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RIO DEL NORTE

Name: RIO DEL NORTE
Author: Carroll L. Riley
ISBN: 0-87480-466-3

PEOPLE OF THE UPPER RIO GRANDE FROM EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PUEBLO REVOLT

by Carroll L. Riley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1995

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An often engaging, if uninspired, history of the Rio Grande River of New Mexico and those who have lived along it. Anthropologist Riley (New Mexico Highlands Univ.) describes the ``big river'' of the American Southwest and the impact it has had on the diverse cultures on or near its banks. Beginning with the waterway itself, he describes its geographic and topographic features. He then moves quickly to the people who have made the region of the river home, beginning with American Indians. From the area's earliest known ``paleoindian'' Clovis and Folsom cultures (mammoth hunters today known largely through their well-formed spear points), Riley moves on to the diverse tribes inhabiting the region on the eve of Columbus's landing in the Western Hemisphere (Pueblo, Navajo, etc.). Part two, entitled, ``The Invaders,'' examines the coming of Europeans and the devastating effects of colonization on the indigenous residents. Riley traces Spanish contact, beginning with CortÇs and the Aztecs of Mexico and the impact of that encounter farther north. He tells the stories of familiar figures: Cabeza de Vaca, whose accounts of ``Seven Cities of Gold'' fueled both Spanish greed and desire for territorial expansion; Esteban, the black slave who was the first non-Indian seen by the Pueblos; and Coronado, the conquistador who was the first to systematically explore the region. One of the more interesting accounts is also one of the lesser known, that of Turk, an Indian guide for Coronado who hoped to mislead the Spaniard and bring about his demise. The well-known Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the most successful Indian revolt in North American history, and its aftermath are briefly depicted at the end of the volume. Despite some detectable ethnocentrism, Riley offers much useful information to persons unfamiliar with southwestern history. (36 illustrations, 18 maps, not seen)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1995

ISBN: 0-87480-466-3

Page Count: 336

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.