Mt. St. Helens: Surviving the Stone Wind

Book Description

Most people who are familiar with the Painted Desert of northeastern Arizona know it only from having pulled off at the Petrified Forest exit on Interstate 40. If they happen to come by it at midday, as most do, they find a landscape drained of color and flattened under the direct sunlight. But this remote pocket of the Arizona desert, sandwiched between the Little Colorado River on one side and bold escarpments on the other, is much more than most tourists ever experience. An ethereal landscape of sculpted rock, wind-fluted cliffs, and elegantly drifting sand, the Painted Desert is a rich storehouse of natural beauty, colorful history, and scientific wonders. Here the strongest winds in Arizona blow across extensive dunefields, where less than ten inches of rain falls each year and only a few desert-savvy Navajo are able to live. Now, for the first time award-winning writer Scott Thybony and freelance photographer David Edwards offer an intimate look at a place that remains inhospitable and inaccessible to so many. They share insights about the geology, paleontology, anthropology, and human history of the region as well as personal stories that dispel the misconceptions and mysteries that surround this delicate and difficult landscape. With fifteen stunning photographs gracing the text, this book offers a vibrant portrait of one of the Southwest's most barren, and most colorful landscapes.

Customer Reviews:

paint it personal.......2007-02-20

The Painted Desert is one of those landscapes that most Americans have heard of but few have a chance to discover. Much of it is remote, accessible only on bad dirt roads. Even at the one national park made from the Painted Desert, the star billing goes to the Petrified Wood. As a tourist attraction the Painted Desert has to compete with the more famous and more dramatic geo-architecture nearby. Fortunately the University of Arizona Press has given us its Desert Places series, teaming up writers and photographers who know their places well, offering a more personal and literary experience of a place than you'd find in the average guidebook.

The writer/photographer team for the Painted Desert is well-chosen. Scott Thybony is the only white person who has both herded Navajo sheep and discovered dinosaur fossils in the Painted Desert. Dave Edwards is a world-class photographer who has spent decades exploring deserts from the Grand Canyon to Mongolia.

Edwards might seem to be placed at a disadvantage by the Desert Places format, which is limited to black-and-white photographs for a place defined by its colors. But his keen eye for desert shapes, light subtleties, and weather moods succeeds in bringing out the personality of the Painted Desert.

Thybony takes us on a personal trek into the desert, letting us meet its geology and famous residents--both its fossils and its Navajo residents today. He shares stories of some of the unlikely characters who have come to the Painted Desert, from fossil hunters to movie makers.

Best of all, Thybony offers us a poetic eye: "A mythic perspective comes easily in the desert. I find myself drawn to places where the normal sense of time collapses...Out here the tracks of strange life-forms punch holes in the solid present, weakening its hold."

Collection of anecdotal encounters and experiences.......2006-12-06

The book is 76 short pages of anecdotes, some apparently taking place during a trip the author took with a photographer through the region, and some apparently as flashbacks of previous experiences. I learned nothing about the geology or geography, little about the people of the area, and got no useful information for planning a trip to the area. The book includes what look like some nice B&W photos, but the photos are reproduced using about half the page in the already-small format of the book (remainder of photo pages is blank space).

Fast and pleasant reading, but only mildly entertaining, not at all useful, and not worth the $10+ I spent to get it.

A first-person survey of the author and photographer's encounters in the area........2006-11-07

Arizona's Painted Desert area is not only overlooked by most tourists because of its inhospitable terrain and difficulty of access, but has received relatively little mention - so any who would understand the region must have THE PAINTED DESERT: LAND OF WIND AND STONE in their collection. Black and white photos of the landscape by David Edwards accompany a first-person survey of the author and photographer's encounters in the area.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A worthy effort.......2006-09-18

