Five
Quail
Books


NEW BOOKS
NEW IN 2010
Aton, James M. - JOHN WESLEY POWELL: His Life and Legacy. Bonneville Books, Utah, 2010, 8vo., wraps, 85pp., biblio. “John Wesley Powell: explorer, writer, geologist, anthropologist, land planner, bureaucrat. Which one do we focus on?” This is the question author James M. Aton poses at the beginning of his biography of Powell, though he soon decides that it is impossible to ignore any facet of Powell’s life. Powell was a polymath, one whose “divergent interests resemble one of those braided streambeds in his beloved canyon country, branching out in many directions, but ultimately beginning and ending in the same stream.” Aton beautifully tells the multidimensional stories of Powell’s childhood, his military and teaching careers, his famous and exciting explorations of the Colorado River, and the battles he waged from his influential positions within the Smithsonian’s Bureau of Ethnology and the United States Geological Survey. This new edition of John Wesley Powell: His Life and Legacy, first printed as an issue of the Boise State University Western Writers Series, includes the original biography, but also features Aton’s new interpretations of Powell’s writings on exploration, land-planning, anthropology, and irrigation, and incorporates the author’s distinguished faculty lecture on Powell and cash-register dams in the Colorado River Basin. New. $9.95

Madsen, Steven K. - EXPLORING DESERT STONE: John N. Macomb's 1859 Expedition to the Canyonalds of the Colorado. University of Utah Press, Logan, 2010, 8vo., gray cloth, pict. dustjacket, 273pp., illus., index, copy of Egloffstein map in rear pocket. The confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, now in Canyonlands National Park, near popular tourist destination Moab, still cannot be reached or viewed easily. Much of the surrounding region remained remote and rarely visited for decades after settlement of other parts of the West. The first U.S. government expedition to explore the canyon country and the Four Corners area was led by John Macomb of the army's topographical engineers. The soldiers and scientists followed in part the Old Spanish Trail, whose location they documented and verified. Seeking to find the confluence of the Colorado and the Green and looking for alternative routes into Utah, which was of particular interest in the wake of the Utah War, they produced a substantial documentary record, most of which is published for the first time in this volume. Theirs is also the first detailed map of the region, and it is published in Exploring Desert Stone, as well. New. $34.95

Turley, Richard E. and Ronald W. Walker (edited by) - MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections. Brigham Young University Press, University of Utah Press, Utah, 2009, oblong 8vo., black cloth, pict. dustjacket, 341pp., index, illus. During years of research for their 2008 book Massacre at Mountain Meadows: An American Tragedy, authors Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr., Glen M. Leonard, and their colleagues discovered a great deal of information about the 1857 massacre, leading to a clearer understanding of the tragedy. No one can speak responsibly about the details of this event without consulting these newly discovered documents. Mountain Meadows Massacre presents two of the valuable and revealing collections the authors uncovered. The first collection was gathered in the 1890s by Andrew Jenson (1850-1937), a full-time employee in the LDS church historian’s office. The second collection was compiled a decade later by David H. Morris (1858-1937), an attorney and judge in St. George, Utah. Images of the original documents are accompanied by typed transcriptions, which reproduce original spelling, punctuation, strikethroughs, and inserted words or characters. Introductory text explains how each document collection was initially created, how the LDS Church came to possess them, and where they were archived. Brief biographical sketches introduce the individuals who were interviewed, gave affidavits, or wrote letters that appear in the document collections. New. $44.95

