Books About New Mexico or By New Mexicans

Directory:

This list could get rather long. The best way to find what you are looking for is to use the "Find in Page (Ctrl+F)" (under the Edit menu in Netscape) or a similar command in your browser and search on the author's name or a word from a title. Books are listed in alphabetical order by author's last name.

Or, you can find out what are the most popular books about the southwest in the Santa Fe Library's Southwest Reading Room. They also keep the famous Betty Reynolds' List of New Mexico Fiction". This is a very long list, so don't try to download it unless you have time and space.

Just to get us started, I have used blurbs from dust jackets and covers to describe many of the books below. As I get time I will write in my own descriptions (or YOURS if you send me book reviews.)

Don E. Alberts. Balloons and Bombers: Aviation in Albuquerque (1882-1945) Albuquerque Museum. Albuquerque, NM. 1988.

John O. Baxter. Las Carneradas: Sheep Trade in New Mexico, 1700-1860. Fourth Printing. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM. 1988.

Academic study of the early Spanish sheep economy.

Warren A. Beck. New Mexico, A History of Four Centuries. (Fourth printing). University of Oklahoma Press. Norman, OK. 1971.

Begins with geology, and works from the dimmest past through the earliest natives, the Spanish invasions, the Indian wars, ranching and farming, and the anglo cultures, industry and government labs. Only covers through 1962.

Dorothy Simpson Beimer. Hovels, Haciendas, and Housecalls." Sunstone Press. Santa Fe, NM. 1986.

Folksy history of the state.

Susan Berry and Sharman Apt Russell. Built to Last: An Architectural History of Silver City, New Mexico. Silver City Museum. Silver City, NM. 1988.

About the famous mid-19th century buildings that remain from the city's original mining boom days.

Herbert Bolton. Coronado: Knight of Pueblos and Plains. Whittlesey House (McGraw-Hill). New York, NY, with the University of New Mexico Press. 1949.

Thorough history of Coronado's expedition in the 16th Century from Mexico throughout the Southwest.

Ruth L. Bunzel. The Pueblo Potter: A Study of Creative Imagination in Primitive Art. Dover. New York, NY. 1972 (reprinted from original published in 1929).

A wonderful book -- a classic. Everything from gathering the clay through firing and marketing the final product. Don't buy a pot without it.

Halka Chronic. Roadside Geology of New Mexico. Mountain Press Publishing Company. Missoula, MT. !987.

"The 'Land of Enchantment,' New Mexico is as varied in its scenery as its nickname suggests. With desert lowlands in the south and high, hoary peaks in the north, with rugged volcanic uplands and colorful plateaus, with high plains along its eastern border, and with a great rift valley that quite literally slashes the state in two, New Mexico presents many faces to its residents and visitors. Faces that in large part can be laid at the doorstep of the state's varied geology." (Blurb off back cover)

Joseph H. Conlin. Bacon, Beans, and Galatines. University of Nevada Press. Reno, NV. 1988.

All you want to know about frontier eating habits and foods.

William DeBuys and Alex Harris. River of Traps: A Village Life.

University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM.1990.

A wonderful book about modern life among the old Spanish villages that still huddle in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of Northern New Mexico.

Don Dedera. Navajo Rugs: How to Find, Evaluate, Buy and Care for Them. Northland Press. Flagstaff, AZ. 1975.

Mostly about Arizona (where most Navajo rugs come from), still a good guide to buying genuine Navajo Rugs, which are sold by the thousands in New Mexico stores and trading posts.

Rosalie Doolittle. Southwest Gardening. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM. eighth printing 1989.

A local classic. This excellent book won the National Council of Garden Clubs Award. Rosalie is famous for her roses, but the book is a definitive guide to raising flowers and shrubs in the difficult transitional areas of Colorado, northern New Mexico, and northern Arizona.

R. L. Duffus. The Santa Fe Trail. Tudor Publishing Company. New York.NY. 1934.

Lots of good maps and illustrations. Writing seems a little funky by current standards, but a thorough job and a good read. Kind of a classic.

Richard N. Ellis. New Mexico, Past and Present: A Historical Reader. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM. 1971.

A collection of essays from journals and historical reviews. NOT a collection of original sources. Covers everything from Spanish conquest through modern Hispanic activism.

Erna Fergusson. New Mexico: A Pageant of Three Peoples. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM. 1964.

First published in 1951, this out of print classic can still be easily found in libraries and used book stores. An entertaining and informative book about the Indians, the Hispanics, and the Anglos.

Harvey Fergusson. Rio Grande.Alfred A. Knopf. New York. NY. 1936.

An old classic on the river and its influence on events in New Mexico.

William M. Ferguson and Arthur H. Rohn. Anasazi Ruins of the Southwest in Color. The University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM.1986.

Absolutely the best book I know on this subject for beginners who are interested in visiting the original sites, or just learning about the great Anasazi culture. Full of excellent photographs, maps. etc. You gotta get this book!

Floyd Fierman. Roots and Boots: From Crypto-Jew in New Spain to Community Leader in the Southwest. KATV Publishing House. Hoboken, NJ. 1988.

This is a fascinating story of early Spanish Jews who fled the Inquisition and hid out in Northern New Mexico, where they for centuries maintained a secret culture that looked like typical Hispanic Catholicism to outsiders, but carefully maintained their own culture.

Francis L. and Roberta B. Fugate. Roadside History of New Mexico Mountain Press Publishing Company. Missoula, MT. 1989

"Within New Mexico we have experienced a variety of unspoiled beauty and natural wonders equaled in few other areas of similar size. But we cannot tell you about them; they have to be seen. Along the highways and byways, we have met a continuing parade of interesting people, the like of which you'll find no place else on earth. But we cannot tell you about them; you have to meet them.

"During the last forty years, we have gone, we have probed the history of the area. Some of the oldest history in the United States and some of the newest scientific developments have unfolded, bringing the land about us to vibrant life. We can tell you about these things." (Blurb from back cover)

Paul Horgan. Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History (Two volumes in one). Texas Monthly Press, Austin, TX, 1984.

This book won both the Bancroft and the Pulitzer Prizes for history.

"In his preface to this fourth edition of his historical masterwork, Paul Horgan writes:

In its length of nearly two thousand miles and its cultural evidence encompassing more than ten centuries, the great river remains a unifying vein of history not only of the life adjacent to its banks but also of the greater Southwest. There, although often far afield, the political, social, and geographical significance of the river can be traced through the time of five sovereignties -- those of the Indian, Spain, Mexico, Texas, and the United States.

(From the dust jacket notes)

Byron A. Johnson. with Robert Dauner, Joann Pauswang, and Susan Symmes-Westbrook. Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico: A Guide to its History and Architecture. City of Albuquerque. Albuquerque, NM. 1980.

Robert F. Kadlec, ed. They "Knew" Billy the Kid. Ancient City Press. Santa Fe. NM. 1988.

A collection of original sources from the archives by people who claim to have known Billy the Kid. Careful with this book, flatlanders. Some of these fellas are pullin' your leg. Luckily the annotations can keep you straight.

Alfred Vincent Kidder. An Introduction to the Study of Southwestern Archaeology. Yale University Press. New Haven and London.1924 (often reprinted).

This is it -- the absolutely classic work on Southwestern archaeology. Though old, it still contains a vast wealth of accurate information about the early pueblo cultures. Well illustrated.

Charles A. Lehman. Desert Survival Handbook. Primer Publishers. Phoenix, AZ. 1988.

OK. So this book isn't about New Mexico or by a New Mexican. You might want to read it anyway if you are considering biking, hiking, camping, or driving across the desert. Simple but clear tips on survival in hot dry country with nasty critters in it as well as handling common emergencies.

Florence and Robert Lister. Those Who Came Before. University of Arizona Press. Tucson, AZ. 1983.

Study of the early Indian cultures of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. The Anasazi, Mogollon, and Hohokam cultures are presented in detail. Also a good source of information about the modern-day pueblo people. Great photographs.

Stephen Metzger. New Mexico Handbook. Moon Publications, Chico, CA.1989.