This is the latest book to be published by the University of Arizona Press in their Desert Places Series and it is an absolutely wonderful offering.
For some time now they have been publishing books on selected desert places as diverse as The San Luis Valley, The Black Rock Desert, The Grand Canyon, Organ Pipe Cuctus, and now The Painted Desert. One factor that has tied these diverse landscapes together for the reader is the top notch writers and photographers selected to present what turns out to be both a wonderful rand and stunningly beautiful photographs.
This relatively short book, just 96 pages, will take the reader from the Grand Canyon to the Petrified Forest National Park in a landscape rarely seen by the traveling public, especially those that take the Petrified Forest exit off Interstate 40. The Painted Desert runs some 200 miles across northeastern Arizona and most lies within Indian country, Navajo and Hopi. It contains not only the largest collection of petrified wood in the world but an abundance of natural beauty, scientific phenomeon's, and an intriguing history within its windswept, sandy, difficult landscape. It is believed the land dates back some 225 million years to the Late Triassic period and indeed some of the best fossil records and rock formations are found in this area that receives less than ten inches of rain yearly and where the strongest winds in Arizona blow sand into dune fields and cover and uncover treasures long sought after by scientists, collectors, and photographers.
Not only is there a discussion of the geology, paleontology, anthropology, and human history of the area but just enough personal stories and insights to make the reader think Thybony is sitting with them sharing a cup of coffee and his experiences in this national treasure little known to most travelers.
It addition to the book being a real plaeasure to read, thanks to award winning writer Scott Thybony and his highly readable literary style, the photographs are strinkingly beautiful and a credit to David Edwards, himself a sixteen year veteral of photographing for the likes of National Geographic.
This is a worthy addition the the Desert Places series. But beware, after reading this book the reader is liable to just have to order the others in the series. They are that good and inexpensive to boot. Highly recommended.

I Sit Listening to the Wind: Woman's Encounter Within Herself (Circles of Stones , Vol 2)

Average customer rating:

A riveting flute solo in the symphony "Journey to Wholeness"

I Sit Listening to the Wind: Woman's Encounter Within Herself (Circles of Stones , Vol 2)
Judith Duerk
Manufacturer: Inner Ocean/Innisfree Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Meditation | Alternative Medicine | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Women | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Feminist | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

ASIN: 1880913372

Book Description

I Sit Listening to the Wind is the newly revised companion volume to the classic Circle of Stones. As Judith Duerk powerfully shows, the world is crying out for a developed Feminine voice, a voice that can mediate, once again, the ancient values of the Feminine. These are values of interiority and of the sacredness of the earth, that honor the privacy of individual process; values of the deeper Self held within us all. Many women experience a battle within themselves between the critical, dismissing voice of their masculine side and the interior, self-sustaining voice of their feminine side. Without coming to terms and seeking balance with our masculine side, our feminine side can never reach its full potential. For those seeking balance between the masculine urge to DO and the feminine desire to BE, Duerk's mixture of prose, poetry, and reflective questions creates a model for integration.

Customer Reviews:

A riveting flute solo in the symphony "Journey to Wholeness".......1998-12-29

Judith Durek's sensitive descriptions and testimonials give light to the tunnel. If you are on or just beginning the inner journey, this book will give comfort, guidance, and encourage you to find your own circle of women. This book and her first book "Circle of Stone" is essential on the journey home. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Select Editions Reader's Digest: Step Ball Change; the Stone Monkey; the Wailing Wind; the Smoke Jumper (2002) (vol. 262)

Average customer rating:

Select Editions Reader's Digest: Step Ball Change; the Stone Monkey; the Wailing Wind; the Smoke Jumper (2002) (vol. 262)

Manufacturer: reader's digest
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ENKSCI

Ride Like the Wind (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Average customer rating:

A great book

Ride Like the Wind (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Stan Berenstain , and Jan Berenstain
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0375812733
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Book Description

Love at first sight!

That’s what happens when Sister Bear sees the horses at Miss Toni’s Riding School and Stable. Sister goes horse crazy! She dreams about horses. She writes stories about horses. She even finds a way to work horses into her math homework! Her dreams soon come true when she gets to take riding lessons with Old Bess, a sweet, slow mare. She may not be the fastest horse in the stable but when Old Bess veers off the beaten track, Sister is in for the ride of a lifetime!

Customer Reviews:

A great book.......2003-03-13

This is the best book I have ever read. I really like horses and I'm taking riding lessons and I think the authors did a very good job.

The Four Winds Guide to Indian Trade Goods & Replicas: Including Stone Relics, Beads, Photographs, Indian Wars, and Frontier Goods (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Average customer rating:

great book w/ lots of color pictures, and prices too.

The Four Winds Guide to Indian Trade Goods & Replicas: Including Stone Relics, Beads, Photographs, Indian Wars, and Frontier Goods (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Preston E. Miller , and Carolyn Corey
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 076430531X

Book Description

This is a companion volume to the authors' excellent book of last year, The Four Winds Guide to Indian Artifacts. In this new book, over 800 color photographs of trade goods to American Indians over the last hundred and fifty years, and more, are featured. These important cultural relics of American history are avidly collected today by museums and enthusiastic individuals alike. Trade beads, frontier goods, military goods, stone relics, photographs, paper goods, and modern replicas of some of the best items are identified in great detail, and the actual auction estimates and prices realized are included in the captions. The authors are traders at the Four Winds Indain Trading Post in St. Ignatius, Montana. Here they have gained over fifty years of experience with authenic goods, and they conduct annual mail/phone/fax auctions which have established the values recorded here. You cannot find a more accurate reference.

