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House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
by Craig Childs

House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest Cover

Powells.com Staff Pick

Craig Childs has written a cracking good history disguised as an adventure! The book is filled with physical adventure on an Indiana Jones scale and scholarly detection worthy of Sherlock Holmes. The mystery of the Anasazi has intrigued historians for decades and Childs takes the strands of his research and others to weave a theory of the vanished civilization.
Recommended by Beth, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A feat of historical detection — the most significant, and certainly the most enthralling, book on American prehistory to appear in decades.

The greatest "unsolved mystery" of the American Southwest relates to the Anasazi, the native peoples who by the 11th century converged on Chaco Canyon (now New Mexico) and built a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. The Anasazis' accomplishments — in agriculture, in art, in commerce, in architecture and engineering — were astounding, rivaling those of the Mayans 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 or suicide? Craig Childs draws on scholarly research and a lifetime of adventure and exploration in the American Southwest to pursue the mystery of their disappearance. Considering many possibilities, he points the way to a new understanding of how a vibrant civilization collapsed.

Review:

"An original, eloquent account of an intellectual and archaeological odyssey." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"The book is finally not so much about what happened to the Anasazi as it is about our own fascination with lost civilizations." Booklist

Review:

"Childs vividly weaves his personal narrative, imbued with a deep respect for the geography and cultural landscape, with scientific research and numerous interactions with foremost scholars." Library Journal

Review:

"Childs has done casual scholars of the prehistoric Southwest a great favor by compiling so much information so fluidly in a single volume." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"Childs does a phenomenal job of portraying both the theories and their inventors in favorable lights, and the reader catches a glimpse of a hearty outdoor world filled with people obsessed with the puzzle of the past." Denver Post

Synopsis:

Childs investigates the greatest "unsolved mystery" of the American Southwest. The Anasazi, the native peoples who by the 11th century converged on Chaco Canyon (now New Mexico), built a flourishing cultural center. By the 13th century, the Anasazi were gone from Chaco. What happened?

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About the Author

Craig Child's a naturalist, adventurer, desert ecologist, and frequent contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition lives in Crawford, Colorado. His previous books include The Secret Knowledge of Water, Soul of Nowhere, and The Way Out.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Mentalfloss1, November 27, 2007 (view all comments by Mentalfloss1)
What happened to the Anasazi? The response I've almost always heard to that question is, "nobody knows". That remains true, but Craig Childs explores the possibilities, makes some links across space and time, and paints an attractive theory of what it meant to be Anasazi and where this may have led the Anasazi by the time the Conquistadors landed in North America.

I'm a fan of true adventure books, be they about mountain climbing, explorations or just a person pushing themselves hard in the outdoors. In this book Childs describes some amazing and dangerous challenges that he presented to himself. Such as, crossing untracked SW deserts in August, alone. Exploring high desert canyons in the dead of winter. Discovering a missing step while descending a sandstone cliff in Utah but having little choice but to take the risk. He tells his story through the eyes of an anthropoligist, a dreamer, an adventurer, and through the views of others he meets along the way.

If you love the red rock country, the Anasazi, and want some new perspectives this book is highly recommended.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316608176
Subtitle:
Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
Author:
Childs, Craig
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Subject:
General
Subject:
Description and travel
Subject:
Essays
Subject:
Essays & Travelogues
Subject:
Native American
Subject:
Antiquities
Subject:
United States - State & Local - General
Publication Date:
February 2007
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
496
Dimensions:
9.60x6.11x1.72 in. 1.67 lbs.
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