Books published by Sunstone Press

Carl H. Gellenthien was a senior medical student at the University of Illinois when he discovered that he had an advanced case of tuberculosis. At that time, the 1920s, the only known treatment was rest and fresh air. The climate of the American Southwest was thought to be one of the best because of the dry air and sunshine. Young Carl, although given only two years to live, went to Valmora, New Mexico where a tuberculosis sanatorium had been established in 1904 by Fr. William T. Brown. He was not only cured but went back to school and completed his medical studies. He then returned to Valmora, married Brown's daughter and later became the medical director of Valmora Sanatorium. * * * * Dorothy Simpson Beimer, a native of Las Vegas, New Mexico, is a professor emeritus from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas. She is also the author of "Audrey of the Mountains, the Story of a Twentieth Century Pioneer Woman," written under the name Dorothy Audrey Simpson, also from Sunstone Press. With a BA from New Mexico Highlands University, an MS from the University of Utah, and an EdD from the University of New Mexico, Dr. Simpson taught over thirty years and has written many articles for magazines and other publications.

The history of any state is largely determined by the lives and actions of its residents and particularly its leading citizens. This book presents a sampling of Hispanic men and women whose influences on New Mexico events and history transcended the moment and became lasting contributions to the American Southwest. * * * * Lynn I. Perrigo, an authority on New Mexico history, was given the Gaspar Perez de Villagra Award in 1984 by the Historical Society of New Mexico. Dr. Perrigo graduated from Ball State University and the University of Colorado. During World War II he was the director of the Midwest Inter-American Center in Kansas City and from 1947-1971, he was head of the Department of History and Social Sciences at New Mexico Highlands University. He is the author of over forty articles and six books on the American

What price Indian education? What kind of education? These were questions that had faced government officials, dedicated teachers and Indians since the late 1800s. When tourist and collectors became interested in Native American art, the questions expanded to include training of Indian artists. The leading school for that became the Institute of American Indian Arts of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its beginnings from an Indian boarding school with an emphasis on vocations to the 1960s is chronicled in this book that includes historic photographs, a bibliography, and an index.

San Gabriel del Yunge Oweenge was not only the first European settlement in the Territory now known as New Mexico but it was also the first capital of that area. It happened in 1598, a coming together of two diverse cultures. How did it all work out? Some of the answers were found in a 1984 conference held at San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. A group of historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, writers and Pueblo leaders gathered to discuss the immediate and long-term consequences of that settlement. In particular, they looked at the historical and cultural effects on both sides. The participants included Marc Simmons, Florence Hawley Ellis, Myra Ellen Jenkins, Herman Agoyo, Orlando Romero, Lynnwood Brown, Richard I. Ford and Jim Sagel. By popular request from people who were not able to attend the conference, the papers that were given there were collected in this book.

In this compact book, Robert Smith gives clear and detailed instructions for gardening organically in a semi-arid climate. Using New Mexico as an example, he gives full directors for raising everything from asparagus to zucchini; shows how depressed bed planting protects plants and conserves moisture; and includes instructions about a labor-saving method of soil cultivation. After receiving his master''s degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley, the author taught in a small high school in Jackson, California, and then at Tampere University in Finland. He then moved with his wife and two sons to a ranch near the old village of San Geronimo in northern New Mexico. After building a house, he devoted himself for several years to growing vegetables and raising goats. He then became an instructor at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas. After retiring from teaching, Smith moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he now teaches computer skills to seniors, maintains a web page, and keeps a backyard vegetable patch.

