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A
Selected, Annotated Bibliography
of Books about Taos
and New Mexico prepared by Arthur J. Bachrach
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The list of books and authors
presented in this Bibliography is a representative sampling of
the rich literature of the beautiful region of New Mexico. It
is a selection that will undoubtedly leave out certain authors
and works. The comments and opinions are my own, which I trust
you will accept as such. Inasmuch as we want to have a Bibliography
that is current, we will update it regularly and your comments
will be sincerely appreciated.
Moby Dickens Bookshop,
and the other bookstores in Taos, will have most, if not all
of the titles discussed.. In this list we have discussed only
books that are currently in print. which, unfortunately, does
not include such fine works as Taos Mosaic which you may find
cited in guide books of the region.
Moby Dickens will
be delighted to be of assistance in providing more information
about books and authors, as well as locating books (both current
and out-of-print) in which you have an interest
We hope you will
find this Bibliography interesting and useful and that it may
somehow enhance your enjoyment of New Mexico.
Art Bachrach
"The West is a region
of extraordinary variety
within its abiding unity, and of an iron
immutability beneath its surface of change."
-- Wallace
Stegner
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Art and Architecture In
New Mexico
The first words Georgia O'Keeffe
was said to have
uttered when she first came to New Mexico were
"The color! The color!" a sentiment legions of artists
and
visitors who have come here can echo. Upon his arrival
in Taos on September 11, 1922, D. H. Lawrence wrote of
his feelings: "In the magnificent fierce morning of New
Mexico one sprang awake, a new part of the soul woke
up suddenly and the old world gave way to the new."
It is therefore no surprise that
New Mexico, in particular
Taos and Santa Fe, became centers of art. There is a rich
literature of art and architecture in New Mexico, from
which we have drawn a representative sampling.
Two excellent catalogues, well
illustrated, from the
Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe:
Nicolai Fechin: Across Two Continents
Fechin emigrated from Russia and settled in Taos, where
he painted and did woodcarving from 1927-1933, when
he moved to Santa Monica. His home in Taos is a delight
to visit and is open to the public most of the year.
Taos Society Of Artists: Masters
and Masterworks
The Gerald Peters Gallery, in their catalogue of The Taos
Society Of Artists' work, covered the "Taos Ten," which
included Blumenschein, Sharp, Berninghaus, Phillips and
the other original group, but chose to add two artists, not
generally considered, who were members of the Society,
painted in Taos, but then moved on. They are Catharine
Critcher and Julius Rolshoven, making the "Taos Twelve."
Nicolai Fechin
Mary N. Balcomb. Foreword by Eya Fechin Branham
Long out-of-print, this is a beautifully illustrated book
about Fechin.
Oscar Berninghaus
Gordon Sanders
A fine book, dealing with one member of the Taos
Society Of Artists.
Fechin The Builder
Eya Fechin
As noted above, Nicolai Fechin spent six years in Taos
painting and doing superb woodcarving on his home.
His daughter, Eya, has produced a pictorial book on his woodcarving
as well as some of his artwork, along with an interesting discussion.
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Several works on Art and New Mexico:
Desert Dreams: The Art and Life
Of Maynard Dixon
Donald Hagerty
Artists Of Twentieth Century New Mexico
David G. Turner
Taos Moderns
David Witt
Jim Wagner: An American Artist
Stephen Parks
Wagner, long a resident of Taos, is considered by
many to be a leading figure in contemporary art.
Agnes Martin
Barbara Haskell
Internationally known as a minimalist painter, Martin,
a Taosena, is well discussed by Haskell.
Behind Adobe Walls: Hidden Homes
And Gardens
Of Santa Fe And Taos
Landt Dennis
The architecture and landscaping art of many of the
finer homes in Northern New Mexico come together
in this colorful volume.
No description of art in New Mexico
would be
complete without a listing of works on Georgia O'Keeffe.
The following is a sampling of major titles drawn from
the many available:
O'Keeffe And Stieglitz; An American
Romance
Benita Eisler
Portrait Of An Artist: A Biography Of Georgia O'Keeffe
Laurie Lisle
Georgia O'Keeffe In New Mexico
Marsha Bellavance-Johnson
Georgia O'Keeffe At Ghost Ranch
John Loengard
O'Keeffe At Abiquiu
Myron Wood
Agnes Martin: Writings
Agnes Martin
A collection of the artist's essays offer an
interesting perspective on her work.
AgnesMartin: Paintings and Writings
Barbara Haskell
Spirit Ascendant: The Art And
Life Of
Patrocino Barela
Edward Gonzalez and David Witt
Barela, a woodcarver of Taos decades past,
has been the subject of a resurgence in interest in
his work. Several years ago, a traveling exhibit of his work
visited major cities. Vicente Martinez curated the
exhibit, which started in Barela's hometown of
Taos at the Millicent Rogers Museum, and was
instrumental in arranging exhibitions at sites in
inner cities so that young Hispanics, not usually
drawn to museums, might be inspired by the
talent and success of a poor genius. The book
by Gonzalez and Witt is a good accompaniment.
