Book Notices

Baby Doe Tabor: The Madwoman in the Cabin.

By Judy Nolte Temple. (Norman:University of Oklahoma Press,2007,280 pp.Cloth,$24.95.)

The story of the mysterious Baby Doe Tabor has intrigued students of the American West for nearly one hundred years.Renowned for her beauty,Baby Doe’s marriage to the silver magnate Horace Tabor made her the possessor of seemingly inexhaustible wealth as her husband’s mine prospered greatly during the boom years of the silver mining industry.However,the wealth was fleeting as the Depression of 1893 divested the Tabors’of their considerable resources,forcing them to move from their opulent Denver mansion into a cabin near the mine,situated high in the Rocky Mountains.After the death of Horace, Baby Doe remained alone in the cabin for more than thirty years,recording what she termed her “Dreams and Visions”on scraps of paper.Dismissed as the incoherent ramblings of a madwoman,the writings were never extensively studied until author Judy Nolte Temple began to piece them together.Through her analysis,Temple removes the cloak of secrecy,myth,and misinformation that surrounds Baby Doe Tabor,revealing the tragic story of a complicated and passionate woman.

Dinosaur: Four Seasons on the Green and Yampa Rivers.

Text by Hal Crimmel, Photographs by Steve Gaffney.(Tucson:The University of Arizona Press,2007,96 pp. Paper,$14.95.)

The latest in the Desert Places series,author Hal Crimmel and photographer Steve Gaffney provide the reader with a thoughtful view of one of the West’s most pristine landscapes.Named for the large dinosaur fossil quarry found in its eastern Utah/western Colorado environs,Dinosaur National Monument is described by Crimmel as a “desert oasis”due to its position as a converging point for the Green and Yampa rivers.It was during whitewater expeditions on these rivers that Crimmel and Gaffney conducted much of the research for their book,allowing them to capture the interior of the monument both in word and photograph.In addition to documenting the beauty and uniqueness of Dinosaur National Monument,the authors also address conservation issues,highlighting the threats faced by national parks such as Dinosaur,and the steps that can be taken to mitigate those threats.