Pacaritambo Reading Recommendations

BACK TO THE ASTRONOMY CAFE: More Questions and Answers About the Cosmos from "Ask the Astronomer"
by Sten Odenwald. B&W and color photos, drawings, & charts illustrate. Condition: NEW 2003 Westview Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: Meticulously researched by the education and public outreach manager for the NASA IMAGE satellite program, this question-and-answer book of astronomy, complete with pictures, timetables and a "glossary of annoying terms," provides explanations for many phenomena regarding the sun, moon, Earth and beyond. Odenwald occasionally waxes poetic, writing, for instance, that our world is "a cosmos where every shining star sports a discoverable retinue of worlds to explore." The well-informed amateur will reap much informative detail from this follow-up to the author's original The Astronomy Cafe, based on his popular web site. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 4.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

CLARENCE DARROW ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT (1924)
by Clarence Darrow. Intro by Justice Seymour Simon. A few B&W era photos. Condition: NEW 1991 Chicago Historical Bookworks reprint of the 1924 original edition. Trade Paperback. Content: here are two parts to this book: Part 1: Darrow's debate with Judge Alfred J. Talley and his magnificent closing argument in the Loeb-Leopold Trial. Whether you are for the death penalty or against it, this book is a must-read - especially for young trial lawyers. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 6.49 + $ 3.09 media shipping.

COMANCHE MIDNIGHT
essays by Stephen Harrigan (Texas Monthly. Condition: NEW 1995 Univ. of Texas Press Trade Paperback, first edition, no printing given. Light ede wear to front cover fore edge. Content: "The essays in Comanche Midnight address my old preoccupations with worlds that have vanished, communication that is sealed off, perceptions that are out of reach. There is an air of mystery about them . . . They are a record not just of certain events and people and places, but of the mind that witnessed them, and that is still trying to grasp what it beheld." The title and opening essay of Texan Harrigan's (A Natural State) latest collection concerns the United States' continued affronts of the Comanche tribe. These affronts, Harrigan writes, have left a proud people torn between fading traditions and increasing social responsibilities. Although Harrigan does recall some of the Comanche history, he is careful not to let the past overwhelm the immediacy of the problems faced by contemporary Comanches. Like such writers as Barry Lopez and Peter Matthiessen, Harrigan sticks to the facts, whatever poetry comes from his thorough reporting rather than from sparkling prose. ``The Bay'' details the prolonged ecological collapse of Galveston Bay, while ``The Soul of Treaty Oak'' recreates the chaos and comedy following the poisoning of Austin's celebrated centuries-old tree. In ``The Temple of Destiny,'' Harrigan examines the defeat of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and Cortes's murderous response to Aztec ritualized human sacrifice. Harrigan's compassion for these defeated subjects is offset throughout by an overwhelming sense of wanting to piece together another portion of the historical puzzle. Writing in a state known for its enormity, Harrigan is on the side of the small men who often die victims of a history that too quickly forgets. [1 copy available]
$ 10.00 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available.

THE EGYPTIAN: A Novel
by Mika Waltari. Translated by Naomi Walford. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1949 - 1950 Putnam's hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), Book Club Edition. Deckled edges. NO tanning. The DJ has, at some point, been folded and there is a light crease. Interior clean & tight. Content: There actually was a physician named Sinehu who left some of his life on papyrus - I have yet to find a book or site that details this true story, however. Perhaps the Author had knowledge of this artifact or had read it. Reviewer: "The book is set in the Amarna period of Ancient Egypt during the reigns of the pharaohs Amunhotep III, Akhenaten and Horemheb, covering the concluding years of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom (1386 - 1293 BC), an era in Egyptian history that was marked by significant religious and political upheaval. The Egyptian is Sinuhe, a physician of unknown birth origin who was wrapped and cradled in a reed boat floating down the Nile. As he narrates his life story, which transcended years of warfare, plague, and fierce battle between gods. On the outside The Egyptian delineates the history of Egypt through its inveterate religious devotion to many gods. At the core of the novel finds one man's lifelong journey through many countries, like Babylon, Crete, and Mitannia, to knowledge. Sinehu possessed such lonely idealism that motivated him to devote his life searching for something so intangible yet greater than he beyond his understanding did. He was not ready to merely worship the gods - in fact, he insisted on questioning traditions and thus marked him as an outsider of his own culture." The 1954 movie was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Victor Mature, Jean Simmons, Michael Wilding, Gene Tierney, Peter Ustinov, and Edmund Purdom. This is one of my favorite old movie even though I think the acting is weak (everyone) and the screenplay is limp. But the novel is fabulous! [1 copy available] [1 copy available]
$ 7.50 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