Spanish New Mexico Colonial
Arts Collection
Donna Pierce and Marta Weigel
The two volumes that constitute the set offer a
stunning portrayal of the Spanish Colonial age.
The Architecture of the Southwest:
Indian, Spanish and Anglo
Trent Sanford
An excellent survey of the various beautiful styles of Southwestern
architecture..
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Religious Folk Art
The religious folk art of Hispanic
New Mexico has a rich
history, dating back to early settlements, with the village of
San Gabriel having been established in 1598. Coming from Spain
and Mexico, early settlers brought their strong Catholic beliefs
to the towns they founded.
In his book, What is a New Mexico Santo?, a guide in both
English and Spanish, Eluid Levi Martinez discusses the early
makers
of saintly images. It would be useful to differentiate the various
forms
of Santos (Saints) and the terms used, as Martinez does.
Three types of Santos are made by the Santeros
and Santeras
(Saint-makers):
1. Retablos These are paintings
of Santos done on
a hand-hewn board, a plank coated with gypsum. The two-
dimensional images were later often painted on tin when it
became available.
2. Bultos are three-dimensional Santos carved from
wood, usually the available aspen, pine or cottonwood,
coated with gypsum and painted.
3. Reredos or Tablas are representations of Santos
in churches, painted on walls or on wooden panels situated
behind the altar.
There are excellent guides to the
subject of Santos, beginning
with the work cited above:
Santos And Saints: The Religious
Folk Art Of Hispanic
New Mexico
Thomas J. Steele, S.J.
Chistes
Nasario Garcia
A delightful collection of New Mexico humor.
Santos: Enduring Images Of Northern
New Mexican
Village Churches
Maria Romero Cash
In black-and-white photographs, Cash has brought together
an array of 18th and 19th Century Santos, a broad
presentation.
New Kingdom Of The Saints; Religious
Art Of New
Mexico 1780-1907
Larry Frank
The development of religious art in New Mexico is traced,
with a collection of good photographs.
Saints And Saintmakers Of New
Mexico
E. Boyd, revised by Robin Gavin
Boyd's book is a true classic, long out-of-print. This
revised edition is welcome.
Santos and How to Name Them
E. Boyd
Our Saints Among Us: 400 Years
Of New Mexican
Devotional Art
Barbara Awalt and Paul Rhetts
Another source of information about this lovely tradition
Charlie Carillo: Tradition And
Soul/ Tradicion y Alma
Barbara Awalt and Paul Rhetts
Carillo is one of the fine contemporary Santeros as well
as
being a religious leader among the Hermanos (the Penitentes)
New Mexico Santos: Religious
Images In The Spanish New World
E. Boyd
A classic work on Santos and a basic sou
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Pictorial Books
River Of Traps
Text by William deBuys, Photographs by Alex Harris
This is a touching tribute, in words and splendid
photography, to a sheepherder named Jacobo Romero.
The title is a translation from the Spanish Rio de Las
Trampas, on which Romero lived.
Taos Landmarks And Legends
Bill Hemp
Hemp, a resident of Taos, has created an informative text
about Taos, well-illustrated by his own sketches.
If Mountains Die
Text by John Nichols, Photographs by Bill Davis
This excellent book is an introduction in word and
image of the Taos landscape and its people.
On The Mesa
John Nichols
The Sky's The Limit
John Nichols
Two works in which Nichols' deep commitment to
the environment is clearly demonstrated in his text
and his photography.
Back to the Top
Works Of Non-Fiction and
Biography
A recent publication by Arthur J.
Bachrach
D.H. Lawrence in New
Mexico:
"The Time is Different
There"
A Biography of Lawrence's early years, his coming to
to Taos, his interaction with the community, with
Mabel Dodge Luhan and the influence of New Mexico
upon his writings.
Two important works by the late
Taos author, Frank Waters
To Possess The Land
The story of Arthur Rochford Manby, an Englishman who
tried to establish a land empire in New Mexico and who died
in Taos under mysterious circumstances, with a decapitated body
found in his home, supposedly Manby's. A small book by
Jim Peters, titled Headless In Taos also deals with Manby and
his bizarre death. Waters' portrayal of Manby's interaction
with people of the time, including Mabel Dodge Luhan, make for
fascinating reading.
Of Time and Change
Waters' last book, published posthumously, is a delightful
collection of his memories of the many friends he had in
Taos, including Leon Gaspard, Andrew Dasburg and
Tony Luhan.
Pure Waters: Frank Waters and
the Quest for the Cosmic
edited
by Barbara Waters
This is a charming collection
of Frank Waters' works, essays and editorials, ranging from river
trips to the Manby mystery.
