserts of the American Southwest. With maps, drawings, photos, and guidelines for safe travel. Annerino is a popular author, photographer -- and desert rat -- who lives in Tucson. With an excellent overview of the natural and cultural history of the Great American Desert. (USW372, $15.95)
Discovering the Desert, Legacy of the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory  •  William McGinnies BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1982 •  PAPER  • 276 PAGES A history of Sonoran desert research, this book is an engaging survey of the geography, ecology and climate of desert life in the American Southwest -- and especially of the pioneering work conducted at the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory. With maps, diagrams and black-and-white photos. (USW103, $17.95)
Down the River  •  Edward Abbey TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 242 PAGES A collection of essays, most on western rivers, many on the Colorado. It includes Abbey's rafting trip in Glen Canyon, and some strikingly funny misadventures on the water. A classic. (SWU73, $16.00)
Downcanyon, A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River Through the Grand Canyon  •  Ann Zwinger NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A vivid overview of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, from Mile 0 at Lees Ferry to Mile 278 at Grand Wash Fault. Zwinger, clearly in love with the American West, interweaves geology, plants, animals and human history in her account, organized by season. She helpfully includes extensive notes for further reading. With line drawings and two maps. (USW11, $19.95)
Eyewitness Guide Arizona & the Grand Canyon  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES A comprehensive guide to Arizona, complete with over 500 photographs, illustrations and maps, as well as plenty of travel information on where to go, stay and eat. (SWU173, $20.00)
Falcon Guide, Hiking Grand Canyon National Park  •  Ron Adkison GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 262 PAGES In addition to useful trail descriptions, maps and safety techniques, this practical hiking guide to Grand Canyon National Park gives an overview of the area's natural history, tips for no-trace camping and advice on navigating the area's unique terrain. (SWU102, $14.95)
A Field Guide to the Grand Canyon  •  Stephen Whitney FIELD GUIDE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 268 PAGES A compact guide to the natural history of the Grand Canyon with 71 handsome color plates, maps and illustrations. Bring it along. (USW06, $19.95)
A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona  •  Anne Orth Epple  •  Lewis Epple FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES A comprehensive photographic field guide to the flora of Arizona covering all the state's habitats, from the deserts and grasslands to the mountains. With nearly 1,000 color photos, it covers wildflowers, cacti, trees and other plant-life, and is color-coded for easy reference. (SWU60, $24.95)
A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians  •  Robert Stebbins FIELD GUIDE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 533 PAGES This field guide covers reptiles and amphibians found from Northern Mexico to Alberta. With the variety of chuckwallas, whiptails and other localized lizards and snakes in Baja California, it is an indispensable guide to that region. Baja endemics are featured on four of the book's 56 plates. P.S. It's true that Santa Catalina Island has a rattleless rattlesnake -- although it's retiring and hard to see. With color photographs, newly revised range maps and very good descriptive information. (FG08, $22.00)
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West  •  Kathryn Smith  •  Judith Bromley ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES Wright's two Taliesin estates (the first in Wisconsin, the second in Arizona) serve as two of the finest institutes of architectural education in the country. They also stand as two of his finest design achievements. Both are detailed and discussed in this photographic tribute. (USA50, $39.95)
Frommer's American Southwest  •  Frommer's GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 627 PAGES A practical travel guide in the popular series featuring excellent annotated listings of what to do and where to eat and sleep. With one-color maps and suggested excursions. (SWU183, $22.99)
Frommer's Arizona  •  Karl Samson GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series, strong on where to eat, sleep and shop. (SWU223, $19.99)
Gathering the Desert  •  Gary Paul Nabhan NATURAL HISTORY •  1985 •  PAPER  • 209 PAGES An ecologist with a particular interest in the origins of foodstuffs, Nabhan interweaves ethnography, biochemistry, natural history and journalism to document traditional uses of 12 Sonoran desert plants: the creosote bush, palm, mescal, sandfood, organpipe cactus, amaranth, tepary bean, chile, devil's claw, panicgrass, and wild gourds. (USW120, $19.95)