FAMOUS TRAVELLERS TO THE HOLY LAND: Their Personal Impressions and Reflections
compiled by Linda Osband. B&W maps (with a pull-out map) with B&W era drawings and photos. Introduction by Jan Morris. Condition: UNREAD, but perused on the shelf, 1989 Prion (London) hardcover & DJ (in myular jacket), asumed first impression. Light tanning to DJ edges. The DJ has been taped in place, most likely to protect the pull-out map. Content: This is a wonderful book - for both history and religon. From medieval times to the late 19th and early 20th century, the Holy Land was an ignored province of the Ottoman empire and a province of Syria. Suddenly in the 19th century, Western travellers began to make their way to "Palestine." Here are the famous travellers beginning in roughly 1951: J.T. Barclay, Gertrude Bell, James Silk Buckingham, Caroline of Brunswick, Vicomte de Chateaubriand, Robert Curzon, James Finn, William Holman Hunt, Charles Leonard Irby, Horation Herbert Kitchener, Alphonse Marie Louis de Lamartine, T.E. Lawrence, Edward Lear, John Macgregor, Sir Moses Montefiore, Laurence Oliphant, Edward Robinson, Prince rudolph of Austria, Lady Hester Stanhope, Arthur Penbryn Stanley, John Lloyd Stephens, William Makepeace Thackeray, Henry Baker Tristram, Mark Twain, Comte de Volney, Charles Warren, and Sir William Wilde. Fascinating read! [1 copy available]
$ 7.39 + $ 3.39 media shipping. International shipping available on arrangement - email us.

GOING, GOING, GONE?: Animals and plants on the brink of extinctin and how you can help (Which One Will You Save?)
by Malcolm Tait. Beautiful color photos of each animal/plant. Condition: NEW 2008 Think Books (UK) soft cover, first printing. Content: Reviewer: "I usually judge books like this by whether they teach me stuff I didn't know, and by that standard, this book is amazing. The authors/editor did an great job of showing the diversity of the world when they picked their conservation groups. For example I had never heard of the Wollemi Pine from Australia, now I am looking to order my seedling to support their efforts. I won't list the groups they polled but it is impressive, ranging from giants like the WWF to small single species groups like Fundacion Jocotoco. And just as impressive as the editor's choices of conservation groups are the species the groups chose. The species chosen were obviously well thought out from Tadpole shrimp to YellowHammers to Common Skates. The 100 examples represent biodiversity very well and tell 100 timely and compelling conservation stories from the critically endangered to the surprisingly threatened. Some animals are standard poster species like Pandas while others are little known species that have suffered from their obscurity like the Ethiopian Wolf or Pygmy Hog. I'm not sure what I was expecting [when I bought this book], but it wasn't this. It far outweighed any expectation I had with it's content. The content is not particularly deep in coverage, but with the links to the conservation groups, it unlocks doors to endless additional information." Questions encouraged. [ 1 copy left]
$ 5.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

MY BROTHER WAS AN ONLY CHILD
by Jack Douglas. Introduction by Jack Paar. Condition: UNREAD, but not perfect, 1959 Dutton small hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), 10th printing. Problem: the DJ shows edge wear with a "scratch" across Douglas' body on front DJ panel. Interior clean & tight. Content: This is one of the funniest books ever published. OK, any Jack Douglas book is the funniest ever published. Douglas was a mainstay on the TV talk circuit in the 50s and 60's. He was a joke writer for--among others--Johnny Carson. "Jack's Japanese wife--she spoke no English and he no Japanese when they were married--was a real trooper--he called her Huckleberrry Hashimoto and their adventures as newlyweds was a first serious (yeah, sure-HO HO) effort at humor. BEWARE of these books. They are addictive. Folks tend to read and reread them at a single sitting--reading through the night; missing their stop on the subway--all else fades into obscurity; there is a craving for more Jack Douglas--worse than chocolate!!!" Several "chapters" are only 1 sentence long. Too funny! [1 copy available]
$ 6.19 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE SECRET SOCIETIES
by J. M. Roberts. Condition: NEW 2008 Watkins (UK) Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: Reviewer: "Roberts has given us a valuable insight into the "spectre that haunted European politics in the 18th and early 19th centuries." This is not an history of secret societies, real and imagined. This is an history of the mythology that grew out of a belief that everything had a cause--therefore behind everything that happened in the world, there was someone causing it. John M. Roberts clearly demonstrates that much of the direction of 19th century politics was influenced, not by secret societies, but by a belief on the part of rulers in their existence and power. A fine read, well researched and footnoted. The wisdom in leaving out detailed bibiographical citations is questionable. The lack of a full index is also awkward. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 9.00 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available.