Wood, Robert S. - DESERT RIVERMAN. The Free-Spirited Adventures of Murl Emery. Fretwater Press, Arizona, 2009, 8vo., wraps, 264pp., illus., index. Born and raised in the parched desert country of the lower Colorado River, Murl Emery came to know the currents of the muddy river as no other man. He worked as a beaver trapper, cattle rustler, bootlegger, house mover, storekeeper, ferryman, prospector, cowboy, truck driver, inventor, miner, river freighter, aviator, astute mechanic, fishing fleet operator--and became the lead boatman during the construction of Hoover Dam. But Murl Emery was never one to sit still, never one to take anyone--himself included--seriously. In later life, he meandered from beachcomber, to desert philosopher, storyteller, advisor to scientists and congressmen, desert detective, dude wrangler, devilish troublemaker, showman, powder monkey, consummate kidder, defeated politician, museum curator, joker, incorrigible vagabond, homesteader, and self-styled "Old Goat." In Desert Riverman, Robert S. Wood interweaves two depictions of Murl Emery: Emery's rich and unparallelled history in the desert Southwest, told in Murl's own words; and the Emery the author knew and accompanied on madcap adventures in the 1960s--in Baja California, western Grand Canyon, and a last trip through Glen Canyon before it was inundated. Throughout, the tale is salted with Emery's hilarious outbursts and actions, painting a vivid picture of the early days on the Colorado and the eccentric character reared by this desert river environment. A great read, rich in character, deep in history, and just plain fun. Heavily illustrated with a map and more than sixty historic images, most published here for the first time. New. Signed. $16.95
NEW IN 2009
Lago, Don - GRAND CANYON TRIVIA. Riverbend Publishing, Montana, 2009, 8vo., pict. wraps, 109pp. The Grand Canyon is full of wonder--and so is this book. Here you will find the biggest and smallest, longest and shortest, first and last, weirdest and wildest, and the who, what, and where of the Grand Canyon. From rim to rim with the canyon and river in between, Grand Canyon Trivia offers something fascinating, fun, and little known about everything. Take it on a hike, pack it in your raft, carry it on a mule, or enjoy it around a campfire. You can even use it to quiz your companions and play a trivia game. These trivial trifles, treasures, and treats will keep you laughing, learning, and guessing. It's fun-tastic! Great for curious kids, inquisitive visitors, and inquiring hikers, and smart travelers. New. SIGNED. $9.95

Lindeman, Helen R. Rowan Cabeen. I WAS BORN AT THE GRAND CANYON. Self published, Iowa, 2009, 8vo., pict. wraps, 59pp., many sepia, b/w and color photos. Relive the memories of a little girl who grew up at the 7th Natural Wonder of the World...in the 1930s and 1940s when her father worked as an equipment operator from 1929 to 1950, and also served as acting supervisor in the CCC camp in 1937 and 1938. New. . . . . . . $12.95

Quayle, Amil - GRAND CANYON AND OTHER SELECTED POEMS. Black Star Press, Nebraska, 2009, 8vo., pict. wraps, 112pp., illus. Foreword by Brad Dimock. Amil Quayle was born near the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in St. Anthony, Idaho, in 1938. As a boy, he and his brother and friends spent many happy hours playing on the banks and in the water of that magnificent stream in southeast Idaho. Through high school he worked on various farms and developed a deep appreciation and love for the land. In 1961 he ran his first river trip and has been hooked ever since. He was a full-time guide, mostly in the Grand Canyon, for many years and earned a B.S. degree in sociology from the University of Utah. Amil sold his river business and ranched in Nebraska for seven years. He then received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Nebraska and taught English for Utah State University and Idaho State University. But his heart is on the river, and he has been privileged to guide on many trips throughout his adventurous life. His two sons, and two of his grandchildren, are river guides; five other grandchildren are showing river guide potential. New. SIGNED. $15.00

NEW IN 2008
Aitchison.Stewart - GRAND CANYON'S NORTH RIM AND BEYOND: A Guide to the North Rim & the Arizona Strip. Grand Canyon Association, Arizona, 2008, 8vo., pict. wraps, 96pp., illus. Visiting the Grand Canyon's North Rim is a unique experience. Just 10 miles across the abyss from the canyon's busy South Rim, the two settings are worlds apart. Fewer than 10 percent of park visitors find their way to the remote North Rim. Sublime beauty, rugged terrain, and quiet solitude await those who do. Those who visit the park with this book in hand take a personal guide. In these pages author Stewart Aitchison shares his knowledge of the plant and animal communities, geologic forces, and human history that set this place apart. And the stories don't stop at the park's boundary. They stretch across the broad Arizona Strip to provide insights into the vast scenery of this little known land. New. $12.95

Berger, Todd R. (edited by). - REFLECTIONS OF GRAND CANYON HISTORIANS: Ideas, Arguments, and First-Person Accounts. Monograph Number 14, Grand Canyon Association, Arizona, 2008, 4to., pict. wraps, 224pp., photos, maps. In January 2007, hundreds of historians, witnesses to history, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service employees, hikers, river runners, and history buffs gathered on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for the second Grand Canyon History Symposium. The symposium came alive with thirty-six presentations on topics from new evidence about the Powell expedition to rarely published reflections on Hopi cultural connections to the Grand Canyon to a robust debate on whether James White did or did not raft through the canyon in 1867. Reflections of Grand Canyon Historians: Ideas, Arguments, and First-Person Accounts collects thirty-two papers based on the presentations at the symposium, offering an offbeat anthology of Grand Canyon history. Readers will find this a thought-provoking and entertaining book, a unique collection of historical events tied to the Crown Jewel of the National Park System. Accessible to lay readers, Reflections of Grand Canyon Historians will challenge your thinking while filling your mind with cowboys, hermits, towering figures in conservation history, near-naked river runners, honored veterans, visionary naturalists, and shutter-happy mule wranglers. The book will fascinate anyone interested in the history of the Southwest and of America's national parks. New. $15.00

Bigler, David L. and Will Bagley (edited by) - INNOCENT BLOOD. Essential Narratives of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier Series Volume 12. The Arthur H. Clark Co., 2008, 8vo., cloth, 496pp., illus. Original sources documenting a frontier atrocity and its cover-up. The slaughter of a wagon train of some 120 people in southern Utah on September 11, 1857, has long been the subject of controversy and debate. Innocent Blood gathers key primary sources describing the tangled story of the Mountain Meadows massacre. This wide array of contrasting perspectives, many never before published, provide a powerful and intimate picture of this “dastardly outrage” and its cover-up. The documents David L. Bigler and Will Bagley have collected offer a clearer understanding of the victims, the perpetrators, and the reasons a frontier American theocracy sought to justify or conceal the participants’ guilt. These narratives make clear that, despite limited Southern Paiute involvement, white men planned the killing and their church’s highest leaders encouraged Mormon settlers to undertake the deed. This compelling documentary record presents the primary evidence that tells the story from its contradictory perspectives. The sources let readers evaluate and track the evolution of such myths as the Paiutes’ guilt, the emigrants’ provocation of their murderers, Brigham Young’s ignorance of what happened, and John D. Lee’s sole culpability. Clearly revealed is the part Utah authorities took in blocking the investigation until it became expedient to sacrifice Lee. Together, these narratives show how the massacre’s story has been continually distorted and then revealed over 150 years—and how the obfuscation and cover-up continue. Innocent Blood conveys the encompassing impact the atrocity had on people’s lives, then and for generations after. It is a valuable sourcebook sure to prove indispensable to future research. New. $45.00

Hamblin, W. Kenneth. ANATOMY OF THE GRAND CANYON: Panoramas of the Canyon's Geology. Grand Canyon Association, Arizona, 2008, oblong 4to., brown cloth w/gilt, pict. dustjacket, 144pp., illus. Author-photographer W. Kenneth Hamblin has packed a lifetime of geologic study into a volume that is at once inspiring and instructive, and has given the reader access to the Grand Canyon's most intriguing secrets. This is not a textbook, but rather a visual tour from the canyon's rims, the Colorado River, and the air; from its beginning at Lee's Ferry to its end 277 miles downstream at the Grand Wash Cliffs. Supported by text, diagrams, and easy-to-understand maps, these panoramic photographs tell an amazing story. New. $49.95

Martin, Tom and Duwain Whitis. GUIDE TO THE COLORADO RIVER IN THE GRAND CANYON, Lees Ferry to South Cove. Duwain Whitis & Barbara Vinson, Texas, 2008, laminated 8-1/2 x 14" spiral bound to lay flat, 108pp., USGS 7.5' topographic maps as background at original 2,000 feet per inch scale, printed on tough waterproof and tear-resistant synthetic paper. Tom Martin, author of Day Hikes from the River , & Duwain Whitis, publisher of RiverMaps map books, have teamed up to write a new guidebook. This is the only guidebook to the Canyon with USGS topographic map backgrounds printed at their original scale, with additional details in an easy-to-read format. It also is the only guide with maps extending to South Cove in Lake Mead. Each map shows campsite locations, rapids, scout points, river miles and other points of interest. The accompanying text describes all campsites on the park inventory (and some extras), with campsite pull-in information, geological, botanical and historical points of interest. Maps are in color, text and photos are black and white. The new mileage featured in this edition has been established by the Grand Canyon Research and Monitoring Center, using the most up-to-date measuring techniques. The new mileage deviates from the old by up to a mile in certain areas. New. . . . . . . . $26.95

Tomasi, Wayne - GRAND CANYON HIKING ADVENTURES, South Rim Edition. Elgin Publishing Company, Arizona, 2008, 1st edition, 8vo., pict. wraps, 328pp., photos, index. Since 1980 when Wayne began hiking in the Grand Canyon, he has accumulated over 6200 hiking miles and almost 700 hiking days in the Grand Canyon. He began hiking with his young family on the central corridor trails and eventually moved into the more remote areas of the Grand Canyon. To date, Wayne’s immediate family members have compiled 18,000 hiking miles and summited 250 peaks in the Grand Canyon. This book begins with a brief introduction and explanation of how Wayne began hiking in the Canyon, followed by a potpourri section which includes basic first aid, a short explanation of trail classifications and use areas, Search and Rescue in the Canyon, the legal and social definitions of wilderness, an overview of navigation devices, a brief description of Canyon geology, a brief history of Canyon exploration, and a short narrative regarding burro and mule history in the Canyon. The remainder of the book is comprised of a series of trail descriptions, including information such as how to reach the trailhead; where the trail goes; the approximate length of the trail; what kind of condition the trail is in; a brief history of the trail (if known), such as who constructed it, when and for what reason; and some of Wayne's personal experiences on the trail. The book also includes descriptions of several popular landmarks such as Phantom Ranch, Indian Garden, Bright Angel Campground, and the Orphan Mine. Some of the descriptions are written in an informative style and simply describe the salient features of the trail. However, many of the descriptions are written in the first person narrative form and describe actual hikes and events that Wayne experienced. At 328 pages (and that's just the South Rim), this book is a must for Canyon fans. It has meticulous detail about many out of the way places from Great Thumb Mesa to Comanche Point, and numerous interesting side trips to places like Chicory Trail, Lone Pine Canyon and the Hummingbird Trail. New, signed. ....$29.95

Webster-Scholten, C. P. - FLIRTING WITH DANGER: Hiking the Grand Canyon the Wrong Way. Privately published, Utah, 2008, 8vo., pict. wraps, 26pp., illus. Trudging down the trail with minimal food, inadequate hiking gear, and no water, four teenagers begin a hike across Arizona's Grand Canyon in the summer of 1958. Their trek commences in boisterous naivety accented with laughter and song, but becomes, instead, a plight to survive as they encounter dangerous wildlife, blistered feet, painful limbs, hunger, and grim thirst that leads to hallucinations. In the searing heat of day and the eerie darkness of night, they follow the lonely trail. A good description of how NOT to hike the Grand Canyon, this true story of youthful folly will induce laughter, amazement, and admiration as one teen displays confidence, courage, and strength. Readers of any age will follow the trail with the spirited four as they endure the consequence of foolish decisions. The author is a retired geologist and scientific writer/editor. She has hiked over 600 miles throughout the Canyon on numerous maintained and unmaintained trails in winter snow and ice, summer heat, and spring rain. New, signed. . . . . . . . . . . $7.95

NEW IN 2007
Butler, Elias and Tom Myers - GRAND OBSESSION: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of Grand Canyon. Puma Press, Arizona, 2007, 8vo., 455pp., many photos, biblio., index. Grand Obsession tells the story of Harvey Butchart (1907-2002), the legendary Grand Canyoneer who climbed, hiked, floated and bushwhacked 12,000 pioneering miles below the rim during a 42-year obsession with the world-famous gorge. Here for the first time is Harvey’s life story—his years as a fatherless child in the mountains of China, his struggles in America during the Great Depression, and finally, his all-consuming drive for greatness by exploring one of the West’s last unknown wildernesses. Lace up your boots and follow along as the authors retrace Harvey’s footsteps on dangerous cliff edges while chronicling his thrilling exploits, heart-breaking tragedies, and lasting triumphs. Part biography, part modern-day adventure, Grand Obsession will take you deeper into the soul of this fascinating man—and Grand Canyon—than you have ever been before! Over 100 photographs and Butchart's own detailed maps round out the 455-page book covering the exploration of Grand Canyon by foot.
(A) Black cloth w/gilt, pict. dustjacket, map endpapers. Limited number of hardbacks available. New. . . . . . . $29.95
(B) Pict. wraps, map endpapers. New. . . . . . $19.95

Eilts, Wanda Morlan - FLOATING HOGANS IN MONUMENT VALLEY – Remembering the First Marina in Navajoland Vishnu Temple Press, Arizona, 2007, 8vo., paperback, 176pp., 4 pages of color photos. A memoir of a year spent on the San Juan River. San Juan Marina near Oljato in Monument Valley, Utah, was an isolated place in 1987 when the author and her husband arrived to manage the new marina on the San Juan River arm of Lake Powell. They fell in love with the surroundings and the Navajo people and culture they encountered. In addition to the daily joy and satisfaction of friendship and hard work, the couple dealt with floods and siltation, murder and drug-runners, and graft, greed and corruption. New. . . . . . . . . . . . $14.95.

Kolb, Ellswoth L. - THROUGH THE GRAND CANYONF ROM WYOMING TO MEXICO. Grand Canyon Association, 2007 reprint, 8vo., paperback, 456pp., 72 photos. This new edition of one of the earliest accounts of running the Green and Colorado rivers contains the original text and photographs, appearing almost exactly as they did in the first edition of the book. All of the characters and cataracts are here, as the Kolb brothers persevere through multiple mishaps and fickle weather during their remarkable journey. Their story is one of the classic adventure tales of the American West. New. . . . . . . . . . . $16.95

Lindemann, Linda Lou (compiled by) - COLORADO RIVER BRIEFS FOR A TRIP THROUGH THE GRAND CANYON. Lundquist Press, Arizona, 2007 updated edition, 8vo., topo map wraps, plastic coil binding, 154pp., maps, cartoon-style illustrations by Dan Lindemann, biblio. Lindemann has compiled in this book the facts about names, canyons and events along the 225 miles of river from Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek. This reference should be helpful to the private river runners when looking for campsites and running rapids. New. Signed by Dan Lindemann $17.95

Luttrell, Jean - JOHN H. RIFFY - The Last Old-time Ranger. Vishnu Temple Press, Arizona, 2007, 8vo., paperback, 152pp., numerous b/w photos. A biography of the long-time North Rim Ranger. When John H. Riffey was assigned to the Tuweep Ranger Station on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1942, his main task was to manage the grazing permits of homesteaders in Tuweep Valley who ran livestock in the then National Monument. Occasionally he was called on by the couple of dozen tourists a year looking for the Toroweap Overlook where they could gaze down on Lava Falls, hike up Vulcan’s Throne and enjoy the scenery and peace of a place eighty miles from a paved highway. By the time he died in 1980, the livestock were no longer allowed in Grand Canyon National Park, Riffey’s neighbors, the homesteaders, had left for greener pastures or were part-time residents, and there might be more than two dozen tourists a day barreling along the dirt road by his ranger station. He was still the only representative of the National Park Service there. His friends and acquaintances knew a man who watched out for his fellow men as well as protecting the high desert environment. He was always there to help, cajole or haul livestock, machinery and people out of the mud, snow, heat or water. This is his story told by the daughter of a neighboring homesteader who remembers Riffey’s arrival and departure and the decades of friendship and respect in between. New.. . . . . . . . . . $14.95 Available DECEMBER 2007

McGarry, Susan Hallsten - BRUCE AIKEN'S GRAND CANYON: An Intimate Affair. Grand Canyon Association, 2007, 4to., hardback, 160pp., illus. As a child growing up in the concrete canyons of New York City, Bruce Aiken dreamed of someday living at the end of a long dirt road. Little did he know that this road would lead 5˝ miles down a narrow, steep trail into the depths of another canyon—the Grand Canyon. Nor could he predict that he would live in this unlikely place for over thirty years. In a remote side canyon along a stream that ultimately flows into the Colorado River, Bruce and his wife Mary raised three children while he tended Grand Canyon National Park’s precious water supply at Roaring Springs . . . and painted. Out of this intimate relationship between the artist and his muse came a body of work unparalleled in the annals of Grand Canyon landscape painters." New. . . . . . . . . . . . $55.00

Simmons, Virginia McConnell - DRIFTING WEST - The Calamities of James White and Charles Baker. University Press of Colorado, 2007, 8vo., tan cloth, pict. dustjacket, 210pp., b/w photos, bilio., index. During westward expansion in the nineteenth century, thousands of anonymous individuals drifted into the American West in search of opportunities in trapping and trading, prospecting and mining, military service, railroad construction, freighting, agriculture, town-building, and adventure. Few of these emigrants achieved sufficient notoriety for their names to be recalled today. Two exceptions are James White, who is said to have accidentally traversed the Grand Canyon on a makeshift raft two years prior to the first expedition of John Wesley Powell, and his erstwhile companion Charles Baker, who played a prominent role in prospecting in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in the 1860s. The exploits of these two drifters and the ongoing debate about the veracity of the Grand Canyon story and other legendary adventures provide the basis for lively narrative history in Virginia McConnell Simmons’s Drifting West. Simmons’s account, based on extensive research—from archival study to rafting and backpacking expeditions in the Grand Canyon—reveals the characters, fortunes, and misfortunes of these two adventurous men, examines the debate about White’s alleged traverse of the Grand Canyon in relation to Powell’s career, and offers a compelling portrait of the West as seen through the experiences of the two drifters. Maps, photographs, sketches, and historical data about the places White and Baker passed through enrich the text. New. . . . . . . . . . . $29.95

Swanson, Frederick H. - DAVE RUST - A Life in the Canyons. University of Utah Press, 2007, 8vo., hardback, 400pp. Foreword by Michael F. Anderson. In the fall of 1897, Dave Rust, a young placer miner from Caineville, Utah, looked up from his sluice box on the Colorado River and gazed at the brilliant sandstone cliffs of Glen Canyon. He wasn’t finding much gold, but he knew that this landscape abounded in scenic beauty and that people would pay good money to see it. A quarter century later, he would fulfill his dream of taking adventurous travelers through this stunning canyon in his little canvas-covered canoes. By that time he had amassed a comprehensive knowledge of the geologic wonders of the Colorado Plateau province of Utah and Arizona, and each summer he led month-long pack trips through a mind-boggling variety of cliffs, mesas, mountaintop overlooks, and hidden desert canyons. David D. Rust (1874–1963) grew up in south-central Utah, and as a young man he worked a variety of jobs. But the canyon country always called to him, and for more than three decades he was the premier backcountry outfitter and guide in southern Utah. He felt that travel was more than a pastime—it was a chance to enrich one’s mind, and he showed the way to achieve a deep understanding of the Colorado Plateau’s fabulous landforms. “This is a very significant work, for the reason that Rust was a very significant figure in Colorado River and Plateau history, yet nothing has ever appeared in print about him.” — Roy Webb, University of Utah. New.. . . . . . . . . . . $29.95

Thybony, Scott - THE INCREDIBLE GRAND CANYON: Cliffhangers and Curiosities from America's Greatest Canyon. Grand Canyon Association, 2007, 8vo., paperback, 120pp., 150 illus. For decades, Scott Thybony has traversed the American Southwest in search of its history, its people, and its little-known stories. In this volume, Thybony, one of the premier storytellers of our time, has compiled his favorite tales about the Grand Canyon- some quirky, some pure whimsy, many actually true. Filled with legends, romance, cliffhangers, and enduring mysteries, this delightful read will wrinkle your brow, touch your heart, and make you laugh. It's a light take on the hard facts. Grab it and go! New. . . . . . . . . . . $14.95

Page updated; May 13, 2009