Geronimo, His Own Story  •  Stephen Melvil Barrett BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  PAPER  • 190 PAGES The autobiography of famous Apache warrior Geronimo, as dictated to S.M. Barrett. Geronimo tells of battles against the Mexicans and whites, and describes the origins, customs and laws of the Apaches. This is a valuable account of the struggle over the Apache lands, giving great insight into the mind of a legendary warrior and scout-shaman. Barrett had to acquire the permission of President Teddy Roosevelt to record the story of Geronimo, who was then a prisoner of war. (USW326, $15.00)
Getting Over the Color Green  •  Scott Slovic ANTHOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES This anthology and tribute to the American desert features the writing of Charles Bowden, Ann Zwinger and Barbara Kingsolver. Highlighting the work of these and other renowned Southwestern authors, the collection includes more than 50 pieces, ranging from fiction and poetry to essays and field notes. While the pieces differ in style and tone, they all share a passion for the desert. (SWU62, $19.95)
Glen Canyon/Capitol Reef Map  •  Trails Illustrated MAP A detailed topographic map of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Capitol Reef National Park, at a scale of 1:177,000. Printed on tear- and water-resistant tyvek, it's a good choice for planning a hike. (SWU57, $11.95)
Going Back to Bisbee  •  Richard Shelton TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 329 PAGES Poet Richard Shelton's meditations on the history, landscape and wildlife of Bisbee, Arizona. Elegantly written, this narrative of a day trip from Shelton's Tucson home to the old mining town is an excellent introduction to the region's human and natural history. (USW324, $17.95)
Grand Canyon Country, Its Majesty and Lore  •  Seymour L. Fishbein  •  Kenneth Brower NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES An overview of the Grand Canyon presented in the style of National Geographic, featuring spectacular color photographs, maps and good travel information. (SWU13, $15.00)
The Grand Canyon Handbook, An Insider's Guide to the Park  •  Susan Frank  •  Phil Frank GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES A charming guidebook to the Grand Canyon as presented by Ranger Jack, featuring practical travel information, along with historical and cultural background and a section dedicated to wildlife and ecology. Cartoonist Phil Frank provides the maps and illustrations. With black-and-white photographs. (SWU161, $14.95)
Grand Canyon National Park Destination Map  •  National Geographic MAP A colorful, fold-up topograhpic map of the Grand Canyon, shown at a scale of 1:70,000. Published by National Geographic, it contains a great deal of information on the region's attractions, but for hiking you'll want to use (USW332). (SWU01, $14.95)
Grand Canyon National Park Map  •  Trails Illustrated 1999 •  MAP A detailed hiker's topographic map of Grand Canyon National Park, shown at a scale of 1:74,000, printed on tear-resistant, waterproof paper. (USW332, $11.95)
Grand Canyon, A Century of Change  •  Robert H. Webb NATURAL HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES A fascinating book, which pairs photographs taken along the river at the turn-of-the-century with modern photographs from 1994-95. It documents, in visual detail, changes wrought over the last 100 years. (SWU72, $27.95)
Grand Canyon, A Visitor's Companion  •  George Wuerthner FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES A handbook to the geology, ecology and wildlife of the Grand Canyon, part of an excellent series by ecologist George Wuerthner. With 60 color photographs and 260 color drawings, the book is both an overview and a field guide, covering birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, mammals and plants. (SWU197, $19.95)
Grand Canyon, Little Things in a Big Place  •  Ann Zwinger  •  Michael Collier NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 104 PAGES (USW467, $14.95)
Grand Canyon, The Complete Guide  •  James Kaiser GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 332 PAGES A full-color informative guide on where to go, what to do, and how to get the most out of hikes, river trips and other adventures in the Grand Canyon, featuring an overview of sights and attractions and dozens of excellent, detailed maps. With chapters on Adventures, Geology, Ecology, History, South Rim, Colorado River, North Rim and Havasu. (SWU190, $22.95)
Grand Canyon: Window of Time  •  Stewart Aitchison NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES A brief environmental history of the Grand Canyon, complemented by excellent color photographs. (SWU218, $9.95)
The Grand, The Colorado River in the Grand Canyon: a Photo Journey  •  Steve Miller NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES Miller, with his 30 years of experience rafting the Colorado, documents the wildlife, geology, landscapes and fellow rafters from Lees Ferry to Mile 236 in 300 glorious color photographs. Published in conjunction with the Grand Canyon Association. (SWU196, $29.95)