PAINTER IN A SAVAGE LAND: The Strange Saga of the First European Artist in North America
by Miles Harvey (Island of Lost maps). B&W woodcuts and illustrations. Condition: NEW 2008 Random House hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first printing. Tiny remainder dot bottom edges at spine. Content: From a doomed French fort on what became the site for Jacksonville, Florida, to the streets of Paris and London, where Huguenots and Lutherans were burned at the stake, to the auction rooms of Sotheby’s, the dramatic story of the long-lost artist Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues is a veritable tale of nine lives. Historian Harvey (The Island of Lost Maps, 2000) marvels at the “epic strangeness” of his subject’s complicated life story. Le Moyne was the first artist sent to North America when he set sail from Le Havre in 1564 with 300 men sent to stake a claim for France in Florida but fated to suffer starvation and violent death. Le Moyne not only survived and returned home; he also managed to create marvelously stylized drawings of the tragically doomed Timucuan people. He then escaped religious persecution in France and found sanctuary in London, where he became a leading botanical artist and advisor to Walter Raleigh. It’s one astonishing discovery after another as Harvey retrieves the buried truth about Le Moyne and chronicles the nearly miraculous preservation of his work. With hugely entertaining side journeys, energetic analysis, and a diabolical surprise ending, Harvey’s groundbreaking, fun-to-read biography blows the dust off significant swathes of history and makes for a rousing read. Questions welcome [1 copy available]
$ 7.49 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

PHANTASTICA: A Classic Survey on the Use and Abuse of Mind-Altering Plants
by Louis Lewin, M.D. B&W charts. Condition: NEW 1998 Park Street Press Trade Paperback, first printing. Content: "Phantastica has weathered the test of time quite well, and it continues to bear testimony to the scientific dedication and keen wisdom of one of the world's great psychopharmacologists. [An] open-minded, scientific approach to the study of psychoactives." "This book gives the reader a worldwide tour of inebriation, addiction, and devotional ecstasy along with his insightful perspective of human nature." Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 8.89 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available - please use the drop-down menu.

THE REAL HISTORY BEHIND THE TEMPLARS
by Sharan Newman. B&W illustrations. Condition: UNREAD 2007 Berkley Books Trade Paperback, first printing. Tiny edge wear bottom front cover. Content: The medieval historian who revealed The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code uncloaks the Templars. In the year 1119, these noblemen found their calling as protectors of the faithful on a dangerous pilgrimage to newly conquered Jerusalem. Now, historian Sharan Newman elucidates the mysteries and misconceptions of the Templars, from their true first founding and role in the Crusades to more modern intrigues, including: Were they devout knights or secret heretics?; Did they leave behind a fantastic treasure-hidden to this day?; How did they come to be associated with the Holy Grail?; Did they come to America before the time of Columbus?; Does the order still exist? [1 copy available]
$ 5.49 + $ 3.19 media shipping.

RITUAL OF THE WIND: North American Indian Ceremonies, Music, and Dance
by Jamake Highwater. Great B&W era photos of Native American ceremonies and culture with a few photos from late 20th century. Condition: NEW 1984 Metheun large soft cover, new & revised edition, no printing given. Content: This book offers a wide but intimate look at the cultures of the Indians of North America seen as a living presence in the land. It offers a good general introduction to Native American religion, rites of passage, and dances and ceremonies and includes rare photos and transcriptions of oral texts, provides an extensive calendar of Indian events, a selected bibliography, and an invaluable discography. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$ 13.69 + $ 3.49 media shipping. International shipping by arrangement - email us.