In 1950, after a fire raged through an area in south-central New Mexico, a small bear cub was found clinging to a pine tree. The cub had suffered severe burns, and the fire fighters who rescued him were amazed that he could have survived such intense heat. So tiny he fit into a shoe box, the cub was taken to a veterinarian in Santa Fe and responded well to treatment. In time, fully recovered, he became a popular character in schools and social functions. Through the effort of Elliott S. Barker and others, the Bear was named Smokey and in time became a famous national symbol for forest fire prevention and wildlife conservation, eventually contributing to an increased awareness of the need for these measures. Also included in this book are stories about the author''s experiences as Forest Supervisor, State Game Warden, and as Manager and Predator Warden for Vermejo Park in New Mexico. J. Frank Dobie said: "Barker writes exactly as he talks, and his talk is genuine. He talks of deer, elk, grizzlies, and mountain lions, and of people-women as well as men-who belong to the land." Barker was of pioneer stock, his parents having arrived in Sapello, New Mexico in a covered wagon and were among the early settlers of the Northern New Mexico wilderness. He was the author of many books.

The 1625 reprinting of the 1584 laws and ordinances for mines published here was written under the direction of Juan de O├▒ate, one of the earliest writers on metallurgy and mining in the New World. He was the first person, who lived in what today is the United States, to write on these subjects. It is hoped that this book will help promote recognition of Juan de O├▒ate''s contributions to mining history, and stimulate further research to locate additional works by O├▒ate in the archives of Mexico and Spain. In English and Spanish.

The Navajo boy is critically ill when he is brought to the Indian hospital in Gallup, New Mexico. He harbors a deadly disease that is stalking the reservation and it soon spreads from Navajoland to the highest reaches of power in Washington, DC. Modern medicine alone can''t control this strange epidemic and John Hartman, a young physician in the Indian Health Service, must overcome the resistance of his colleagues when he turns to the ancient wisdom of the Navajo medicine men. At the same time, he must overcome his own tragic past. * * * * Leonard A. Schonberg, a physician, author and actor, was born in New York City and traveled all over the world working as a volunteer physician in South American, Asia, the Marshall Islands and Africa. His four previous novels, "Fish Heads," "Legacy," "Blackfeet Eyes," and "Morgen''s War," were all published by Sunstone Press. * * * "Booklist" reports: "During volunteer medical work in Africa, Asia, and South America, (Dr.) Schonberg learned to understand and respect a culture not his own, and that respect is a major distinction of this excellent novel that also portrays the New Mexico landscape and relations between Navajos and Anglos beautifully."

During World War II, Clay Walker was a "code talker" for the Marine Corps. He had always wanted to be a warrior like his ancestors, but years before the young Navajo boy from the American Southwest had been told by his people that there were no more wars and no more warriors. He wants to prove them wrong. The attack on Pearl Harbor gives him the chance. But during bloody battles in the Pacific, his dream begins to fade. He see only pain, destruction, and death. Perhaps the old ones were right. * * * * Robert B. Fox spent 35 years working with young people as teacher, counselor, caseworker and parole officer. He also lived for three years as a missionary among the Maori people of New Zealand who made a deep impression on his life. A member of the Society of Children''s Book Writers and Illustrators, he has published two young adult novels and one middle-reader novel, "Walks Two Worlds," also from Sunstone Press.

George A. Boyce worked with Native Americans throughout the United States for thirty years. In the Navajo country he was known as Tall Dog Man and "Otta Natani" (Leader of the schools). In the Blackfoot language his name was translated as Father of Many Children. In his education work and in his writing, he wanted to bring people, particularly young people, together despite their diverse cultural backgrounds. He once wrote, "Cultural differences are good. To form a democratic, multi-cultural nation calls for nurturing rather than destroying cultural differences." The stories in this book reflect the author''s feelings and understanding of the world of the Native American. Each story is preceded by a brief history that will acquaint readers with the Native American tribal affiliation of the main character and present the many cultural differences that so enrich their experiences. * * * * George A. Boyce was the superintendent of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico prior to his retirement. Previously he had been director of Navajo Schools and superintendent of the Intermountain Indian School. In addition to his educational work, Dr. Boyce was also involved in the long-range social-economic planning for the Navajo. For this work he received the Distinguished Service Gold Medal from the U.S. Department of the Interior and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Navajo. He is also the author of "When the Navajos Had Too Many Sheep."

