Favorite Books

Wandering Sagebrush said:
The last book I bought from a 'Good Old Book Store' was one that came from a old book dealer in Chiloquin, Oregon. It reeked so badly of tobacco smoke that I had to let it air out for a year or so.
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Steve,I have been in that book store.Great place.Reminds me of the little old lady who had a store in Ketckikan ,Ak.The books were all over the place,but she knew where the one you wanted was.
Nothing like a good old book store.
There is also one in Gualala,Ca.
Happy reading.
Frank
 
ski3pin said:
The Solace of Solitude arrived for my next read. Quite a literate bunch here. That is nice.
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For a second, I thought you were reading "Adventures in Solitude" by Grant Lawrance, but my guess is that they are miles apart.

Another couple of books that I repeatedly read are "Curve of Time" by Muriel Blanchette Wylie. (Early powerboat exploring in BC.) and "Ishi" by Theodora Kroeber. Kroeber is Ursula LeGuin's mother.
 
If you haven't tried an e-reader you should. I'm old fashioned too. I don't do newspapers or magazines online. Books are another story, Paper is heavy. Try carrying a thousand books with you. Not a problem with my kindle. Mostly I love the backlighting. I love to read at night. In the camper it was always a pita trying to get light on my book. Not anymore, I can toss and turn to my hearts content and never have an issue with lighting. That alone is worth it.
 
I'll rep the wyoming boys. A must have book if you're going to foot the wind rivers is Finis Mitchell's Wind River Trails. If you've ever caught a trout in a mountain lake in the winds, more than likely it was thanks to Finis.

As for fiction, I'll also concur with the Abbey folks, but I'd throw out one of his earliest books The Brave Cowboy, and one of my favorites Black Sun. A couple already mentioned A Fool's Progress, but that is a truly beautiful read too.

“A mountain is the best medicine for a troubled mind. Seldom does man ponder his own insignificance. He thinks he is master of all things. He thinks the world is his without bonds. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Only when he tramps the mountains alone, communing with nature, observing other insignificant creatures about him, to come and go as he will, does he awaken to his own short-lived presence on earth.”
― Finis Mitchell
 
For any of you in the aviation community, in particular Vietnam era Marine Corps aviation, I highly enjoyed reading "Who Shot the Water Buffalo?", by Ken Babbs. Ken was a H34 helicopter in Vietnam in 1962-63. When he got out of the Marines, he joined Ken Kesey and became one of the Merry Pranksters.

While not a blood and guts book, it accurately describes the crazy antics of junior officers in their constant war against the heavies (senior officers).
 
Anyone read anything by Alton Pryor? Ran into him at a gun show. Fairly prolific writer but I have no idea if his stuff is any good. Mostly history related stuff. Titles like "Little known tales in Nevada History", Odd and unusual Tales of the Old West", Fascinating Women in California History and such. Its all available on Kindle so I'll check some out. Kind of stuff I like to read while traveling.
 
I just discovered this forum. Terrific idea and the spread sheet of titles is awesome! Thanks to those who created and maintain that resource.

A couple of my favorite travel titles are "Blue Highways" and "River Horse" by William Least Heat Moon. Blue Highways is an introspective road trip taken in an old van, and River Horse is Moon's account of a cross country trip by boat, from New York harbor to the mouth of the Columbia.
Another favorite is "Miles From Nowhere", by Barbara Savage - an around the world account done by a young couple on bicycles in the late 70's.

Thanks again for the great forum idea,

Regards -
 
Otis, I sent a PM to one of the mods, but have not heard back from her.. I will try to keep it updated, but maybe a couple of us would do an even better job. Hint...
 
In the New Mexico section, let's add a couple of books about the days when the state wasn't a state, just a territory. The author, Howard Bryan, was a reporter for the Albuquerque Journal for years. When he moved to New Mexico in the 1940's, he found that there were people alive in the state who had lived 'the wild west' as well as newspaper archives dating back to the 1800's. He interviewed those old timers who remembered the late 1800's and early 1900's in New Mexico. He dove into the newspaper archives to ferret out stories. The books are collections of stories. Don't expect the Hollywood western type of story, either.

