A Brief History of New Mexico

In the pages of this book is the bare bones history of New Mexico. If you only read one New Mexico history book, this is the one to read. I tend to believe that everyone should know the history of their country and the history of their state. This book is an excellent introduction to New Mexico history. It can easily be read in a day or two and doesn't get bogged down in too many dates. For a book that has only 89 pages including the index, it has a lot of information. It touches on just about every major event of New Mexico history. It also touches on many of the important aspects that set NM apart from many other states; including but not limited to, mining, culture, ranching and more. The pictures only add to the text. I particularly liked the pictures, maps and copies of old documents. This has all the information you need regarding New Mexico history in a concise, well written book.I rated it only four instead of five for two reasons:one is due to the few number of pages, some of the more interesting stories about New Mexico are skipped. However, these types of stories can be easily found in other New Mexico books. The other reason is that sometimes the purpose of an event is not explored or the motive of the people involved are not explored. Again, this can be found in the more comprehensive books on NM. If you are interested in a short, easy to read, to the point book about New Mexico history, this is the book to get. It has a wealth of information in just a few pages (less than 90). I strong suggest that everyone who lives in New Mexico should read about the history of this state and this is one good book to begin with.