Guide Map to Lake Powell and Glen Canyon  •  North Star Maps MAP A colorful, folded map of the region at a scale of 1:270,000. (SWU188, $7.95)
A Guide to Tucson Architecture  •  Anne M. Nequette  •  R. Brooks Jeffery ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 340 PAGES An illustrated guide to the architecture of Tucson, with maps, 140 photos and descriptions of key buildings and structures throughout the city. (SWU107, $22.95)
The Hidden Canyon, A River Journey  •  John Blaustein  •  Edward Abbey  •  Martin Litton TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 143 PAGES A celebrated collection of photographs and accompanying journal of an 18-day trip down the Colorado River by none other than Edward Abbey. Martin Litton (founder of Grand Canyon dory), who rafted the river in a wooden dory in celebration of his 80th birthday, provides the introduction. This revised edition includes additional photographs. (SWU69, $19.95)
Hiking the Grand Canyon  •  John Annerino GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES The third edition of Annerino's informative guide to the canyon with information on what to expect, an overview of the native and natural history of the area, suggested routes and trail descriptions. (SWU210, $16.95)
Historic Scottsdale, A Life from the Land  •  Joan Fudala HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES An oversize photo history of Scottsdale, Arizona. (SWU109, $49.95)
Hopi Kachina Dolls, With a Key to Their Identification  •  Harold S. Colton REFERENCE •  1979 •  PAPER  • 150 PAGES Over 250 figures are presented in this kachina collector's reference. Colton offers an introduction to the craft as well as tips for identifying your kachina. Color photos and line drawings accompany the descriptions. (SWU124, $18.95)
Indians of the American Southwest  •  Steven Walker CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 63 PAGES An excellent overview of the Indians of the Southwest, including the Anasazi, Hohokam and Sinagua. (SWU10, $8.95)
Insiders' Guide to Phoenix  •  Lori Rohlk Pfeiffer  •  Paul Morris  •  Mary Paganelli  •  Sean McLachlan GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 456 PAGES A comprehensive practical guide to the city, now in its 3rd edition. Extensive recommendations for where to sleep and eat make it best suited for travelers doing an independent tour, but it also includes a healthy amount of historical, natural and cultural information. (SWU153, $16.95)
Introduction to Grand Canyon Geology  •  L. Greer Price SCIENCE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES A brief illustrated guide to the formation of the canyon, its tectonic setting and the other geological features. (SWU45, $9.95)
Journey to the High Southwest  •  Robert Casey GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 578 PAGES An outstanding guide, featuring first-hand observations and step-by-step narrative accounts of travel by auto, raft, or foot throughout the Four Corners, including the Lowry Pueblo Ruins, Canyonlands, Monument Valley and Taos. With an extensive overview of the history and culture of native cultures. Eighth edition. (USW08, $19.95)
Kingbird Highway, The Story of a Natural Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand  •  Kenn Kaufman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Kaufman's absorbing account of coming-of-age as a Wichita teenager on the road in 1973 with a summer's pay in his pocket and the goal of seeing as many birds as he could in a year. He tallied 671, impressive by any account and extraordinary if you count birds per buck. He did it all for $1,000. This cult classic was originally published in 1973. (BRD27, $14.00)
Left Handed, Son of Old Man Hat: A Navajo Autobiography  •  Left Handed  •  Walter Dyk BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  PAPER  • 379 PAGES An oral history of Left Handed, a Navajo born in the 19th century, who looks back on his life and Navajo customs from the vantage of 1938 as told to Walter Dyk. It's a classic, popular in anthropology classes. (SWU96, $18.95)
Lonely Planet Grand Canyon National Park  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER This comprehensive guide, with a focus on where to go and what to do, includes an overview of the natural history of the area and maps. (SWU174, $19.99)
Lonely Planet Southwest USA  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 492 PAGES A comprehensive, detailed practical guide to traveling in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Soutwestern Colorado. With a general overview and region-by-region review of sites, attractions, and where to go and what to do in the Lonely Planet style. (SWU99, $24.99)
