Caballeros

This complete history of Santa Fe was written after extensive research and with understanding and a touch of humor. It covers all aspects of Spanish-American traditions, customs, and culture. Although first published in 1931, and revised in 1945, it is still relevant today. The author, born in Santa Fe, captures the elusive quality which makes the atmosphere of the city so appealing and writes with fluent ease of the history of the Southwest from the days of the Conquistadores. She covers every aspect of the life of the region including the political situation of the time with its Japanese Detention Camp, its art, its crafts, its architecture, and of the land and its climate. The 1945 edition includes a detailed index, and an additional chapter and glossary. Readers of this book will get a greater understanding of the past of this popular city that will add its enjoyment in the present time. An added bonus are the illustrations by Norma Van Sweringen, a well-known Southwestern artist in the 1930s. RUTH LAUGHLIN, a Santa Fe, New Mexico native, was born in 1889 and died in 1962. Educated at Colorado College and the Columbia School of Journalism, she was a writer for the "Christian Science Monitor," "The New York Times" and various popular magazines. As a result of her interest and research into the history of the American Southwest, she wrote two books: "Caballeros" (1931, revised in 1945) and "The Wind Leaves No Shadow" (1948, and expanded in 1951 with a cast of characters, additional chapters and glossary). Both books are considered to be classics of Southwestern American literature.