Customer Reviews:

great book w/ lots of color pictures, and prices too........1998-12-10

Great book if you're into indian trade goods. The trade bead section is especially great w/ lots of color pictures. Auction prices are included which gives a great idea as to the worth of the goods. It's also good just to get an idea of what the trade goods were, not what hollywood says they were. Pretty authentic. Worth the $$$.

Wind against the stone: She reached beyond his granite exterior, he captured more than her image

Average customer rating:

Wind against the stone: She reached beyond his granite exterior, he captured more than her image
Katherine Myers
Manufacturer: CFI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Reader's Digest Select Editions: Step-Ball-Change, The Stone Monkey, The Wailing Wind, The Smoke Jumper (Vol 4)

Average customer rating:

Reader's Digest Select Editions: Step-Ball-Change, The Stone Monkey, The Wailing Wind, The Smoke Jumper (Vol 4)
Meanne Ray , Jeffery Deaver , Tony Hillerman , and Nicholas Evans
Manufacturer: Reader's Digerst Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J1KSKW

Product Description

4 condensed books by wellknown authors

Average customer rating:

Wind in the Stone
Horrible!
Confusing, shallow and unsatisfying
Good Book
it's not at all bad!!

Wind in the Stone
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: EOS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0380795566

Book Description

Once the Wind united the Valley with the Forest, enveloping them in the strongest of magics which protected the land and banished the threatening Darkness. And there was peace for many centuries...Until the Dark returned.

A mage, seeking to enslave the Valley and destroy the Forest, has brutally sundered a family. A mother has fled into the woods with her infant girl-child, while the depraved sorcerer holds the babe's twin--a boy--captive in a black tower. The mother dies but the girl survives. Adopted by the strange denizens of the Forest--safe from the mage's malevolent influence--she grows to young womanhood, cultivating a cherished skill that has been denied the others of her kind: the ability to truly hear the sounds of her world. But her future will be fraught with trial and terror, for only she can smash the chains that shackle the Balley and its inhabitants. It is her destiny to confront sorcerer and demon minions, and to oppose the one she must conquer and free: the magician's protege and her most powerful adversary. Her bane and blood. Her brother.

Customer Reviews:

Wind in the Stone.......2007-01-15

Wind in the Stone is the first novel I have read by Andre Norton of her apparent 100 or so novels, and I enjoyed it though with some hesitation to quickly recommend the novel to others.
It is quite wordy and unexplanitive in some parts in which we are used to and the phrasing can quickly become distracting, although effective to create a fairytale effect. It took me some time to get around the way the shortish novel (280 pgs) was written, but after this I quite enjoyed it. The plot is realatively simple and leaves gaps in which the reader must fill with their own imagination, but this I don't mind at all. - If you want to read a book that throws all the details in your face , this book will not do. It is neither cheesy, nor epic but a tale of Good VS Evil.

The narrative follows various stereotypical characters: a twisted mage turned from Light to Darkness,the lives of simple people living in a village in which the Wind still abounds unlike the rest of the world, from which the Wind has left alone for many years. The two twins that are meant to be main characters are only introduced past halfway through the book and are rather shallowly developed. But as I said, the story is told in a kind of Renaissance style of writing, not ovely descriptive in character development but instead focuses on other areas.

Recommended to those who are at least marginally sick of modern fantasy writers trying desperatly to be different, and want a enjoyable, descriptive and simple storyline. The book has sparked in me an intrest to track down Norton's other books.

Horrible!.......2006-01-18

I've always heard Andre Norton is a master of SF/F, and that her books are spectacular. I picked this one up thinking that it had the potential to quickly become my favorite. Instead, I have to rate it as one of the worst books I have ever had to read outside of classes. The main characters were unlikeable, the antagonistic blood-enemy was not at all evil; he was cowardly and more good than bad, and to top it all off, the final confrontation was so disappointing that it left me in literal tears. This book sucked. Normally I let people draw their own conclusions and opinions about things, but this one was bad enough I feel I should warn others away. It was such a flop!