In 1598, the Spanish conquistador, Don Juan de O├▒ate, founded the first capital of New Mexico in an old Indian settlement on the west bank of the Rio Grande river. This colony and others prospered until, years later the Indians revolted, destroying this village which was then lost for centuries. But, in 1959, Florence Hawley Ellis, a famous pioneer anthropologist, was asked by San Juan Indian Pueblo to excavate a ruin on their reservation, an unheard of request as Pueblos usually denied permission for excavations on their lands. A badly corroded Spanish archer''s helmet had been found by an elder who was digging adobe clay. They wanted to know what "they had." Her work returned San Gabriel del Yungue-the Spanish name for the first capital of New Mexico-and its five domed ovens, the first built in this land, to their rightful place on the map. This book is the story of that awakening. * * * * Florence Hawley Ellis, PhD, is famous for her extensive excavations and related research in ethnology, tree-ring dating, and pottery analysis. Her excavations include areas in Chaco Canyon, and along the Chama, Rio Grande and Jemez river valleys as well as elsewhere in the American Southwest. She has published over 300 articles and monographs.

Wilderness has and continues to have very different meanings for various groups of people. The "dilemma" occurs because some special interest groups want to "tame" and use wilderness resources while others demand a "hands-off" preservation policy. To cope with these two extremes, government agencies have enacted a series of regulations and laws. Private citizens have banded together to work for suitable wilderness policies. This book examines all aspects of the complex wilderness question including legislation, water rights and mineral exploration. * * * * Corry McDonald was active in New Mexico wilderness preservation efforts for over thirty years. His book, "Wilderness: A New Mexico Legacy" also published by Sunstone Press, was widely praised by national reviewers and was selected as one of the best current American books reflecting national life, history and culture by the English-Speaking Union.

These stories are based on Pueblo Indian legends collected by the author over a ten-year period. Most of the stories were told to her in Tewa, the Pueblo language she learned while working in her family-owned trading post, the San Juan Mercantile at the San Juan Pueblo. Being at the Pueblo gave her the opportunity to become familiar with Indian customs, rites and beliefs. Teresa (VanEtten) Pijoan was raised on the San Juan Pueblo Indian Reservation in New Mexico and later her family moved to the Nambe Indian Reservation. She is a national lecturer, storyteller, research writer, college professor, and teacher. She has lectured throughout Central Europe, Mexico, and the United States. "Booklist" reported: "This addition to an excellent series of books about Native American culture and people presents new renderings of traditional Indian folktales... These stories of imagination, of creativity, and of morality will strike a deep and resonant chord within readers of folktales and native American legendry."

This book is designed to help both the beginning writer and the published writer who wants additional guidance in the marketing aspects of the trade. All the creative aspects of writing are covered from how to get and develop ideas to the ways and means of researching them. There are sections on copyright, contracts and computers as well as how to solve the "writer''s block" and how to handle the writer''s horror: rejections. An extensive bibliography serves as a guide for further reading. "Wisconsin Bookwatch" reported: "...a thoroughly ''user friendly'' guide written especially for novice writers trying to cope with the necessities of marketing, as well as writer''s block, handling the soul-crushing rejections, scrutinizing one''s contract, and more. ''Writing and Selling'' is recommended as a brief, simply presented instructional reference offering meticulous step-by-step directions, and as an effective starting primer for aspiring writers seeking remunerative publication of their work."

