Bookshelf

Four books from the University of Nevada Press, Reno, NV 89557, are important contributions to the Arizona-Nevada region and beyond.By Anthony Amaral. 1980 (reprint). 175 p. $12.00, hardcover.

WILL JAMES: THE LAST COWBOΥ LEGEND.

Few knew the other side of this lanky, affable cowboy artist, writer, and storyteller of the turn-of-the-century West. Most knew only of his memorable writings: Smoky, Lone Cowboy, Horses I've Known, and of his incomparable illustrations of horses and ranch life. A lonely anachronism, Will James drifted through Nevada, Arizona, and Montana, finally settling down for short periods on isolated ranches in Nevada, and later Montana, with his wife to work on his art and writing. Yet the burden of fame and fortune and the inability to cope with real life and people, alcoholism, and chronic fear of revelation of his true identity brought this major figure to an early death at 50. The author provides notes, black-and-white photos, illustrations, and some updating to this "Lancehead Series" edition of his 1967 work Will James, The Gilt Edged Cowboy.By Margaret M. Wheat. 1981 (reprint). 119 p. $7.50, softcover.

SURVIVAL ARTS OF THE PRIMITIVE PAIUTES.

In the late 1940s the author became interested in the ethnology of the Northern Paiute. With tape recorder and camera, she recorded many all-but-vanished lifeways of a hardy people of northwestern Nevada. First published in 1967, Wheat's annotated work portrays in text and photos the relationship of the Paiute with their land through the yearly cycle as it had existed for generations before the advent of the white man, who wrought profound and lasting changes. Step by step we can follow several Paiute elders as they harvest piñon nuts; construct a boat and a cradleboard; make tools, utensils, and weapons; weave articles from fibers; and build a house. A deeply heartwarming and rewarding work.

Inquiries about any of these titles should be directed to the book publisher not ARIZONA HIGHWAYS.

BELTRAN: BASQUE SHEEPMAN OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

By Beltran Paris as told to William A. Douglass. 1979. 186 p. $10.00, hardcover.

Barely twenty, Beltran Paris left his native French Basque village to earn a living in the western U.S. Knowing no English and having almost no education, the earnest young man began as a modest sheepherder. He learned quickly and rose to become a respected rancher and family man. In his own words, Paris tells ingeniously and with humor of his many rewarding experiences and of the hardships of the sheep business among the numerous Basque sheepmen in Nevada, Arizona, and elsewhere in the West. Candid black-and-white photos portray the character and moods of this oldcountry contributor to the American West.

THE PIÑON PINE: A NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY.

By Ronald M. Lanner. 1981. 208 p. $13.50, hardcover; $8.50, softcover.

Pine nut, pinyon, piñon-whatever one chooses to call it-the modest little nut and its parent tree found in Nevada, Arizona, and elsewhere in the Greater Southwest have played a major role in the existence of man in North America for several thousand years. No facet of the history of Pinus edulis (Colorado) or Pinus monophylla (singleleaf) piñon has been omitted: geographical distribution of species, multitude of uses by prehistoric and historic Indians, and present value. Surprisingly, exploration and ranching in the West and silver mining in 19th-century Nevada might not have achieved their success so readily without the gifts of piñon woodland. The author includes an impres-sive bibliography, notes, black-and-white photos and illustrations, and an index. A real delight is Harriette Lanner's section on pine-nut cookery. Viva the incredible, edible piñon!By James C. Maxon. KC Publications, Box 14883, Las Vegas, NV 89114. 1981, 2nd printing. 48 p. $7.95, hardcover; $3.00, softcover.

LAKE MEAD-HOOVER DAM: THE STORY BEHIND THE SCENERY.

In this colorful, well-written, factual book the author summarizes the geologic and human history of the region of the Colorado River and lakes Mead and Mohave and presents a concise discussion of the construction of the engineering feat that was Hoover (Boulder) Dam. Subsequently he surveys the esthetic and recreational aspects of these two man-made lakes and the surrounding desert. At the end of each section are suggested readings. The whole Lake Mead Recreation Area comes alive in brilliant color and fine historical photographs-and you can't beat the price. Reviewed by Judson Farquar.

BEYOND THE HUNDREDTH MERIDIAN: JOHN WESLEY POWELL AND THE SECOND OPENING OF THE WEST.

By Wallace Stegner. University of Nebraska Press, 901 N. 17th St., Lincoln, NE 68588. 1982 (reprint). 430 p. $50.00, hardcover; $12.50, softcover.

From a modest rural background, a selftaught scientist with a passion for books, the one-armed Civil War veteran quickly earned respect for his expeditions into the uncharted West. A professor of geology, Powell later established the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of American Ethnology, and the Bureau of Reclamation. He learned to cope with the bureaucracy in Washington and interacted with nearly all the scientific and political greats of his era. A complex, misunderstood man, he strove to interpret a complex, misunderstood region-that arid land beyond the hundredth meridian. Driven by the conviction that science under the auspices of the federal government could achieve brilliant results for the nation, Powell was several generations ahead of his time. Well researched, with maps, photographs, notes, and index, this monumental volume published in 1954 remains one of the most significant books written on the social and scientific history of the West.