Rekindling the Inner Light:
The Frank Waters Centennial
edited
by Barbara Waters
For the centennial of Frank
Waters' birth, the Frank Waters Foundation assembled a group
of speakers to honor Frank. This publication contains all of
the talks by speakers which included John Nichols, Rudolfo Anaya,
Denis Chavez, Vine Deloria, and Alex Blackburn.
Mabel Dodge Luhan, the doyenne
of Taos' cultural life in the
1920's and 1930's, was hostess to such notable visitors as
Aldous Huxley, Robinson Jeffers, and D.H. Lawrence.
Mabel wrote extensively in journals and books about her
experiences in many worlds. Her marriage to Tony Luhan of
the Taos Pueblo provided yet another dimension to her life.
Her series of autobiographical works, generally subsumed under
Intimate Memories, included her first book, subtitled
Background,
European Experiences, Movers And Shakers (her New York
Fifth Avenue "Salons") and the only one currently in
print:
Edge Of Taos Desert
Not among the first four, but in print, is her interesting work,
Winter In Taos
Intimate Memories: The Autobiography
Of
Mabel Dodge Luhan: 1879-1962
Lois Rudnick
Rudnick has virtually been the sole scholar to provide
information regarding Mabel Dodge Luhan and her life.
Her works, cited in this Bibliography, have been of great
importance in this regard. This volume contains an
abridged collection of the four books that constituted
Mabel's autobiography.
Mabel Dodge Luhan: New Woman,
New Worlds
Lois Rudnick
The only biography on Mabel Dodge Luhan, it offers
a valuable look at a fascinating woman.
Utopian Vistas: The Mabel Dodge
Luhan House
And The American Counterculture
Lois Rudnick
An interesting account of Mabel's house, the history
behind it, and the counter-culture represented by Dennis Hopper,
who owned it in his Hippie days.
An American Child Supreme: The
Education of a Liberal Ecologist
John Nichols
A personal account of
Taoseno John Nichols'early years and the development of his deep
concern for the environment, reflected in so much of his writing.
High Flight
Ian T. Simms
A poignant story of Taoseno
Simms' devastating auto accident that left him in a coma for
two months and his remarkable recovery with the help of his family
and the community.
Women on the frontier in
the 1880's and early 1900's:
No Life For A Lady
Agnes Morley Cleaveland
The story of a girl growing up on a ranch in a remote
area of New Mexico
Down The Santa Fe Trail And
Into Mexico
Susan Shelby MaGoffin
A fine account of a woman's experience, her
journey as an 18-year old bride, from 1846-1847
Desert Wife
Hilda Faunce
Hilda was the wife of an Indian trader among the
Navajo in the years before the First World War,
1914-1918.
Birds Of Sorrow
Tom Ireland
A bright story of life along the Rio Grande,
with lovely woodcuts by Taosena Angie Coleman.
Great River
Paul Horgan
Another Pulitzer Prize winner for Horgan, it is an excellent
history of the region, dealing with the four cultures of the
aboriginal Native Americans, the Spanish. The Mexican
and the Anglo as they interacted along the Rio Grande.
The Great Taos Bank Robbery
Tony Hillerman
A series of essays about New Mexico, this is a charming
book, filled with humor and delight. The title comes from
an aborted bank robbery in Taos, in which the would-be
robbers got tired of waiting in line at the bank and left.
Another essay weaves the tale of mule-deer tracks in the
mountains surrounding Santa Fe and how they contributed
to establishing the western campus of St. John's College.
Enchantment And Exploitation
William DeBuys
An absorbing work, discussing life in a Northern
New Mexico mountain village, that has become a
classic, virtually required reading for those who
wish to have a better understanding of this land..
.
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Two award-winning books by Stanley
Crawford:
Mayordomo
Crawford's story of his experiences as a
Mayordomo, the chief of the local acequia in
Dixon, near Taos,one of the centuries-old water
ditches crucial to New Mexico's way of life.
A Garlic Testament
Life on the Crawford garlic farm in Dixon, which
novelist Crawford runs with his wife, Rose Mary.
Ski Pioneers
Rick Richards
Richards, a Taos resident, tells of the beginnings
of ski activities in the region, with a special nod to
Swiss Ernie Blake, who started the Taos Ski Valley.
Pueblo Nations: Eight Centuries
of Pueblo
Indian History
Joe S. Sando
Sando, a member of the Sun Clan of the Jemez
Pueblo, has written a valuable history of the Pueblos.