Mac's Pocket Guide Grand Canyon National Park Geology  •  Stewart Aitchison NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER A 12-panel foldup guide to the geology and the geological features of the Grand Canyon with color photographs. (SWU217, $5.95)
Mammals of North America  •  Roland W. Kays  •  Don E. Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A comprehensive guide by two noted mammalogists and featuring 108 color plates, illustrating 442 species. Range maps and descriptive text on ecology, habitat and behavior complement the wonderful paintings. (NAM11, $19.95)
The Man Who Walked Through Time  •  Colin Fletcher TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 247 PAGES Fletcher's much-loved account of a remarkable two-month odyssey below the rim of the Grand Canyon, first published in 1967. (USW94, $14.95)
Moon Handbook Four Corners  •  Julian Smith GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 215 PAGES A slim, comprehensive guide to the sights and history of Navajo and Hopi Country, Moab and Lake Powell. Includes color photos, maps, and practical information on where to stay and what to do. (SWU189, $16.95)
Moon Handbook Grand Canyon  •  Bill Weir GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES A handy, practical guide to the Grand Canyon and nearby regions, this book is a good resource for planning a trip, featuring extensive, up-to-date listings, maps and other background information. (SWU175, $17.95)
Nampeyo and Her Pottery  •  Barbara Kramer BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A full-length biography of the celebrated Hopi potter. Nampeyo (1860-1942), who revitalized the form by marrying prehistoric and contemporary design. (SWU144, $24.95)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States: Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah  •  Peter Alden FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES A compact photographic guide to the wildflowers, trees, mosses, butterflies, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals of the American Southwest. Apart from its 1,300 photographs, the book also includes an overview of the ecology and habitats of the region and a list of parks and reserves. (SWU14, $19.95)
National Geographic Arizona  •  Bill Weir GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A comprehensive guide to Arizona, in the National Geographic visual style, with maps, background essays, practical information and color photography. (SWU132, $22.95)
National Geographic Field Guide to Birds, Arizona & New Mexico  •  Jonatha Alderfer FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A pocket guide to the birds of Arizona and New Mexico, featuring a two-page spread for each species with a clear color photograph, a range map and excellent descriptions of field marks, behavior, habitat and viewing sites. (SWU213, $14.95)
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America  •  National Geographic FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 502 PAGES From Alaska to Baja California, this field guide published by the National Geographic Society, now in its fifth edition (with tabs!), is the one to carry. Practical to use in the field, it has maps, illustrations and descriptions of the birds on facing pages. The scale of the maps changes with the range of the bird, which means you get a more detailed regional map for those birds with a restricted range. This fully revised fifth edition features nearly 700 color range maps, bigger and better than ever. (FG09, $24.00)
Native Universe, Voices of Indian America  •  Clifford E. Trafzer ANTHOLOGY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES This anthology of personal and historical essays, as well as over 300 color illustrations of Native American art, is being published to accompany the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. It includes selections from several modern Native American writers, including Louise Erdrich and Sherman Alexie. (USA95, $22.00)
A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert  •  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 650 PAGES Written with the general reader in mind, the many contributors to this book cover the ecology, flora and fauna of the Sonora in dozens of short articles. Written by the staff of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, it's an encyclopedic, overview of the region and its biodiversity. The book includes 35 color illustrations, 25 black and white photographs, and 450 line drawings useful for identification. (BJA26, $31.95)
A Naturalist's Guide to Canyon Country  •  David Williams  •  Gloria Brown FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 188 PAGES A compact field guide to the wildlife of the high desert of the Colorado Plateau and the nine national parks of the region, including Arches and Canyonlands, featuring handsome watercolor illustrations by Gloria Brown. A former ranger based in Moab, Williams includes an overview of the history, geology and ecology of the high desert in addition to basic information that you'll need to identify common plants and animals. Published in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association. (USW289, $22.95)
