Friday, October 17, 2008

KID'S BOOKS!

DON’T CALL ME PIG! A Javelina Story by Conrad J. Storad

What exactly is a “javelina”? This hairy little creature is shaped like a pig, has a snout like a pig, and makes grunting noises like a pig. But is it really a pig? Nope. Not at all! Not even close! “Javelina” is just one name for a rowdy little critter that lives in large families and roams in herds across the Southwestern deserts. “Collard peccary” is another name. One thing for certain – after reading DON’T CALL ME PIG!, readers of all ages will know why they should NEVER, EVER call them pigs!

Conrad J. Storad is editor of the award winning Arizona State University Research Magazine, and founding editor of Chain Reaction, a science magazine for young readers. He is also the author of many science and nature books for children and young adults. Storad serves as editor and chief operating officer for Beck Press, Inc., a Tempe, Arizona based publishing company.

$14.95

JUST LIKE MY PAPA by Pamela Haught-Stuart

This delightful rhyming book makes a unique, fun read-a-loud for youngsters of all ages. It includes family lore and insight into a cowboy's life, and makes you want to holler "Yipee Kai Yea! Round 'em up partners!" It's a real treasure for those who enjoy reading regional books to their children, and offers a special tribute to a fine cowboy and his grandson. The author's father, Hubert Haught, was a tall, skinny cowboy who was thrilled to have grandkids - and THEY thought HE was something mighty special!

When Pamela's oldest son, David, was 6 years old, he brought home a drawing labeled "when I grow up I want to be a tall, skinny cowboy". She saved the drawing for over twenty years and one day that drawing inspired a poem, "When I grow up I want to be a tall, skinny cowboy just like my papa." The poem eventually evolved into a book . When David's wife, Ana, saw the book, she said, "I want to do the illustrations!" Thus, JUST LIKE MY PAPA pulled one more family member into this heart-warming project!

$15.95

THE ADVENTURES OF FLAT CACTUS JACK by Don Wells and Jean Groen

Don Wells is an expert at identifying desert plants. He can tell us where to find them, how each plant is unique, and the traditional food or medicinal uses of each plant, seed, or fruit. Jean Groen specializes in finding traditional recipes for each plant specimen and developing “modern” recipes that can be used in 21st century kitchens. Together, their goal is to teach us all that the Sonoran Desert is one of nature’s very special places and that we need to love and respect it as we would our own back yards.

Together, Don and Jean have produced a wonderful book for children, narrated by Flat Cactus Jack, in which "Jack" leads a group of youngsters along the "Lost Goldmine Trail". Along the way, Flat Cactus Jack reminds his charges that the very survival of our fragile desert depends on them. First, he teaches them how to be safe in the desert. Second, he explains how to treat the desert to keep it safe from their activities. And then they’re off to meet desert wildlife and look for desert plants. In the end, Flat Cactus Jack gives the children recipes for some of the desert plants they’ve found along the way.

$14.95

AMAZING GIRLS OF ARIZONA: True Stories of Young Pioneers by Jan Cleere

Early Arizona girls were expected to care for younger children, cook and clean, wash clothes, milk cows, tend gardens, and round up wandering herds in the harsh, unfamiliar desert landscape. Some of the more headstrong young women strained against the confines of their chores, choosing instead to explore and embrace this wildly beautiful land, even if it meant disobeying elders or risking their lives.

Author Jan Cleere has compiled an inspiring collection of the truly spell-binding stories of 11 these energetic young women in her latest book. Here you’ll meet Olive Oatman, who spent five years as an Indian captive; Laurette Lovell, born with a severe leg deformity, who went on to become one of the first great painters of western scenes; and Edith Bass, born in 1896, who was wrangling mules before the age of nine. This lively read is illustrated with historic photographs. You’ll never forget these real girls of Arizona who conquered the West in their own special style!

$12.95

Monday, September 1, 2008

THE SUMMER OF '53: A Bullion Plaza Story

THE SUMMER OF '53: A Bullion Plaza Story by Samuel B. Munoz

Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats – the game is about to begin!