THE SOUTHWESTERN INDIAN DETOUR: The Story of the Fred Harvey/Santa Fe Railway Experiment in 'Detourism' [SIGNED BY AUTHOR]
by D. H. Thomas (Diane Thomas). Loaded - really! - with B&W era photos and advertisements. Condition: SIGNED by Author on the loose end page. UNREAD, but not perfect, 1978 Hunter Press (Phoenix) hardcover & DJ (in mylar jacket), first edition. Problem: teh DJ has chips and small "repaired" tears. The book has tiny shelf wear bottom corner tips. Interior perfect. Content: This book is a factual account of an adventure in tourism that reads like fiction. Designed by the Harvey Organization and the Santa Fe Railway to entice transcontinental travelers to linger awhile in an ancient yet brand new world, they opened the Southwest ot only to tourists in quest of a "different" vacation, but to those who would become permanent residents as they traded crowded Eastern cities for the slower-paced charm of the American Southwest. An experiment in roughing it first class, the Indian Detours would present the American Southwest to inquisitive Europeans, jaded American millionaires, students and average vacationers. Never again would such a great adventure be made so accessible in this country. Fascinating!!! [1 copy available]
$ 15.00 + $ 3.29 media shipping. International shipping by arrangement - email us.

TIFFANY: An Illustrated Guide to This Giant of the Art Nouveau Style
by Tessa Paul. Some B&W era photos with loads of beautiful color photos of the Tiffany art works. Condition: NEW 2005 Silverdale large soft cover, no printing given. Content: A fascinating guide to this innovator and genius of the Art Nouveau style. Looks at the glasswork for which he is renowned, as well as his paintings, lamps, ceramics, wallpapers and embroideries. Includes full-color photographs of some of his most beautiful and innovative designs. Contents include: East-West Encounters, A Rich Use of Paint, Fashionable Magnificence, The Medieval Model, Paintings in Glass, The Message in the Medium, The Art Industry, Last Causes, Return to Glory. [1 copy available]
$ 7.00 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping by arrangement - email us.

WARRIORS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Joshua, King David, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas Maccabeus
by Mark Healy. Beautiful color plates by Richard Hook. B&W artifact photos with B&W drawings from history. Condition: UNREAD 1998 Brockhampton hardcover (pictorial boards) & DJ (in mylar jacket), first thus. Content: Wonderfully illustrated book about the heroes of Jewish history and 1 not-so-heroic Biblical warrior. [1 copy available]
$ 7.50 + $ 3.29 media shipping.

WORD DANCE: The Language of Native American Culture
by Carl Waldman. Wonderful B&W, pen-and-ink drawings by Molly Braun. Condition: NEW 1995 Facts On File Trade Paperback, second printing. Tiny edge wear. Content: This book is excellent in its coverage of names of tribes, legendary beings, and common terms that add to the reader's understanding of Native American culture. Terms from anthropology, such as berdache, are defined. Expressions and slang in American English that are related to Native Americans, such as bury the hatchet, happy hunting ground, and Indian giver, are included. About 35 terms from Native American languages that are not used in English are defined. Definitions for such terms as how, white, and resistance give a distinctive perspective into the cultural history of this society. Most entries are one to three sentences in length, but those for culture areas (e.g., Circum-Caribbean Culture Area) are half a page. People, battles, and organizations have been omitted since they can be found elsewhere. Cross-references set off in small capitals allow for further exploration, and see and see also references are abundantly used. A categorical appendix classifies the entries under such headings as Archaeology, Food Production, and Tools, Utensils, and Weapons. An excellent current bibliography completes this work. Line drawings illustrate selected entries. [1 copy available]
$ 7.79 + $ 3.19 media shipping. International shipping available.

A ZUNI ARTIST LOOKS AT FRANK HAMILTON CUSHING [INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR]
cartoons by Phil Hughte. B&W humorous illustrations by the Author. Condition: INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR [To (Name)]. NEW 1994 Pueblo of Zuni large soft cover, no printing given. Content: In 1879 Frank Hamilton Cushing rode unannounced into Zuni Pueblo. Sent by the Smithsonian Institution, he stayed at Zuni until 1884 and became the world's first live-in anthropologist. His writings gave Zuni a fame it never sought. Now Phil Hughte turns the tables on Cushing. His drawings tell the story of Cushing from the Zuni perspective, with anthropological commentaries by Triloki Nath Pandey, Jim Ostler, and Krisztina Kosse. This unique book will be relished especially by anthropologists, American Indians, and other people who partake of more than one culture. A Zuni Artist Looks at Frank Hamilton Cushing was originally published by Zuni A:shiwi Publishing in 1994, but is now widely available through University of New Mexico Press. Questions welcome. [1 copy available]
$29.79 + $ 3.29 media mail