Navajo Weaving, Three Centuries of Change  •  Kate Peck Kent ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 152 PAGES When it comes to Navajo weaving, this handsome book is the best thing going: a well-written, authoritative history of craft, technique and culture. Kent reviews Navajo textiles from 1650 (and the introduction of the loom) to the modern era. With full-color, black-and white and archival photographs, diagrams and maps. (SWU80, $22.95)
The New Encyclopedia of the American West  •  Howard R. Lamar REFERENCE •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 1320 PAGES A massive -- and entertaining -- reference to the West, featuring more than 2,400 entries and 600 illustrations. From prehistory to today, it includes historical and geographical overviews, trivial tidbits, biographical sketches of major figures, and commentary on art and literature. Compiled by Yale professor Howard R. Lamar, it's the most comprehensive single volume of its type. (USW416, $85.00)
Patterns of Culture  •  Ruth Benedict  •  Margaret Mead CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2006 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES Essential reading for any anthropologist, this pioneering book compares and contrasts three cultures: the Kwakiutl (Pacific Northwest), Zuni (American Southwest) and the Dobu Island culture (Papua New Guinea). With a preface by Margaret Mead. (PNG10, $15.00)
Paul Strand Southwest  •  Paul Strand  •  Rebecca Busselle  •  Trudy Wilner Stack ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 112 PAGES With 50 black-and-white photographs, this book showcases Strand's work during the summers of 1926 and 1930-1932, when Taos, New Mexico served as the inspiration for his stark, elegant style. Working from two homemade darkrooms, one in a hotel basement and another above a local movie theater, Strand captured the depth and beauty of the Southwest. Through personal letters and snapshots, this book chronicles a dynamic period in Strand's life, both artistically and socially; his relationship with his wife Rebecca and his mentor Alfred Stieglitz were struggling, and he crossed paths with the likes of D.H. Lawrence, Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keefe. (USW442, $50.00)
Phoenix PopOut Map (with Scottsdale, Tempe and Tucson)  •  Map Group Inc. MAP A handy map of Phoenix with an origami-style fold that opens outwards from the center. This double edition also includes maps of Scottsdale, Tempe and Tucson. (SWU111, $6.95)
Preserving Nature in the National Parks, A History  •  Richard West Sellars NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A history of the National Park Service. Sellars presents an academic critique of the National Park bureaucracy and its failure to address good science in making public policy. (USA12, $24.00)
Remember D-Day, Both Sides Tell Their Stories  •  Ronald J. Drez  •  David Eisenhower HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An engaging and well-constructed history of the D-Day invasion for readers in grades 5 to 8, complete with anecdotes from soldiers, black-and-white photographs, plenty of historical information, and an introduction by David Eisenhower which paints a personal portrait of his grandfather, Dwight. (USA96, $17.95)
Return to Wild America, A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul  •  Scott Weidensaul NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES Weidensaul follows in the footsteps conservation pioneers Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher in this homage to their 1953 journey, modern travelogue and eye-opening report on wilderness in America. (USA123, $15.00)
Rick Joy, Desert Works  •  Rick Joy  •  Steven Holl  •  Juhani Pallasmaa ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES A photographic overview of nine buildings (six houses and three studios/offices) designed by Richard Joy in the Sonoran Desert. With essays written by Joy himself, as well as architect Richard Holl and critic Juhani Pallasmaa. (GEN251, $40.00)
The River is Mine  •  Ardian Gill LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES This historical novel, subtitled John Wesley Powell's 1869 Exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers and the Grand Canyon, captures the spirit of Powell and the expedition. (SWU152, $12.95)
Road to Scottsdale  •  Albert J. Lieber  •  Kurt Vonnegut BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 105 PAGES A short and airy memoir of growing up in Scottsdale, Arizona from 1936-1943, and featuring an introduction by Kurt Vonnegut. (SWU110, $18.95)
Roads in the Sky, The Hopi Indians in a Century of Change  •  Richard O. Clemmer HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 404 PAGES An in-depth look at how the Hopis have coped with an ever-changing, modernizing world. Clemmer asks if Hopis are victims of ethnocide by examining their past struggles, current tensions and political structure. (SWU123, $42.00)
