Indian Books

This book stands out, among many others, for the quality of insight that Rebecca Stone-Miller brings to her study of Andean art. Not content with simple typology and iconography, her account is illuminated by the cultural constants - "duality, reciprocity, hierarchy, and embeddedness in nature" (p. 218) that she finds in the underlying Andean cultures. Art history, in these terms, becomes an exploration of meaning, both of the art that is produced and of the culture that produces it. It's rare to find so much insight in an introductory book; I highly recommend it.

Another strength of the book is the nicely-judged balance of attention that the author pays to the multitude of cultures (including the Chavin, Nasca, Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, Chimu, and Inca, to name just some) that weave together into the Andean tapestry. The author also provides balanced coverage of all the arts -- metalwork, tapestry, featherwork, stone working, and architecture, in addition to the ever-popular ceramics (pottery).

With so much ground to cover, there are relatively few individual ceramic examples in the book; this unfortunately gives a too-restricted an idea of the range of form, beauty, and variety of Pre-Columbian pottery from South America. I recommend a book such as "Ceramics of Ancient Peru," by Christopher B. Donnan, as a supplement to Rebecca Stone-Miller's study.

A small number of errors have made it through the second edition. For example, the distance from Quito to Santiago is quoted as 3400 miles, rather than the correct 3400 kilometers. A bothersome number of specialized terms were left out of the index. A glossary would have been helpful, and one wishes that more of the photos had been printed in color rather than black and white.

In summary, "Art of the Andes" is a balanced and insightful survey that should appeal to a wide variety of readers. It's the kind of book that doesn't just sit on the shelf after one reading, but gets picked up again, thumbed through, and read more than once.

This is an excellent overview of native Andean artform the earliest perod through Chavin, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari, to Incan. Covers architecture, textiles ,pottery and metallic arts. Looks at the main themes of religious and secular art in these various mediums. Text is accompanied by many black and white photographs, drawings and plans. Some photographs are in colour.

I found this work most interesting for the way it brings out the Andean worldview through the artistic artifacts remaining of those cultures. The work is also reasonably priced and up to date.

Illustrations, analysis - all incredible. A wonderful first book for people curious about the indigenous Andean world

My class really liked the format of this book, and it encouraged them to find out what this culture was about.

Excellent bite sized tidbits of history presented in an interesting format. Inside you will find a map of the Aztec empire, articles detailing every day life of the Aztec from agriculture, the Spanish invasion, war, the ball game, a guide to the ancient city of Tenochtitlan, a girl talk section, food and classifieds that provide an insight to the culture. What a great series! I purchased a copy as a gift for my 9 year old niece and was so impressed that I am purchasing the whole series for her! What a find! A clever and delightful way to introduce history to youngsters.

I am in the process of doing a school project on the Aztec and this book has all the info I need! I would recomend this book to anyone! It has everything enterusting in it, there is not one boring word!

The discovery of the New World has always been a topic that both fascinated and horrified me. As an American, I recognized that it as the foundation for much of who I am. But as a sensative, caring person, I could not help feeling ashamed of the greed, racism, and cruelty exhibited first by the Spanish conquistadors towards the Aztecs, then by Europeans in general towards all the first nations that were here before us.

By providing a history written by the conquered as well as the conquerors, "Aztec, Death of a Nation" has helped me understand some of the complexity behind the history I learned in school. There are no "good guys" or "bad guys" in this story. Rather, this is really a history of individual human beings.

Some of the people I read about struck me as cruel and barabaric, but because the accounts also provided insight into the social, relgious, and politcial climates and into the personal struggles endured by these people, I came to realize that I couldn't lay blame on any of them. Some of the people I read about struck me as good and kind - more of what I think as as truly civilized - but because I could see that the goodness and kindness came out of individual strength and conviction, I also couldn't judge any of groups of people as being better or worse than any other.

"Aztec, Death of a Nation" is the first book I have found that has been able to help me come to terms with my heritage as a member of the conquering race. Rarely are we given an opportunity like this to see through the eyes of past civilization.

Kenneth Pearce's collection of eyewitness acounts of the rise and fall of the Aztec Empire is a book most fantasy fiction readers won't want to miss. This book weaves many short personal stories together to provide an epic tale of power, glory, and the ultimate clash between two races.

