This book portrays the unique landscape of the American south west in both words and pictures. Hillerman affectionately describes the land of his stories and what draws him to the land - what planted the seeds of each novel. He speaks movingly about the people who inhabit the land, from the Indians - Navojos, Mepis, Zunis who have lived there for centuries, to the Anglos who chose to settle in such forbidding surroundings. He explains the customs and cultures of these peoples, and how they shaped their world. In each case his vivid and entracing text is accompanied by photographs taken by his brother, Barney Hillerman.