Ghiglieri—ecologist, white-water guide, author of East of the Mountains of the Moon (1988)—provides a mile-by-mile tour of the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River—a grab-bag of the sort of historical, geological, political, and anecdotal tidbits he apparently offers his white-watering guests, and a definitive source book for those who decide to take the challenge. Adrenaline Alley, Crystal Rapid, Soap Creek, Lava Canyon—the picturesque names of these spectacular Grand Canyon geological formations offer a hint as to why Ghiglieri claims to consider the Canyon his personal ``sacred ground.'' Now an experienced guide who, when not pursuing scientific research projects in other parts of the world, takes boatloads of visitors down roller-coasterlike chutes, drops, and currents, Ghiglieri has settled down long enough to write the type of Grand Canyon guidebook that he claims he always wished he could find. Taking the reader along on an imaginary white-water journey, the author intersperses accounts of experiences he's had along the trail (hiking with flight attendants who insist on photographing one another naked on the cliffs; interrupting a tour to greet his first child, born in nearby Flagstaff and named, naturally, ``Cliff'') with passionate diatribes on the politics of water supply and its effect on the Colorado; evocations of the lives of the Anasazi Indians, whose centuries-old abandoned villages still dot the Canyon; and an insider's description of the cliffs, valleys, and hiking trails that line the river. Though Ghiglieri's enthusiasm and concern for the Canyon and its future are obvious throughout, his workmanlike prose may serve less to transport readers than to inspire potential adventurers to join him there. (Map.)
Pub Date: April 14, 1992
ISBN: 0-8165-1258-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Univ. of Arizona
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1992
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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