House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
by Craig Childs
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Book Summary Information
Author: Craig ChildsEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2007-02-22
ISBN: 0316608173
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
Book Review: A Good Mix
Summary: 5 Stars
House of Rain weaves anthropology, desert experiences, and backcountry interactions with archeologists and family. The focus is field archeology, which academic publications cover formally and in much greater detail. They are cited in 22 pages of bibliography. The pictures are few and printed on pages with text. Stylized maps appear on the section headers. One might appreciate large color pictures and traditional, functional maps. But consider the $25 cost of this 500 page book. I've become accustomed to paying $30 - $35 for such a book and suspect that reduced photos and maps played a role in restricting the cost. There are other books with superb photographs of most of the ruins and artifacts Childs describes, or with maps at all scales depicting the northern regions covered by House of Rain. This book purposely and successfully blends education and entertainment. Becoming tired of speculation about ancient migration from a site? Childs shares his adventure there. Soon enough you are returned, refreshed, to the past. For unadulterated archeology House of Rain cannot compete with the referenced publications; for sheer life-threatening adventure it is no match for typical accounts of Himalayan climbs. And probably the descriptions of his toddler in the backcountry are eclipsed by Silverman's "Backpacking with Babies and Small Children", which I admit I have not read. But Childs set out to narrate passionately a mix of his ideas about southwestern archeology and his experiences in acquiring them. I find his attempt to be very successful.
Summary of House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
A feat of historical detection--the most significant, andcertainly the most enthralling, book on American prehistory to appear indecades.The greatest "unsolved mystery" of the American Southwest relates to theAnasazi, the native peoples who by the 11th century converged on ChacoCanyon (now New Mexico) and built a flourishing cultural center thatattracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoricworld. The Anasazis' accomplishments--in agriculture, in art, in commerce,in architecture and engineering--were astounding, rivaling those of theMayans in distant Central America. By the 13th century, however, the Anasazi were gone from Chaco. Vanished.What was it--drought? pestilence? war? forced migration? mass murder orsuicide? Craig Childs draws on scholarly research and a lifetime ofadventure and exploration in the American Southwest to pursue the mysteryof their disappearance. Considering many possibilities, he points the wayto a new understanding of how a vibrant civilization collapsed.General Books
- History > Americas > Native American
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- Archaeology > General
- Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > General
- Travel > Reference & Tips > Essays & Travelogues
- United States > Regions > West > General
- Outdoors & Nature > Nature Writing
- Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > General
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