Flagstaff's Wild Canyons
"Susan Lamb and Tom Bean are the two talents behind
Flagstaff's Wild Canyons: Canyons and Mesas of the Walnut Canyon Study Area, and it is a subject that hits them where they live -- literally. The pair occupies a house perched on the rim of Fay Canyon, and their book has a sure-handed feel and even an intimacy that comes from walks out their back yard with notebook and camera in hand… The book is not, however, a personal reverie. It is an authoritative 40-page, 83-photo tour of the geology, climate, flora, fauna, archaeology and history of a 47-square-mile tract that the authors want to see preserved from development. As such, it is the work of naturalists as well as advocates -- their audience, Lamb says, is primarily the decision-makers in whose hands the fate of this semi-wild region rests… Lamb's prose has the compactness of a guidebook that isn't afraid to show off a love of language. The topography is "rumpled," and the dark ravines "twist" in a maze below sunny uplands. But there is good science and history here, too, finally answering my questions about the ancient hydrology of the side canyons and why few homesteads remain… Because both Lamb and Bean are professionals in their fields, "Flagstaff's Wild Canyons" has a professional feel to it, including full-page photos that do justice to the subject and text that is edited to fit and to inform. It is both an armchair tour of Walnut Canyon above the rim and a inspirational document for those who want to experience the area for themselves. And if it also leads to a greater measure of protection for those lands, Susan Lamb and Tom Bean no doubt could not be happier."
Randy Wilson, Editor, Arizona Daily Sun.
The Natural World of Saint Francis of Assisi
"The beauty of Umbria that inspired Francis is still there today, as you will see in the evocative words of Susan Lamb and the remarkable photographs of Tom Bean. The rocks and landscapes, the winds and climate, the rivers, lakes and marshes, the plants and animals of Umbria and the neighboring parts of Italy are all brought to life in this book. It could serve as a substitute for going there, or better, it could be the inspiration for a trip, and a memory afterward."
Dr. Walter Alvarez, Geologist and Author of
T.Rex and the Crater of Doom and
The Mountains of Saint Francis.
"This book provides a valuable service, for it helps us to perceive the Earth not as a jumble of objects, but rather a communion of subjects (as Thomas Berry suggests), participating in the life of creation as holy gift of God. May Sister, Mother Earth, depicted in these pages, inspire you as it did Francis."
Keith Douglass Warner, OFM
Environmental Studies Institute, Santa Clara University.
Pueblo and Mission
"The thoughtful text approaches the topic of culture and history with reverence…The result is an interdisciplinary story written by a scholar whose generous spirit excludes no one."
Bloomsbury Review.
Ancient Walls
"There is a perfect balance between the facts you need to understand and the quality of magic in the places, the haunting haunted evocative specialness of the places. I incline to be silly on this subject, this book does it honor."
Book Bag.
Channel Islands National Park
"The author has a pleasing way of telling the story of the history, geology, and wildlife of these not-so-remote places."
Selection of Western Books, Rounce and Coffin Club, Occidental College.
A Guide to Navajo Rugs
"Very well done presentation of an unusual subject. Good, quick, clearly expert information here. The quotes are a nice element. Subject is excellently handled."
Conference of National Park Cooperating Associations.
Lightfall and Time
"Lamb’s texts emphasize in literate prose the geological structures that give these National Parks their individual natures."
University of Arizona Library
“Critical Checklist of Current Southwestern Americana.”
