Bookshelf

BOOKSHELF ABORIGINAL AMERICAN INDIAN BASKETRY. By Otis Tufton Mason. Rio Grande Press Inc., P.O. Box 33, Glorieta, New Mexico 87535. 1984. 784 pages. $39.00, hardcover.

Indians of the Americas have been making baskets in artistic and utilitarian forms-even for use as hats-for centuries. Although many of these containers are well made, they are overshadowed in fineness of technique and design by those produced in the nineteenth century, the best of which were fortunately collected and can now be seen and appreciated in museums. There is today an ever increasing interest in Indian basketry. How were they made? How was the technique learned? What plant materials were used? What meaning, if any other than pure artistry, did the designs have? The answers to these and other questions have been unavailable to the general public since the classic and detailed study of aboriginal American basketry has long been out of print.

CATTLE, HORSES AND MEN. By John H. (Jack) Culley. University of Arizona Press, 1615 East Speedway, Tucson, Arizona 85719. 1984. 329 pages. $25.00, library edition; $11.50, softcover.

It is not just a coincidence that many of the finest cattle operations in the West were financed, managed, and developed by the English. Their love of land and livestock can be traced into antiquity. When Jack Culley left his home, Coupland Castle, near the Scottish border, in the 1880s and journeyed to New Mexico, he was well prepared to adapt to a high cantle saddle and a new breed of cattle, horses, and men. He had been raised in the tradition of rural life and educated at Oxford. Both factors assured success in New Mexico. First published by the Ward Ritchie Press almost a half-century ago, Culley's detailed account of early Southwestern cattle ranching has the flavor of authenticity and the appeal of prose. Here on the pages of Jack Culley's book is a West we would never have known, a great gift to leave to your fellow man. This is another well-chosen reprint of the University of Arizona Press.

ARIZONA MUSEUMS. By Mildred and Al Fischer. Golden West Publishers. Available from Arizona Highways Books, 2039 West Lewis Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009. 1985. 88 pages. $6.00, softcover.

Strange beings that we are, we frequently ignore our local museums. Then when we travel, we often spend hours or days among the displayed artifacts of our holiday locale. There seems to be two messages here. We take for granted the land we live in and long to learn about a strange land. For the visitor or resident of Arizona this publication fills a need. Faithful to its title, it lists 175 Arizona museums by locality and theme, giving a brief but adequate description of the facility and its offerings.

The authors of this orderly publication must have spent years doing their onsite research and traveled thousands of miles on the principal and rural roads of the state. Each entry is accompanied by a photograph, and three indexes by name, subject and location quickly point the inquisitor in the direction of his interest.

The book has a road map of the state and city maps of Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff. Addresses, phone numbers, hours, and admission costs head each entry as well as the days on which the museum is closed.

The authors certainly cannot be faulted for either inaccuracies or omissions. Even a page euphemistically titled Museum Miscellany contains the obituaries of some once-existing facilities. It is safe to say no museum in Arizona has been overlooked in this publication whether the proud title was earned by expertise or awarded by hyperbole. Arizona Museums will prove a valuable acquisition for years to come.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS