Product Description

In this extraordinary collection, Tony Hillerman presents the Southwest as only he can, choosing remarkable true tales from his personal archives of local lore. As you read these stories, you will be amazed, astounded, and oftentimes confounded by the power of ingenuity, serendipity, and the strange, comical coincidence of life and how it proves, once again, that truth is ultimately stranger than fiction.

From the amusing title story of the holdup that didn't happen, to the riveting account of scientists tracking Black Death through the arroyos, to the ironic account of how a black cowboy's commonsense intelligence destroyed the dogma of the Smithsonian Institution, master storyteller Tony Hillerman reveals the present and timeless past of one of America's most beautifuland haunting regions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69885 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Released on: 2001-10-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060937126
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"This collection is the essence of Hillerman, which is always instructive fun." -- --New Mexican

About the Author
Tony Hillerman is past president of Mystery Writers of America and has received their Edgar and Grand Master Awards. His other honors include the Center for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award for the best novel set in the West, the Navajo Tribe's Special Friend Award, the National Media Award from the American Anthropological Association, the Public Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Nero Wolfe Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book, an honorary life membership in the Western Literature Association, and the Grand Prix de Littérature Policiére. In addition to his election to Phi Beta Kappa, Tony Hillerman has been named Doctor of Humane Letters at Arizona State University and at Oregon's Portland State University. He lives with his wife, Marie, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

From AudioFile
Capturing the listener with his soft drawl, Tony Hillerman reads stories based on real-life events in Taos and other areas of New Mexico. He expertly adds personal flair and deep feelings to his stories, including a lot of humor and good-natured comments about the land and the people. During some of the stories Hillerman seems to be speaking directly to the listener. Hearing the author read allows the listener to learn a little about Hillerman the man, as well as the country he so obviously loves. His performance adds immensely to the value of these stories. P.A.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

What New Mexico is really about
Readers expecting Leaphorn and Chee will be disappointed -- but this is a wonderful book, a collection of essays from Hillerman's journalist days. He neatly skewers Indian-wannabes in "The Navajo Who Had So Many Friends ...," although "The Messenger Birds" and the piece on Mt. Taylor prove (as if we didn't know it already) that he's highly sensitive to the Native American point of view. And although the hilarious title story is mostly of historical interest in today's post-hippie Taos, it'll strike a responsive chord with anyone who's spent time in rural NM. The essay on Reies Tijerina elucidates the (still) sore point of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and its land-grant repercussions ... and yes, we do still have bubonic plague here, although in the era of antibiotics it's not the threat it was in medieval Europe. For someone who wants a sense of what New Mexico is REALLY all about, I recommend this as far and away the best book on the subject (a good runner-up is Stan Crawford's "Majordomo").

Amusing tales of New Mexico (mostly)
This was a fun read about the many different faces of New Mexico. Short stories that can be read in a single sitting. The stories cover the quirky people to the scientific discoveries that are mostly set in New Mexico.

Vintage Tony Hillerman
I purchased this after hearing Tony read a few passages at a lecture. The book is a series of essays Tony wrote as his Masters Thesis at the University of New Mexico. They are true tales of New Mexico, but told only as Tony, one of America's greatest yarn spinners can. Most, in particular the "unfeloneous unbankrobbery" in the title essay will have you holding your sides, while at the same time learning something about the unique culture of the Land of Enchantment. Highly recommended as well is Tony's autobiography "Seldom Disappointed".