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摘要
摘要
This riveting true story recounts the authors journey on horseback across Arizona and New Mexico, retracing Coronados desperate search for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. First published in 1992 and now available only from UNM Press, this classic adventure tale reveals the Southwest as it was when Europeans first saw it and shows how much, and how little, it has changed. The great myth of the American West, Preston writes, is that there was a winning of it.
评论 (3)
出版社周刊评论
The Old West's last glimmers flicker through this piercingly beautiful adventure, an unforgettable saga in which Preston, astride his horse Popeye, traverses the desert and mountain wilderness of Arizona and New Mexico, retracing the trailblazing 1540-1541 expedition of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Accompanied by a photographer friend, former Natural History columnist Preston (Dinosaurs in the Attic ) talks with Navahos, Zunis, Acomas, ranchers, cowboys, prospectors and rattlesnake hunters. His text shuttles back and forth in time, from the complex prehistoric civilization of the Anasazi Indians to the U.S. war against Apache chief Geronimo, whose followers were deported as prisoners of war to Florida, to the cautionary tale of a once-lush New Mexico valley (larger than Connecticut) reduced to desert by cattle herding and the clear-cutting of timber. In place of the mythical winning of the West, Preston unfolds a harrowing tale of loss. History Book Club alternate. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus评论
A torturous and sometimes comical attempt to trace Coronado's 450-year-old footsteps through the deserts and mountains of the American Southwest. Preston (Dinosaurs in the Attic, 1986) and an impoverished but free-spirited photographer-friend hire a wrangler (who actually knows less about horses than they do) and set off, even after they've been discouraged by those familiar with the country. Arguing over matters large and small as they go, the two men learn en route--about horses from cowboys they meet; about thirst from the death they court. Expecting to make 25 miles a day, they make four--or none, because they're searching for their horses, which ran off during the night. And all the time, they're aware that they're headed for the despoblado, the ``howling wilderness'' that almost killed Coronado and his men. Preston and his friend end up on precipices too narrow to dismount; they're almost washed away by torrential rains; they grow discouraged and consider giving up the journey. Preston dreams of walking into fine clothing stores and is despondent when he awakens in the arid wilderness. But the two persevere and discover the awesome grandeur of nature, as well as something about themselves. And when they come upon the first of what the Spanish thought were the Seven Cities of Gold, they understand that those early explorers had found something even better than gold--they found food. Throughout, Preston recounts the narratives of Coronado's expedition and other historical accounts, including those of the Indians of the Southwest. A Blue Highways on horseback, well worth the trip. (Maps.)
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
With a friend, Preston ( Dinosaurs in the Attic: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the American Museum of Natural History , LJ 10/15/86), attempted to follow Coronado's 1540-41 exploration of the Southwest. This book is an account of their journey through Arizona and New Mexico in the spring of 1989. It is both history text and adventure yarn. It is also a good current cultural geography of the region, written in an entertaining as well as educational style. Preston succeeds in giving the reader a real feel for the country, as it is today and as it was 450 years ago. A map and a decent bibliography complement the text. Recommended for travel and history collections. History Book Club alternate.-- Thomas K. Fry, UCLA Libs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.