Roadside Geology Arizona  •  Halka Chronic NATURAL HISTORY •  1986 •  PAPER  • 321 PAGES Designed for the roadside traveler, this book explains in detail the geologic history of Arizona as seen through the window. It's a great introduction to basic geomorphology and how the dramatic landscapes were formed. Each section is organized around a particular route, with black-and-white photographs complementing the amazingly detailed geologic maps. The highly readable text lets you know exactly how and when that butte on the horizon was formed and how it fits into the larger geologic picture. (USW122, $18.00)
Scats and Tracks of the Desert Southwest  •  James Halfpenny  •  Todd Telander FIELD GUIDE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES An essential pocket guide to tracks, scats and signs of not just the mammals of the region but also the reptiles, amphibians and birds. Each of the species gets a double-page spread with line drawings of the animal, scat and track, range map, and description. With shaded pencil drawings by Todd Telander. (SWU61, $9.95)
The Secret Knowledge of Water  •  Craig Childs TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Longtime desert-dweller Craig Childs's reverence for water is displayed clearly in the pages of this travelogue, an adventuring ecologist's journey through Arizona, Utah, the Grand Canyon and Northern Mexico. Subtitled "Discovering the Essence of the American Desert," this lyrical narrative paints the desert as a place of mystery and infintie potential. (SWU169, $14.99)
Smithsonian Handbooks Birds of North America, Western Region  •  Fred J. Alsop, III FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 752 PAGES An illustrated handbook and field guide to birds found west of the Mississippi. Describing 700 birds in all, this book dedicates a page to each species, with digitally enhanced photographs and silhouette drawings, range maps, and concise descriptions of behavior, habitat and conservation. Introductory chapters provide helpful background on basic terminology and bird-watching techniques. (USW415, $25.00)
Sonoran Desert Spring  •  John Alcock NATURAL HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 134 PAGES Alcock, a professor of insect behavior at the University of Arizona, writes of the plants and animals and ecology in this lyrical meditation on the Sonoran desert. The book is organized as a series of essays on key plants and animals over the four-month period from February to May. (BJA20, $17.95)
Sonoran Desert Summer  •  John Alcock NATURAL HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 187 PAGES Alcock evokes the plants, animals, ecology and terrain of the Sonoran desert in this extended natural history essay. A professor of insect behavior, he writes not only of the familiar saguaro cactus and showy bird-life of the region but also wood-boring beetles and other less obvious topics. (BJA21, $17.95)
Soul of Nowhere  •  Craig Childs TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES Naturalist and adventurer Craig Childs's account of travels in the American desert. (SWU171, $22.95)
Southwestern Desert Birds  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD A fold-out, laminated guide to the birds of the desert Southwest, with illustrations of almost 150 species. This pocket-size reference contains just the bare-bones information, but it's handy for quick identification in the field. (SWU42, $5.95)
Southwestern Desert Life  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  2000 •  PLASTIC CARD A pocket-size, fold-out guide to the life of the desert southwest, from Gila monsters to saguaros, as well as some of the more modest species. This laminated reference is handy for quick identification in the field, with almost 150 illustrations. (SWU43, $5.95)
Southwestern Pottery, Anasazi to Zuni  •  John Blom  •  Allan Hayes ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 189 PAGES A fully illustrated history of the pottery of the southwest geared for collectors (and demonstrating the authors' usual humor and tendency to anecdote). With illustrations of 1,100 pieces of pottery and useful tips for collectors. (SWU142, $21.95)
Stolen Continents, 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas  •  Ronald Wright HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A powerful history of imperialism and resistance in the Americas, with a focus on the Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois. Wright's illuminating account, told largely from the point of view of the losers, details the rapid collapse of cultures and societies in the Americas following the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Wright draws on an impressive range of archival material in reconstructing this classic account, originally published in 1993. Wright is also the author of Time Among the Maya. (NAM20, $17.00)