Navajo Code Talkers
Nathan Anseng
The Navajo soldiers during World War II who devised
a secret code in their own language, which proved to
be unbreakable by the Japanese, formed a remarkable
group of Native American heroes. One of their number
was Carl Gorman, father of famed Navajo artist and
Taos resident, R. C. Gorman,
The famous Indian Scout, Col. Christopher
"Kit"
Carson lived in Taos and is buried in Taos in the
central Kit Carson Park. His home is now a museum,
open to the public. Many books have been written
about him and one is an autobiography:
Autobiography Of Kit Carson
"Dear Old Kit": The
Historical Christopher Carson
Harvey Carter
Kit Carson: A Pattern For Heroes
Thelma Guild and Harvey Carter
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Several books to acquaint you with the
pleasures of
Hispanic culture in New Mexico:
Dichos: Proverbs And Sayings From The Spanish
Charles Aranda
A very good bilingual collection of proverbs still heard in
New Mexico; such classics as "En boca cerrada, non
entren moscas! (In a closed mouth, flies don't enter!)
Nasario Garcia
Mi Abuela Fumaba Puros y
Otros Cuentos de
ierra Amarilla (My Grandmother Smoked
Cigars and Other Tales Of Tierra Amarilla)
Sabine R. Ulibarri
Ulibarri, a professor at the University Of New Mexico,
is renowned as a magnificent storyteller. These tales
of his growing up in the Northern New Mexico village
of Tierra Amarilla, told in Spanish and English, are
wonderful.
Cuentos:
Tales From The Hispanic Southwest
Jose Griego y Maestas and Rudolfo Anaya
These stories, presented in a bilingual format, while
fiction, belong to a group of books which provide
an excellent reference work for studying the Hispanic
culture of the Southwest. They are also very suitable
as stories to tell children.
Refranes: Southwestern Spanish Proverbs
Ruben Cobos
A companion to Aranda's Dichos, Cobos' collection
of a large array of folk sayings in a bilingual format is enjoyable
and useful.
Dictionary Of New Mexico And
Southern
Colorado Spanish
Ruben Cobos
The Spanish spoken in New Mexico and Southern
Colorado (in the San Luis Valley, for example) has
many different word uses and expressions and can
differ from standard Spanish. Combinations of
English and Spanish words, sometimes called
"Spanglish," can be heard, as in "troche"
for "truck"
or "lonche" for "lunch" Cobos' dictionary
is filled
with interesting and, at times, amusing definitions.
One, for example, is Cara de lonche (lunch face) which
means
someone of whom you can take advantage"Stick him
for lunch"?
Wah-to-Yah And The Taos Trail
Lewis H. Garrard
In 1846, Lewis Garrard, around 18 years of
age, traveled west, from Missouri to Taos,
in a caravan led by the trader Ceran St. Vrain.
In this fascinating account of his journey,
published in 1850, Garrard recounts his ad-
ventures. When he arrived at Taos it was the
time of the Revolt of 1847, in which Gov.
Bent was murdered. His description of the
events surrounding the revolt are of interest
because his is the only eyewitness record of
the trial and the subsequent hanging of the
convicted. Wah-to-yah is the Indian name for
the twin Spanish Peaks north of Raton and
translates as "Breasts Of The Earth." The
Grand Tetons have nothing on New Mexico.
The Taos Trappers: The Fur Trade
In The
Far Southwest, 1540-1846
David J. Weber
A scholarly, interesting review of the lucrative
fur trade that flourished in the West, with Taos a
center of activity. The annual rendevous of the
trappers left many settlers, including French
Canadians, which is why French names such as
Ledoux and Lavadie appear prominently in Taos.
Brothers Of Light, Brothers
Of Blood
Marta Weigle
One of the best and most objective accounts
of Los Hermanos (The Brothers), the Penitentes,
Santa Fe And Taos: TheWriter's
Era 1916-1941
Marta Weigle and Kyle Fiore
The rich writers period between the two World Wars is
well documented in this informative volume,
Place Names Of New Mexico
R. Julyann
A book to keep in your glove compartment, so
that when you see a name of a town that puzzles
you, there is an immediate answer to its meaning.
Ve lo que dices/ See what you
say
Nancy Maria Grande Tabor
Well illustrated, this book compares sayings
in Spanish and English. One example: "entre el
diablo y el mar azul profundo," "between the Devil
and the deep blue sea."
Dancing On The Stones
John Nichols
A far-ranging collection of essays by this noted Taos
author, he uses his perception and his wit to tell about
his life, his chronic heart disease and the way he has to
deal with it, his strong political convictions and his love
of the land, especially the beauty of Northern New Mexico.
Beautifully written, it is a warm, personal book.
Armageddon and New Mexico
John Nichols
This long essay on Nichols' days in New Mexico is an
entertaining, incisive and very personal account,
published only in a limited Collector's Edition of
90 copies in a quality wrap edition, and 27 in hardcover.
The Harvey Girls
Lesley Poling-Kempes
This is a charming tale of the young ladies Fred Harvey
brought to the West to staff his restaurants along the
railroad, bringing a touch of grace to the region.
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