June 11, 1846: "Now the prairie life begins..." And thus begins the story of America''s first white woman to travel the Santa Fe Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Chihuahua, Mexico--a distance of 1,300 miles. Susan Shelby Magoffin and her well-to-do husband, Samuel, 27 years her senior, experience one trial after another. But the blood of pioneers is in their veins and neither wolves nor Indians, the Mexican War nor the loss of their first child will stop the wheels of their wagons. Based on the trail journal of the heroine, "Bride of the Santa Fe Trail" is Jean M. Burroughs'' salute to the courage and greatness of a little-known figure in American history. It is not the story of the little woman behind the big man--but quite the reverse. In the end her battered Rockaway carriage becomes a symbol of a landscape almost too bleak for human habitation: "...its wheels patched and mended, its broken top reinforced with assorted studs of used lumber...its shiny black paint dulled by wind-driven sand..." Truly the narrative of a first-woman, a first-voyage which, in the words of Jean M. Burroughs becomes, like the battered Rockaway carriage, a trip into the deep space of our ancestors'' time. Burroughs is also the author of "Children of Destiny" from Sunstone Press.

In "How to Paint and Sell Your Art," Marcia Muth has written a book for both the beginning and the more experienced artist. A practical and useful guide, it is based on actual working experiences in art. For the beginner there is information on supplies, equipment, studio space and how to start that first painting. Chapters on pricing, exhibitions, galleries and agents answer questions for the more advanced artist. * * * * Marcia Muth, a successful self-taught artist, has exhibited throughout the county. Her paintings are in private and corporate collections and in the collection of the Museum of New Mexico. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

A Navajo boy named Clay Walker is chosen to become an emissary for his people in the white world beyond the reservation. He fights this appointment as if it were a curse-only to learn, in training for it, that his destiny is inescapable. Through his grandfather, White Horse, he learns first of the old ways, so that upon leaving them he will truly be a walker in two worlds. * * * * Robert B. Fox spent 35 years working with young people as teacher, counselor, caseworker and parole officer. He also lived for three years as a missionary among the Maori people of New Zealand who made a deep impression on his life. A member of the Society of Children''s Book Writers and Illustrators, he has published two young adult novels and one middle-reader novel, "To Be a Warrior," also from Sunstone Press.

John Wesley Hardin is the most famous gunfighter of the American Wild West. The subject of conversations from the Mexican border to the rowdy saloons of Kansas, he was the greatest celebrity of the age. He wrote an autobiography, but he only told what he wanted known, and few have researched beyond that. Today, Hardin is an enigma. Part of the mystery is his disastrous relationship with Helen Beulah Mrose, yet she has not been researched at all. Until now. Helen Beulah's story is the final piece of the vast jigsaw of Hardin's life and legend. Author Dennis McCown has delved into the mystery of Helen Beulah. Researching from Florida to California and north to faraway Alaska, McCown has uncovered one of the great tragedies of the Wild West. He developed this into the story of those around John Wesley Hardin. In the end, this is a woman's story, not a gunfighter's, and it's also four biographies. Hardin's story is told, but so is Helen Mrose's. Martin Mrose and Laura Jennings are little known today, but their lives are integral to the mystery. Written for a general audience, the story includes footnotes for those interested in knowing more, footnotes historian Leon Metz called "e;the best I've ever seen."e; DENNIS McCOWN was born and raised in Wyoming and is proud of his "e;cowboy"e; heritage. Though he has traveled widely, he always comes back to his roots. After hearing references to Helen Beulah Mrose, McCown spent sixteen years researching her story. A member of the Wild West History Association (WWHA), McCown is a former member of the National Outlaw-Lawman Association (NOLA) and the Western Outlaw-Lawman Association (WOLA), which merged to form the WWHA. McCown is also a member of SASS, the Single-Action Shooting Society. Today McCown is a college instructor in Texas.

This comprehensive activity book for children offers over 50 pages of action-packed fun highlighting the contributions of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo peoples to our multi-cultural environment. It includes nine sections: The Land, Desert Wonders, Natural Things, Pioneers, Hispanic Heritage, Native Crafts, Kachina Art, Sand Painting, and Mud, Clay and Stone. Projects are presented in a variety of formats such as word searches, puzzles, matching objects, picture construction and mystery puzzles that offer fascinating facts about the American Southwest and natural history that entertain and stretch the mind.