The Southwest

by David Lavender

First published in 1980 as part of Harper & Row's Regions of America series, this lively account is now available only from the University of New Mexico Press. Focusing on New Mexico and Arizona, it also touches on neighboring states Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, as well as northern Mexico. Lavender writes of the Southwest from the time of the earliest Indian inhabitants to the eras of the Spanish conquerors, the French fur trappers, and the eventual expansion of the United States into the area. He describes conflicts between Mexico and Spain, Mexico and Texas, and Mexico and the United States and explores the truth behind folklore and legends about cowboys, Indians, and outlaws. He also discusses the region's present-day problems--the difficulties of relationships among a variety of racial, cultural, and economic groups and the scarcity of usable land, water, and air.
"Delicious history, soundly investigated and superbly presented, enlivened by a sparkling style and rich in anecdotes and persona sketches. . . . Should be read not only in the Southwest, but by all Americans who seek knowledge of a region that is daily becoming more important nationally--and internationally."--Ray A. Billington

Genres: History, Westerns, Travel

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1980

About the author

David Sievert Lavender was a well-known historian of the Western United States, nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, who is best remembered by many for his River Runners of the Grand Canyon.

Lavender spent most of his life in Ojai, California. An articulate and deeply knowledgeable speaker on the political and social history of the American West, he often spoke at the annual Telluride Film Festival.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well-written and researched -- and, surprisingly, given its age (1980), is still in print. Like many regional histories, however, it is best read selectively based on the readers interests. For me,, the most compelling writing is of the early beginnings and explorations, and the chapter on American Indian policy - which at best you can call incredibly stupid and at its worst, genocidal.