It paints a picture of a culture, religion, and history so different from our own that it feels more alien than many stories set on other planets or in other realities, and it is true.

Those of us who love roller coasters do so partly because they are more than just a thrill; They are real, with a hint of real danger. Reading this book provides that same added edge for the fantasy reader. As this book took me on journeys into the underworld, showed me prophecies from the past, ritual cannibalism and invasion from abroad, a spine tingling whisper in the back of mind kept reminding me that it was all true

I had the pleasure of reading an early draft of this book. The detailed and scholarly endnotes were the only reminder that I was not reading a work of pure fiction, but rather the actual words of soldiers, priests, chiefs, even pesants who were present at the downfall of the Aztec empire. "Aztec, Death of a Nation" is a fractured ancient vase carefully restored by a knowledgable archaeologist.

An excellent read. A little wordy here and there throughout the book, but the story keeps you turning the pages to see what's going to happen next. And who would have thought there could be so much to write about in such a setting as the Badlands? Well, Mr. Wheeler made it work and he kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen to each of the characters and biting my nails when things did. One of the best things about Richard S. Wheeler's books is that he draws out the characters, giving the reader a complete visual of who and what they are. They come to life emotionally and make you want to be a part of the story.

If you like western novels, or just plain great storytelling, this will be one of the best books you will ever read. Wheeler is a great developer of interesting characters, and has a flair for putting them in compelling situations.Take the best parts of The Searchers and Tony Hillerman's novels and you've got Badlands.

I took a vacation -- a day-trip, if you will. It's 1:30 in the morning and I just finished reading Richard S. Wheeler's western novel BADLANDS, the story of a group of naive paleontologists researching fossils in the heart of the Sioux nation. It's not nearly as dry a story as that description sounds... though I'm choking on the dust kicked up by Wheeler's remarkably vivid, and yet keenly economical, prose. I couldn't go to bed without getting to the end. Yes, I know it's a cliche, but it's the truth. He's taken a surprisingly fresh and unique approach to a time-worn and familiar set-up, the foolhardy easterners led into the untamed west by a wizened, half-Indian guide. But there's a good reason why Richard S. Wheeler is considered a legend in western literature. He takes the seemingly familiar and makes it brand new by leading you to what appears to be a cliche or stereotype -- and deftly playing on your expectations, twists them and takes you instead to a realization of character or place that you didn't see coming. Don't let the traditional, western cover fool you. BADLANDS is more about science, religion, and culture than it is about horses, injuns and shootouts and I loved every minute of it...and found the relaxation and escape I craved to recharge myself creatively for the tasks that lay ahead (it was far more satisfying than Larry McMurtry's TELEGRAPH DAYS, which I read a couple of months back). Now I have to tackle Richard's beloved Skye series from book one onward...and considering how many there are, that alone could end up being a lifetime pursuit.

Wow, here is a small easy to read book which should be in the ranking of the Celstine Prophecy or Surfing the Himalayas, if they grabbed your attention then this one will. Share in the adventure as a bored person responds to a rather obscure advert in a newspaper 'urgently seeking a messiah or messiahress'. What follows next will draw you in and leave you feeling a little changed and filled with thought...hmm...ahh.

You may not be able to put it down and just have to read it in one, on the road less travelled as you journey to work, stirring your chicken soup for the soul at tea time or whilst rocking the baby and your own inner child within.

One not to miss, for if you do you will not have any idea what others are talking so enthusiastically about.

I think i have just read one of the most amazing books i am ever likely to read!! I feel there is something in this for everyone. It has been nearly a week since i have read this book, and i am still talking about it to my friends. Buy it you'll love it!!!

The Barefoot Indian moved me to laughter, moved me to tears, moved me to love and moved me to view life from a whole new perspective.

This book is exquisite! The directions it contains are crystal clear, and the beautiful color graphics give it a lot of esthetic appeal. It is very easy to use and learn from. This book deserves to be thought of as a classic in its field. We should be grateful that we live in a time of computers and books such as this one that they make possible.

The book is very well organized. One can start a project or task from the book without reading the whole book -- every step is detailed and well illustrated. There are enough examples of useful items to encourage beginners, and to stimulate the more experienced quilter or fabric artist. It is delightful to the senses, and every fabric artist should have it.