Robbers Rogues and Ruffians and Wildest of the Wild West are two very readable Howard Bryan books. There are others. They may be hard to find as they were printed by Clear Light Publishers in Santa Fe, NM
 
MarkBC said:
I'm interested in how/why places got their names, so to me that relates to Western travel -- a good kind of reference companion to take along on trips:

Oregon Geographic Names, by Lewis McArthur
...I'm most-familiar with this Oregon classic (I know lots of people here who have it), since I live in Oregon -- a great browsing read!

Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary
...I own this one, but not for very long and haven't browsed it as much as I'd like...I leave it in the truck most of the time.

California Place Names
...I bought a copy of this for my father (living in California), and only recently bought one for myself...more interesting browsing.
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I just got a new book similar to those I mentioned above, so I thought I'd give this thread a bump and list this new one:
Montana Place Names: From Alzada to Zortman

Montana Historical Society Press; 1st edition (July 15, 2009)
I just saw that they have an interactive website companion to the book -- kinda cool. :)


I'm a big fan of state place/geographic-name books. No, they're not really a cover-to-cover kind of read, but interesting to look up stuff and to browse.

I got this one 'cause I'm headed that way in a couple of days. :)
 
The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey, but only if it's the hardcover version that's illustrated by R. Crumb! Whether you've done a little "night work" yourself or just wish you could, it's a great read, re-read and re-read.
 
Ishi by Theodora Krober. I've had my copy for over 40 years, and read it at least annually. The last known Stone Age Native American. Perhaps not 100% accurate, but it documents the extermination (for lack of a better term) of the Indians of northern California.

Krober is the mother of Ursula LeGuin.
 
"A bloodcurdling tale is told of a miner who worked there in the midnight shift - 'the graveyard shift' - in the Coffin Mine, in Dead Man's Canyon, in the Funeral Mountains, in Death Valley!"

This is from Margaret Long's The Shadow of the Arrow, her 1941 book on the pioneer trails through Death Valley. The prologue tells how she got hooked on Death Valley, her first trip in October 1921 -

"Anne Martin and I were the first women to enter Death Valley alone, though a year ahead of us two others, known to local fame as Perkins and Jordan, had explored it with a guide, a desert man named Julius Meyer."

Edna Perkins' The White Heart of the Mojave is now a classic, the story of her and Charlotte Jordan's 1920 exploration of the Mojave and Death Valley.

I am enjoying both of these.

Anyone else out there still reading books?
 
ski3pin said:
...Anyone else out there still reading books?
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I recently read about the discovery of the Higgs Boson...but since that took place in France and Switzerland, mostly, it's not really Western.

And I'm working my way through this series...but since it doesn't really occur in our universe, as far as I can tell, I can't say it's Western either.

I hope that "books" includes Kindle format because that's my preferred medium these days.
Love my Kindle Paperwhite!
 
I just finished 'The Emerald Mile' by Kevin Fedarko. While the writeups focus on the fastest trip down the Grand Canyon, that story is less than half the book. Even though I had read a few of the major references that the author used, I really enjoyed reading things from a different perspective, or I should say, multiple perspectives.
 
I am reading "Dirt, Water, Stone" by Kathleen Fiero. She is an archeologist, and was the supervisor of the preservation team at Mesa Verde NP. The book is interesting, and covers the restoration/preservation efforts from the late 1800s until present times. My understanding is the book is considered required reading for rangers and volunteers at MVNP.

Kathleen is the sister (in-law?) of Bill Fiero, who wrote "The Geology of the Great Basin". Bill is one of my boating friends, and a fantastic guide to a trip on the Colorado. Another good book.
 
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