"New Mexico Handbook takes a comprehensive look at the state's varied attractions, from prehistoric Indian ruins and 16th-century Spanish settlements to ghosts of Victorian mining towns and 20th-century astronomical observatories, and puts within reach over 100,000 square miles of recreation and adventure. . . [It] offers a close-up and complete look at every aspect of this wondrous state, including:

• A thorough introduction to New Mexico's landscapes, people, culture, and history, from pterodactyls to the nuclear age
• Detailed information on museums, accommodations and restaurants, transportation, and other services
• Particulars on golf, fishing, skiing, hiking, and camping -- from RV parks to hike-in wilderness areas.
• Recipes for great Mexican dishes, like green-chili (sic! -damned Californian author!) stew
• Clear, concise maps to cities, towns, parks, and hikes
• Plus listings of Indian dances, rodeos, balloon festivals, and other annual events."
• Blurb from book jacket.

Lawrence R. Murphy. Philmont: A History of New Mexico's Cimarron County. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM. 1972.

History of North Eastern New Mexico from the cavepersons on.

Marian Rodee and James Ostler. Zuni Pottery. Schiffler Publishing Ltd. West Chester, PA. 1986.

Meet modern Zuni potters and potter-families in person. An interesting little book about the current practitioners of an ancient craft.

Robert Silverberg. The Pueblo Revolt. Weybright and Talley. New York. NY. 1979.

Story of the famous Pueblo Revolt of 1680, in which the pueblo Indians united to drive the Spanish out of the country. After 12 years the Spanish came back with a vengeance.

Calvin A. and Susan Roberts . New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM. 1988.

A exhaustive and authoritative history of New Mexico for those who are serious about it.

Dale A, Marian A. Zimmerman and John N. Durrie. New Mexico Bird Finding Guide. New Mexico Ornithological Society. Albuquerque, NM. Revised Edition 1992.

The essential little book for anyone interested in birding in New Mexico. It is available at most state parks.

Rudolfo A. Anaya. Bless Me, Ultima. Tonatiuh-Quinto Sol International. Berkeley, CA. 1972.

"Probably no other novel written by a Chicano has had such wide and varied acclaim as has Rudolfo A. Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima. . . The admirers of Anaya's work span the public spectrum from junior high school students to universities throughout the nation, from university presidents to readers in England, France, Mexico, and Australia. . . Bless Me, Ultima truly can be called a classic in Chicano Literature." (Octavio I. Romano-V, Series editor).

Jimmy Santiago Baca. Black Mesa Poems. New Directions.New York, NY. 1986.

"Baca's evocation of this landscape," as City Paper noted, " its aridity and fertility, is nothing short of brilliant." The individual poems of Black Mesa are embedded both in the family and in the community life of the barrio, detailing births and deaths, neighbors and seasons, injustices and victories. Loosely interconnected, the poems trace a visionary biography of place. (Back cover blurb.) Baca is my favorite Southwestern poet, by far. (Jim Peavler, your host)

Jimmy Santiago Baca. Martin and Meditations on the South Valley. New Directions. New York. NY. 1986.

Winner of the American Book Award, 1988

"Fiercely moving, the two long narrative poems of Martin and Meditations on the South Valley revolve around the semi-autobiographical figure of Martin, a mestizo or "detribalized Apache." Abandoned as a child and a long time on the hard path to building his own family, Martin at last finds his home in the stubborn and beautiful world of the barrio. Jimmy Santiago Baca 'writes with unconcealed passion,' Denise Levertov states in her introduction, 'but he is far from being a naive realist; what makes his writing so exciting to me is the way in which it manifests both an intense lyricism and that transformative vision which perceives the mythic and archetypal significance of life-events." (Blurb from back cover.)

Don't let the fancy stuff put you off. This is a wonderful book. (Jim Peavler)

Ken Englade Brothers in Blood

This is the fifth in a series of historical novels dealing with the pre-Civil War West from HarperCollins under the general title of "Tony Hillerman's Frontier." It is set in New Mexico in the era just prior to the Civil War and focuses on the Penitentes.

Englade has published fourteen books with two major houses (St. Martin's Press and HarperCollins) and has a fifteenth coming from SMP early in 1999.

Tony Hillerman. Anything.

OK. So who wants to start us off with reviews of the works of the great Tony Hillerman?