Confusing, shallow and unsatisfying.......2005-06-10

I bought this book based on the summary in the back cover. I've never read any other books by Andre Norton, so I was untainted by great expectations.
The book is a disaster. The plot is nearly incoherent: many scenes simply don't fit in with the general narrative and only serve to confuse the reader. Often a scene will show some action being performed, only to have it be completely ignored for the rest of the book. Also, the book tends to repetition (how many times do we *really* need to hear the venerable old mages sighing hopelessly and/or saying that everything hinges on the twins?). Many important plot points were left completely unexplained, characters are introduced abruptly and for no good reason (*cough* Cerlyn *cough*), and too many things happen by happy happenstance. For example, the heroes will often acquire various magical objects, but their nature and manner of acquisition is often completely unexplained (in some cases these objects are simply lying on the ground waiting to be picked up!).
As for the writing style: it bordered on purple prose, in many cases crossing the line. There is hardly a single page without mention of some "He who this" or "She who that" (e.g. "Her who waited for them there"), and the author often gets the capitalization wrong. The grammar could be improved in some places--most noticeably, comments are often placed in inappropriate places.
In general, the characters didn't win my sympathy, and the conflict between Dark and Light wasn't convincing. "Dark" was simply too stereotypical to be believed.

I recommend to readers who want to read *real* fantasy the "Fortress" series by C.J. Cherryh. Her writing style in those books bears some resemblance to Norton's, but Cherryh carries it off, while Norton fails.

Good Book.......2004-03-11

Though this is the third book I've read by Norton, I do agree that it could have used a little help. It did start off slow and there were times when you were totally confused. However, Norton redeems herself as the book progress by the sheer imagination that exist inside of her. The characters were a little hard to understand at first. That's in part one of the book but in part two, they all seem to come together. Whereas I am a loyal fan to Norton, I would still read all of her books and feel lucky to be part of that crowd that knows good fiction when she's see it.

it's not at all bad!!.......2003-07-22

ok, i was very unhappy with what other people wrote. but i respect their opinions. i admit that it was very dense, and the names sometimes got confusing, but it is a really good book. at first i was intrigued by the simplicity of it's description on the back, (i needed summer reading and i love fantasy) so i bought this book.
at first i had a lot of trouble, because it is a style that is hard to read, but i got used to it, and i really enjoyed the plot and the overall ending. i was very satisfied, so much so that after tearing apart my room and realizing i had lent my copy to an ex-best friend and never got it back, i am going to by a new one!!
happy reading! and just try the book, it's really good once you get into it!

Average customer rating:

This sequel shines brighter than the first...

Excellent Sequel from an Excellent Author

Confusing..but still good
The Gnome's Engine
Teresa Edgerton
Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Moon in Hiding

The Castle of the Silver Wheel

The Moon and the Thorn

The Grail and the Ring

Cast in Shadow (The Cast Series, Book 1)

ASIN: 044152057X

Customer Reviews:

This sequel shines brighter than the first..........2006-02-01

Ms Edgerton is skillful in exposing the adaptable abilities of Sera, her cousin, her friend and Francis Skelbrooke. Sera and her traveling companions have found new work and new lives while waiting for elusive word from Francis Skelbrooke. Lord Skelbrooke in turn has his undercover duties to complete before he is free to join the others in their new land. Luckily for Sera and her 2 traveling friends Lord Skelbrooke has found them before the Duchess and her accomplices are able to close in. The various plots twisting here and there only season the finale until you feel you are a part of this wonderful adventure. Although, whatever happens to the indigo ape and the Duchess Ms Edgerton???

Excellent Sequel from an Excellent Author.......1999-11-30

"The Gnome's Engine," sequel to "Goblin Moon," returns us to the pseudo-18th century world where "Enlightenment" beliefs hold sway, and "magic" is magnetics. Sera, Eliste and Jed have gone to New Imbria to escape the Duchess, little realising that another adventure has just begun. Incorporating some dangling threads (that due to her tight writing did not seem to dangle) from its predecessor, "The Gnome's Engine" takes the reader through several separate plots: the Duchess' revenge, the slave trade in Orania, the mystery of the hobgoblins, and of course the mystery of the engine itself. The tone of the work varies slightly from "Goblin Moon" in its freshness, apropos to the freshness of New Imbria (the Americas). Readers will be glad to see the dashing cavalier Lord Francis Love Skelbrooke in full flair as well - and may even learn the true colour of his hair! All in all an excellent sequel from an excellent author.

Confusing..but still good.......1997-07-09

Edgerton follows the story line from Goblin Moon in this volume. The plot is a little weird sometimes, and you're not always sure of what is going on, but her incredible style is still very good and makes up for all the faults of the plot. Read it, please

Average customer rating:

the Gnome's Engine

Manufacturer: Ace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GS9W7S

The development of the Seguin Brothers' Gnome rotary aeroplane engine: A study of the origin of a remarkable engine and its influence on aviation history

Average customer rating:

The development of the Seguin Brothers' Gnome rotary aeroplane engine: A study of the origin of a remarkable engine and its influence on aviation history
Lauren S McCready
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

The Gnome's Engine
Teresa Edgerton
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000W7O9L2

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