I've given this book as gifts to friends.

I love both sides of the King's Indian, and nothing frustrates me more than to have white avoid it with some offbeat system, such as the Torre or London. This book does an outstanding job of showing black how to handle these offbeat openings (which are showing up more and more often in tournament play).

I found in this book everything what i need to know to face White's methods of avoiding the main lines of the KID.
Gallagher's method is to select and recommend one main defense for Black against White's so-called "anti-King's Indian" systems. The author examines and recommends play for fifteen variations:

(1) Four Pawns Attack [6...Na6]
(2) h3 systems [6...e5]
(3) Averbakh[6...Na6]
(4) Early Bg5 [...c5]
(5) Exchange variation [9...Re8 and 13...Nd7]
(6) 5 Bd3 [6...Nc6 and 7...Nh5]
(7) 5 Nge2 [...a6 and...c6]
(8) Miscellaneous unusual lines
(9) Trompowsky [2...Ne4]
(10) Torre Attack: 4...0-0
(11) London System [...e5]
(12) Fianchetto Variations [Pirc-style set-up]
(13) Veresov: [3...Nbd7];
(14) Barry Variation (1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5) [...c5]
(15) Blackmar-Diemer Gambit [Euwe Defense, 5...e6].

According to my Fritz Powerbook 2005 reccomended variatons scores wery well for Black in practical play. The analysis are surprisingly original and thorough.
This book is a MUST HAVE for any KID player. In fact, it will be useful to most players who reply to 1 d4 with 1...Nf6.

This entertaining and well-written book should have a large audience, as a huge percentage of chess players play king's indian systems all the time with black. This book pretty much describes everything white will throw at you (other than most traditional king's indian lines), including Torre Attacks, Trompowskys, Veresovs, Averbakh, Four Pawns (those last two are the only regular king's indian lines given), Barry Attack, London System, Blackmar-Diemer, and others. The book has lots of explanatory text and twenty-nine annotated games flesh out the main ideas. It is a repertoire book, meaning that the book focuses on recommended lines for black. Burgess' writing is, as always, clear, entertaining, instructive, and witty. The Batsford production is excellent. A fine chess book.

This book is an example of the new attention ethnographers are paying to writing. Not only is it wonderfully written but it is an honest account of Zuni lives today. Tedlock went to the pueblo with her husband Dennis Tedlock (author of the "Popol Vuh" and the "Rabinal Achi") as a painter and after a number of visits and encouragement from Zuni women she decided to become an ethnographer. During her graduate education she also did work in Guatemala, see her classic book "Time and the Highland Maya." There is now a new book about to appear "The Woman in the Shaman's Body: Reclaiming the Feminine in Religion and Medicine." I've seen the advanced copy and it is fabulous! All these books are must reads for young documentary writers and spiritually alive women and men today!

This is a beautifully written, honest, book about a young woman ethnographer coming of age. She first went to Zuni Pueblo as a young woman painter with her anthropologist husband and fell in love with the people and place. As a result she went on to get graduate degrees in Ethnomusicology and Anthropology herself and began working with the Maya in Guatemala. Since then she has written a book on women shamans worldwide: The Woman in the Shaman's Body. These books are worth the time to read.

I really enjoyed reading Tedlock's work. The writing reverses the notion of "participant observation" to the "observation of participation." Instead of a removed, monological account, we are offered a polyphony of voices, including the authors. In fact, the ethnography reads much like a novel; however, these are real people with real stories to tell. The text offers a rich and evocative account of the Zuni people and their experiences in the borderzone between the past and present. Tedlock's work and writing strategies were central to the writing of my own ethnographic account of a Southeastern Native American Tribe in search of a visible past--the Pee Dee of South Carolina (Title: Native Americans in the Carolina Borderlands: A Critical Ethnography, Carolinas Press, 2000). Tedlock's ethnography is a must read for those on the verge of engaging ethnography, no matter the methodological bent, and students and academics interested in Native American Studies, Cultural Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and alternative ethnography.