The old basketball court, silent and idle lo these many years, is suddenly filled with noise and excitement. Listen to the rhythmic bouncing of the ball. Keep your eyes on Number 11 as he methodically scans the court. Echoes of a tension-filled era tremble in his soul while memories of segregation revolve in his mind. In spite of the booing demons of prejudice and injustice, Number 11 makes his way down the court with style and grace. The player is Samuel B. Munoz of Miami, Arizona, whose book, The Summer of 53: A Bullion Plaza Story, makes an imposing entrance into the annals of Arizona’s history.

$20

THE WORM IN MY TOMATO

THE WORM IN MY TOMATO
by Dr. Santos C. Vega

"By the railroad tracks of the Miami Depot;
There we stood, marked for departure.
We wept, sad to leave Miami."


During the Great Depression President Herbert Hoover authorized the deportation of more than ½ million Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in what was called "Mexican Repatriation." Santos Vega was just 6 months old in 1932 when his family boarded the the Repatriation Train at the Miami Depot. In his book, THE WORM IN MY TOMATO, author and educator Vega tells the heart-wrenching story of his own family’s “voluntary” repatriation from Miami, Arizona to rural Mexico and back.

$20

Friday, August 22, 2008

FABULOUS COFFEE BAR/GIFT SHOP FOR LEASE!

COFFEE SHOP/GIFT SHOP SPACE FOR LEASE!

Incorporated in our successful bookstore, which is housed in a 1918 bank building, we have a GREAT space that includes a kitchen that has been approved by the Gila County Health Department as a snack bar. It also has space that can be used for dining and/or a small gift shop. This space can be accessed both from the street and from our bookstore, which is right on busy Highway 60 in the historic mining town of Miami, Arizona. We are offering to lease this wonderful space to the right person or persons for just $500 per month. This amount includes the use of the space, all kitchen equipment, and utilities (water, sewer & garbage, electricity and wireless internet service). A $1500 down payment is required, to include the first & last month lease payment, a $250 (refundable) cleaning deposit and $250 (non-refundable) for all coffee shop supplies on hand at time of lease signing.

For more information, please contact us by email at thebookbank@cableone.net by phone at 928-473-4134 or 928-812-3287.

Monday, April 28, 2008

BOOK SIGNING, SUNDAY MAY 25TH 1-4 PM


Many American Indian cultures regard the passage from childhood to adulthood as a pivotal phase of life, and have devised rituals to affirm traditional values and community support for its members. These rituals are a positive social force in many Native American communities. In her book, EMPOWERMENT OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GIRLS: Ritual Expressions at Puberty, Carol Markstrom describes the female puberty rituals of four tribes, paying particular attention to the Apache Sunrise Dance, which is described and analyzed here in great detail. Meet the author of EMPOWERMENT OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GIRLS ($49.95) at The Book Bank, 420 Live Oak Street (HWY 60) in Miami, AZ on Sunday, May 25th from 1-4 PM. Call 928-473-4134 or email thebookbank@cableone.net for more details.





  • Robert Keil was born in 1898, ran away from home at the age of 15 and lied about his age to join the calvalry. He served with the Eighth U.S. Cavalry in the wild and sparsely populated Big Bend country of West Texas during the violent years of the Mexican Revolution. In a book titled BOSQUE BONITO: Violent Times Along the Borderland During the Mexican Revolution, Robert “Bob” Keil tells about the beauty of the Big Bend country, as well as the violence and tragedies he witnessed there between 1913 and 1918, which both impressed and haunted him throughout the remainder of his life. Meet the heirs of Robert Keil, author of BOSQUE BONITO ($19.95) at The Book Bank, 420 Live Oak Street (HWY 60) in Miami, AZ on Sunday, May 25th from 1-4 PM. Call 928-473-4134 or email thebookbank@cableone.net for more details.




