An award-winning author and veteran mountain climber takes us deep into the Southwest backcountry to uncover secrets of its ancient inhabitants.For more than 5;000 years the Ancestral Puebloans―Native Americans who flourished long before the first contact with Europeans―occupied the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. Just before AD 1300; they abandoned their homeland in a migration that remains one of prehistory's greatest puzzles. Northern and southern neighbors of the Ancestral Puebloans; the Fremont and Mogollon likewise flourished for millennia before migrating or disappearing. Fortunately; the Old Ones; as some of their present-day descendants call them; left behind awe-inspiring ruins; dazzling rock art; and sophisticated artifacts ranging from painted pots to woven baskets. Some of their sites and relics had been seen by no one during the 700 years before David Roberts and his companions rediscovered them.In The Lost World of the Old Ones; Roberts continues the hunt for answers begun in his classic book; In Search of the Old Ones. His new findings paint a different; fuller portrait of these enigmatic ancients―thanks to the breakthroughs of recent archaeologists. Roberts also recounts his last twenty years of far-flung exploits in the backcountry with the verve of a seasoned travel writer. His adventures range across Utah; Arizona; New Mexico; and southwestern Colorado; illuminating the mysteries of the Old Ones as well as of the more recent Navajo and Comanche.Roberts calls on his climbing and exploratory expertise to reach remote sanctuaries of the ancients hidden within nearly vertical cliffs; many of which are unknown to archaeologists and park rangers. This ongoing quest combines the shock of new discovery with a deeply felt connection to the landscape; and it will change the way readers experience; and imagine; the American Southwest. 16 pages of illustrations
#141253 in Books Baker; Jean H. 2008-10-17 2008-10-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.30 x 1.40 x 5.60l; .85 #File Name: 0393333035464 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. This goes into a great deal of detailBy Deidre D. MiazgaI always wondered about the rumors I heard re Mrs. Lincoln. This goes into a great deal of detail; including the time when her son; Robert; got her committed and how she got out. I'm sure most people don't realize how many years after the President's death that Mary lived overseas. Mrs. Lincoln liked spending money (which got her into trouble) and she really hitched her star to Abe's. She felt really entitled; especially after his death and she made a lot of enemies. A really well written and interesting book.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. The other side of the storyBy Ellen Jones MorellI appreciate the fact that the author stated her bias in the begining. She did not think Mary Todd was crazy; more than a little strange perhaps but not crazy. I was shocked to learn of the way the civil war tore the Todd family apart; with some of the sons fighting in the Union army and some fighting in the confederate army. Also I was shocked to find out how easy it was for a male relative to have a female committed to an asylum. The book is filled with little known details of the life of Mary Todd and I came away with a clear sense of the suffering she endured.I am now reading The House of Abraham which goes into more detail about how the civil war split this family in particular and the country in general.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Gift for Reader of BiographiesBy D. K. PritchettBought as a gift. My mother LOVED it. It was a little dry for me; but biographies are not really to my taste. I give it a good review because the gift recipient was very enthusiastic (and she is quite honest about these things).
