Eye of the Blackbird : A Story of Gold in the American West
by H. L. Skinner

The book "Eye of the Blackbird" is many things: Holly Skinner's personal diary, a history of the western United States, as told by the early searchers for gold, and a broad-reaching book that places the reader with the author as she lives, explores, and searches for gold in the mostly unsettled modern West.

Skinner has been variously employed as a wilderness ranger, forest fire fighter, wrangler and rider in a wild west show, and also has a bachelor's degree in anthropology, history and journalism from the University of Wyoming.

She brings all that background to her experiences as a gold prospector in this book, and with the research demonstrated in her over 200-book bibliography, weaves a fascinating story of history and her own personal experiences living in the West and looking "just over the next ridge" for a strike that will "show some color" in her miner's pan.

In "Eye of the Blackbird," Skinner ranges from personal meditations in her cabin amidst the sagebrush, to well-researched tales of the people who made up the western gold rushes from California in 1849 to the Klondike in 1898. This is a book that offers a lot for everyone, and it's very difficult to pigeonhole its appeal. You don't have to be a history buff, or even interested in the West or gold -- just pick up this book and let the author take you away.

Paperback - 298 pages 
(April 2001) 
Dimensions (in inches):  0.92 x 8.52 x 5.55

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