I very much enjoyed this second book in the Rendezvous series. The authenticity was excellent throughout and it's evident the author knows his stuff. But beyond that it's a really good story. Interesting plot that continues to move forward and doesn't get bogged down. The excellent and varied characters draw you in to their relationships and made me yearn for more. Fortunately, I'm in luck since there are several more books to the series.

I also wanted to write this review to warn you not to read the next review. It contains a blatant spoiler which can ruin both this book and the next in the series.

Especially during the Fur trade era. This was the first western book I have ever read. I have the first one, So Wild a dream and the third one Dancing with a Golden Bear. So far the second one is the best one. I didn't like the third sequel, because well, the marriage between Sam Morgan and Meadowlark, does not last. She dies in Dancing with a Golden Bear. Which is why I like this book, because it has a happy ending.

This is a gorgeous love story between a white man and a Crow woman. Great emotional depth and wonderful depiction of Crow culture. I'm going to get the first book in this series right away.

I found this book to be a helpful and fun way to study ideas in Buddhist philosophy. While it is fun to sit and experience having a calm mind, it is just as fun to play around with concepts and ideas with a calm mind. I think a lot of these ideas--especially asness--are very important to bring to your meditation. The idea of asness basically holds that the content of what we experience is less important than its coherence (in my understanding, the actual existence of the experience itself). I think understanding this thought takes thinking to its limit, to see thoughts as thoughts.

This is a romp, an extended riff, a playful presentation, a nest of plausible paradox. I have no notion what to make of it qualitatively, but I quite enjoyed the ride. Especially Prof. Ziporyn's spirit of inquiry and experimentation.

Ideas are tools for building things, or breaking them. The ideas in this text are designed to break your hangups. I won't spoil it for you by tipping Prof. Ziporyn's hand. You deserve that pleasure for yourself, dear reader.

Some thoughts: I was reminded of H.V. Guenther's classic riff on Dzogchen, Matrix of Mystery. I would have liked less Hegel (less dialectic altogether!) and more Nietzsche, more Deleuze-Guattari. Those are my own hangups, I suppose, but I stand by my word: a reader interested in straight-up inquiry and good times simultaneously, in short a reader interested in Ziporyn's work, odds-on will prefer A Thousand Plateaus to anything from the Kant/Hegel Antique Collection (now yours complete with certificate of authenticity...), AND find it more useful to their own imperatives.

I tip my hat to the good Professor. May the Dharma flourish in all lands!

Don't be put off by all the SIPs listed here; this book is not only mind-blowingly illuminating, but also extremely entertaining and fun and easy to read, once you get the rhythm of it. It's probably the most sophisticated and genuinely philosophically interesting exploration of Buddhist thought I've come across. This dude knows his Western thought well, and doesn't stop until he gets all the way to the bottom of the issue. I don't know much about the traditional Tiantai school, except very thin textbook stuff, but from this discussion it seems to be the most radical of all schools, even moreso than Zen and Dzogchen, overturning the really root assumptions that we usually don't even notice, even after a lot of Buddhism. It's also the most truly world-affirming view of the world I've ever encountered, where each individual entity is really given its due and absolute value--much more so than Nietzsche, although there's a lot of similarity, even in the style, which is brisk and chatty, mixed with dense and wickedly funny, irreverent and merciless, nuanced and lively. I laughed out loud more than once, at the same time suddenly seeing the point and getting my mind blown. He doesn't hesitate to get to the nitty-gritty of sex, desire, egotism, analyzes and sheds light on humor (what is it, why is something funny?), beauty (likewise), what freedom is, what social being is, and above all WHAT WE REALLY WANT!! This was a big surprise, but so true. The idea of "reversibility" and of "asness" are really useful, really make a lot of former questions clear. All the loose buddhist talk about "being the thing you perceive" is finally explained, and played out in the idea of reversibility of perspective as built into all experience. Likewise "asness": I feel like I finally understand Emptiness, and the implications of it which it seems like most Buddhist schools haven't even dreamt of. This simple idea, that all being is being-as something else, is worth the price of the book, and has implications everywhere. I need to reread it again (third time!) not just for understanding but for the sheer pleasure; but I think anyone with an interest in truly radical thinking, in Buddhism, in the latest developments of WEstern thought, or just in expanding his mental horizons, should check out this book.