This book is a series of essays that Tony Hillerman (b. 1925) wrote for his Master's thesis while in graduate school at the University of New Mexico. First published in 1973 when Hillerman was 48, it followed two novels as his third published book. The essays explore various aspects of 20th century culture of the US west. The abridged audio version (which I listened to) is pared down to a single, 90 minute cassette, and contains four such essays.

“The Great Taos Bank Robbery” is an amusing tale of a bank hold-up that never happened, retold as an anecdote that one might hear in a local saloon. “The Very Heart of Our Country” gives a glimpse of Najavo culture and historical love of their country, in two parts: “The Mountain on the Guardrail at Exit 164B” (featuring the majestic Ship Rock) and “The Messenger Birds” (magnificent, high- flying eagles in early winter). “The Hunt for the Lost American” focuses on anthropological evidence of an early Stone-Age culture of native Americans, based on stone weapons and tools first found in Folsom, New Mexico. “Othello in Union County” recounts the efforts of Mr. George McJunkin, a (black) cowboy whose discovery of the Folsom Site showed that people had inhabited North America since much earlier than previously thought. McJunkin’s views were opposed by the eminent anthropologist Aleš Hrdlicka of the Smithsonian Institution; however, McJunkin was eventually proven to be correct.

Overall, I found these essays to be moderately entertaining; nothing too special, although I did enjoy the account of McJunkin’s discovery and the vindication of his discovery and its interpretation. ( )