  • Sometime around 1914 Chrysotile, Arizona was established at the bottom of Ash Creek Canyon, about 60 miles from Globe, as an asbestos mining town. Over time, the town of Chrysotile was nearly forgotten. Now, based on the notes, history and pictures of Frank Knuckey, Chrysotile is brought to life again in a book of the same name compiled by Gene Knuckey. Here you’ll learn about the good times and the bad as you explore the work and play of those who lived in this remote area, from the town’s humble beginnings to its final closing in 1945. Meet Gene Knuckey, author of CHRYSOTILE ARIZONA: 1914 to 1945 ($11.95) at The Book Bank, 420 Live Oak Street (HWY 60) in Miami, AZ on Sunday, May 25th from 1-4 PM. Call 928-473-4134 or email thebookbank@cableone.net for more details.

Monday, April 14, 2008

MEET THE AUTHORS!

Meet these fine authors at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami, AZ's Boomtown Spree - A celebration of our mining history!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - APRIL 19TH & 20TH, 2008

Spirits in the Mountain by William Johnson & Michael Johnson

Jacob Waltz – known today as The Lost Dutchman – was a man who spent a great deal of his life keeping a secret that would one day make his life an open book. Adolf Ruth – did he wander off in the wilderness in 1931 and die a natural death – or was he murdered? The Peralta Stone Tablets were discovered sticking out of the ground near the highway in 1949 by a family vacationing in Arizona. Are they fake or are they fact? Authors and brothers, Bill and Michael Johnson, believe they have discovered the answers, which they’ve compiled into their newly released book - SPIRITS IN THE MOUNTAIN: Very, Very Dangerous. Find the Heart. Find the Treasure. Meet these authors at The Book Bank on Saturday and Sunday, April 19th and 20th, during Miami’s Boomtown Spree.


History of Arizona's Clifton-Morenci Mining District byTed Cogut & Bill Conger

The Clifton-Morenci Mining District can lay claim to many “firsts” in the history of copper mining in Arizona:

the first copper ingot smelted
the first mine railroad
the first concentrator
the first to treat porphyry ores successfully

Read about the changing technology of copper mining, from the earliest days in the underground to the era of open pit mining, in History of Arizona's Clifton-Morenci Mining District. Meet Ted & Bill at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Saturday, April 19th!


Plants of the Sonoran Desert, Foods of the Superstitions & Flat Cactus Jack by Don Wells and Jean Groen

Don and Jean have real heart for the Sonoran Desert. Together they have authored three books about our beautiful desert and its many useful plants. When they’re not writing about the desert, they’re conducting classes, giving lectures, leading hikes, and teaching people how to cook with desert plants. These wonderful people are on a mission to encourage people of all ages to love and care for the desert. Meet Don & Jean at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Saturday, April 19th!

Mother Magma: A Memoir of Underground Life in the San Manuel Copper Mine by Onofre Tafoya

Onofre “Taffy” Tafoya’s commitment to mining and hard work, and his love for the “best of people” gave birth to his written testament - Mother Magma: A Memoir of Underground Life in the San Manuel Copper Mine. Here, in words and pictures, the author takes us inside the San Manuel Copper Mine to witness the never-before told story of one of the most productive mines in the world. Be "lowered" into this amazing world and experience through the author’s eyes the intense and admirable endeavors of a courageous group of men who work inside the entrails of Mother Earth. Tafoya describes the dangers of underground mining and minces no words about how men died. Meet Mr. Tafoya at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Sunday, April 20th.

When Silver Was King by Jack San Felice

Fighting fierce Apaches and intense desert heat, four prospectors found a fortune in silver just four miles north of present-day Superior, Arizona. In fact, they discovered a real “king” of a mine back in 1875, aptly naming it the Silver King, which soon became one of the most famous mines in Arizona, indeed, in all the west. The Silver King’s riches provided prosperity for many of the Arizona Territory’s early pioneers, as well as the catalyst for settling the Central Arizona Territory. Meet the author of When Silver Was King at The Book Bank Booth on the midway at Miami's Boomtown Spree on Sunday, April 20th.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

IMAGES OF AMERICA: ASH FORK, ARIZONA


In his homespun style Marshall writes about the Ash Fork’s beginnings as a railroad town on the Santa Fe mainline in the 1880s to its decline in the 1970s when Route 66 was closed, the railroad bypassed the town, the famous Harvey House was abandoned and demolished, and the business district burned in a fire and was never rebuilt.

$19.95

Call Marlene Tiede at 928-473-4134 for more information.