A Taliesin Legacy, The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright's Apprentices  •  Tobias S. Guggenheimer ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES An illustrated introduction to the architects and philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Fellowship in Wisconsin and Arizona. Guggenheimer focuses on the careers of dozens of architects who worked under Wright's guidance, including E. Fay Jones, Paolo Soleri and Wesley Peters, and the designs that evolved from Wright's "organic" movement. (USE141, $64.95)
There's This River... Grand Canyon Boatman Stories  •  Christa Sadler ANTHOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES A collection of stories and tales by the entertaining, experienced, sometimes brave and crazy boatmen (and women) of the Grand Canyon, first published in 1994 and expanded for this new edition. With 35 illustrations, many in color. (SWU214, $17.95)
This Land, A Guide to Western National Forests  •  Robert H. Mohlenbrock  •  Mike Dombeck GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES (USW468, $25.95)
To See Every Bird On Earth: A Father, A Son, And A Lifelong Obsession  •  Dan Koeppel NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Ostensibly about birds and birdwatching, this enormously appealing book is a memoir by a talented writer of his father, a father who happens to be in the elite cadre of major birders. Dan Koeppel chronicles his father's growing interest in birds in this enormously appealing memoir of a life devoted to birds. Richard is a member of an elite group who have tallied more than 7,000 species. Koeppel includes his own travels tagging along and brief profiles of other eccentric listers. (BRD28, $14.00)
Travelers Guide to the Geology of the Colorado Plateau  •  Donald L. Baars NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES An outstanding survey of geology of the canyonlands of the four corners region. Baars, a professor of geology and guide, includes a geologic account of a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. (SWU32, $25.00)
Tucson Map  •  Rand McNally Maps MAP A detailed map of Tucson, Arizona. (USW177, $4.95)
Tucson Southeast Arizona Map  •  North Star Maps MAP A map of Southeast Arizona covering Saguaro National Park, Tucson and the Chiricahua Mountains. (USW123, $3.95)
The Verb to Bird, Sightings of an Avid Birder  •  Peter Cashwell NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 269 PAGES A memoir of the birding life, its pleasures, obsessions and pitfalls. Based in the Carolinas (where he teaches English), Cashwell recounts in these essays the birds he's encountered, the why and wherefores of the birding life and some very entertaining anecdotes. Along the way, Cashwell traces his own development from casual novice to life lister (with a desire to see all the birds of North America). (BRD26, $14.95)
The Walker's Literary Companion  •  Robert Gilbert  •  Anne Wallace  •  Jeffrey Robinson ANTHOLOGY •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES A diverse sampling of literature on the pleasures of walking, representing philosophers, naturalists, outcasts, athletes and intellectuals from Plato to Frank O'Hara. (WLK08, $24.00)
Walking  •  Henry David Thoreau REFERENCE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 92 PAGES You may want to carry this small volume in your daypack for inspiration. In it, Thoreau offers his meditations on the spiritual benefits of this most civilized form of travel. (WLK04, $9.95)
Wild Plants of the Pueblo Province, Exploring Ancient and Enduring Uses  •  William Dunmire  •  Gail Tierney FIELD GUIDE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A plant ecologist and an anthropologist teamed up to write this accessible guide to the diverse plant communities of the Pueblo people, a rich source of information on the plants and human ecology of the high deserts and mountains of New Mexico and surrounding regions. With a laminated paper cover and sturdy spine, this book is meant to be taken in the field. With color landscape photos and individual drawings of 60 important plants. (USW09, $22.50)
Woven by the Grandmothers, Nineteenth-Century Navajo Textiles from the National Museum of the American Indian  •  Eulalie Bonar ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 214 PAGES From the collection of the Smithsonian come these blankets, shawls, ponchos and decorative textiles, woven by Navajo artisans during the years 1840-80. The book includes catalogue essays by Navajo and non-Navajo contributers, including D.Y. Begny and Joe Ben Wheat. Eighty color illustrations complement the text. (SWU95, $34.95)
Writing on the Edge, A Borderlands Reader  •  Tom Miller ANTHOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 356 PAGES Miller brings together short stories, essays, song lyrics, and poems in this ecletic anthology of writers, Mexican and U.S., including Carlos Fuentes, Sandra Cisneros, Maya Angelou, and Allen Ginsberg. (SWU180, $19.95)