PACIFIC + SOUTHWEST.
Creative Nonfiction Essays / Appreciations.
Of regional fame, late twentieth-century New Mexican author and newspaper editor, Tony Hillerman, was the perfect human to assemble and edit this collection of creative observations written mainly by visitors; in that he himself had been captured by this “land of enchantment” enough to adopt New Mexico as his home state. It cast its spell on him too. In the preface, Hillerman made this believable claim: “Pretentious as it sounds, and tough as it is to prove, there does seem to be something about New Mexico which not only attracts creative people but stimulates their creativity.” He explained that the visual artists may be more well-known, but that writers—visitors and natives—were just as prolific, and here was the proof. On the backcover, he describes more generally of a “rich gathering of essays that evoke the unique and mysterious appeal New Mexico has had for some of the twentieth-century’s best known writers.” And it is some collection, including: D. H. Lawrence, Carl Jung (who came to study the culture and society of Pueblo Indians), the transplant and famed war correspondent, Ernie Pyle, long-time resident and novelist, Conrad Richter, and the Albuquerque native Harvey Fergusson. Ranging in topic from the wonders of the land itself to a one-year long “calendar” of natural observations, how New Mexico’s enchanted wondrous vibe works on time itself to entry after entry of pure appreciation, there is much in here to cement what we already knew: New Mexico is unto itself and best experienced over long stays. Hillerman opens and closes within essays by Mary Austin, a constant presence in the state for much of her career as an itinerant playwright, novelist, and essayist—an artist of the written word who seems the right compliment to another famous, if visual, artist: Georgia O’Keefe. [Condition: Used Very Good. The fourth-printing of this softcover is ever so close to being “Like New”, with only minor tears and peeling on the edge of the front cover, likely a result of careless shelf-placement. Otherwise, it is possible that this volume was never read; its interior pristine.]
Condition: Used Very Good.
Nonfiction / History.
Tony Hillerman (ed.).
University of New Mexico Press, 1989 (original © 1976).
Softcover, 6 x 9.25”, 105 pgs / 8 oz
