I recently discovered the coolest little book to add to my New Mexico collection. The name of it is The Spell of New Mexico. It was published in 1976 by The University of New Mexico Press. It's a collection of essays about the state, and was edited by Tony Hillerman. The essays were primarily written in the 1950s, by such writers as D.H. Lawrence, Conrad Richter, C.G. Jung, Ernie Pyle, and others.
What is striking to me about the book is that although the essays were written 60 years ago, they are as up to date and timeless as though they were written last week. Most of them are just so delightful to read, describing the New Mexico I have known and loved for many years. How wonderful to know that others in the past have felt the same way, and have recorded their thoughts to preserve the spirit of NM for those of us who have follwed. The book is full of wonderful quotes; I am going to post some of them here in the coming days.
3 comments:
...although the essays were written 60 years ago, they are as up to date and timeless as though they were written last week.
Ah, that's just one of the wonderful things about my adopted state. I'm forever in my ex-girlfriend's debt. She was born and raised in NM and knows this state like the back of her hand, including (and most especially) the "off the beaten track" sorts of places. The debt, of course, is that she shared a lot of those places with me. And I still have SO much left to discover...
Looking forward to the quotes, Sharon!
Buck, Although I have been to many places in New Mexico through the years, there is always still a long list of places to see, to discover and explore. That is the enchantment for me - New Mexico is an adventure waiting to be experienced daily. I am so glad that it looks like this time is coming soon for me.
Thank you for pointing out this book. I had not seen it before. It is inspiration!
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