Travelers in Kansas in search of fine art needn't restrict themselves to the state's many excellent museums. They need look no further than the walls of their own communities to discover a remarkable array of murals--artistic creations that are striking, democratic, and easily accessible. Depicting Civil War history, the fruits of agriculture, Kansas' diverse cultural roots, and much more, these long-neglected works are now the subject of Lora Jost and Dave Loewenstein's fine new book. Jost and Loewenstein, artists themselves, have crisscrossed Kansas researching and documenting over 600 murals to promote, preserve, and celebrate this vibrant public art. Theirs is the first and only book devoted exclusively to Kansas murals--a striking visual travelogue that offers a new perspective on the state's culture and history. From unique small-town creations like Dennis Burghart's The Saga of the Santa Fe outside the Offerle Cafe to the world-famous John Steuart Curry painting of John Brown in the state capitol, murals constitute an enormous public art gallery. Some are socially compelling or were once the focus of intense controversy. Many are group projects in which artists have served as coordinators; these murals represent true expressions of their communities. All show the state as it has been seen through the eyes of Kansas artists over the past hundred years. The authors focus on ninety exemplary murals-including mosaics and friezes-organized by region and featuring full-color photographs, brief descriptions, and notes on the artists. From Sacred Heart Cathedral to the Early Childhood Center on the Potawatomi Prairie Band Reservation, the artworks selected represent some of the most enduring and powerful images to be found throughout the state. The book also provides regional locator maps for travelers and a list of all 600-plus murals with their locations. A unique resource that attests to the rich diversity of the mural tradition, this book is an open invitation to visit the open-air museum of Kansas murals and appreciate the stories they tell and their place in public life. They may be tucked into urban landscapes or require travel to out-of-the way locales; some may even be stained by years of exposure to the elements; but these expressions of public art are there for the viewing-and now, thanks to this book, there for the finding.

In Schermerhorn Park amidst a typical Ozark landscape of oak- and hickory-covered hillsides--brilliant orange cave salamanders hide and bats hang out in the twilight zone of Schermerhorn cave, spring peepers serenade from area marshes, black redhorse and greenside darters swim through swift, clear Shoal Creek, and flying squirrels and Carolina chickadees explore their southeast Kansas woodland home. Catty-corner across the state in the arid "badlands" along the Arikaree River, mule deer, coyotes, and Ord's kangaroo rats roam among the yucca and prickly pear cactus, while black-tailed prairie dogs scurry about town and burrowing owls guard their abodes. From border to border, Kansas provides a variety of environments--often overlapping and changing gradually from east to west and north to south--that attract an assortment of animals. In Watching Kansas Wildlife, Bob Gress and George Potts have selected 101 prime sites for viewing the state's amazingly diverse array of wildlife. They've included spots in every part of the state and a variety of terrains and animals of every kind, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. For each site, the authors have recorded what animals can be seen and what type of environment they live in; information on land ownership (whether private or public, all sites are accessible to the public); availability of park facilities; and viewing tips. Having divided the state into six parts, they have provided maps of each region and color photographs of many of the sites and animals. Gress and Potts have also made a list of the "dynamic dozen" sites, the top twelve places they consider "can't-miss opportunities" because of exceptional wildlife, scenery, and viewing attributes. These include southwestern Cimarron National Grasslands, where elk, pronghorns, western rattlesnakes, Texas horned lizards, an occasional porcupine or roadrunner, and Santa Fe Trail wagon ruts can be seen on the sandsage prairie; central Cheyenne Bottoms, the largest marsh in the interior of the United States and the most important shorebird migration point in the western hemisphere; and the eastern Flint Hills, the largest remaining expanse of tallgrass prairie in the country. Whether big or small, well known or more obscure, the sites in this guide provide an opportunity to view animals in their own intricately balanced worlds and some of the state's most beautiful natural environments.

Kansas is a bird-watcher's paradise, with its key location at the hub of the hemisphere's migration corridors and exceptional habitat diversity; 470 avian species have been documented within its borders. From spectacularly beautiful birds like Painted Buntings to elegant migrants like Hudsonian Godwits, birders can find abundant rewards every time they take to the field.

"The Guide to Kansas Birds and Birding Hot Spots" focuses on 295 species that are most likely to be encountered in the state. It helps occasional day-trippers or backyard observers identify and learn about birds that regularly occur in Kansas, with stunning color photos that enable those new to the hobby to identify their discoveries, plus tips on where to search for these species with the greatest likelihood of success.

Gress and Janzen have produced an exceptionally well-organized guide that divides birds into 18 groups based on similarity in appearance, habitat, or behavior, following taxonomic order only partially to make identification easier for the beginner. The entry for each bird gives its size, identifying features (including sexual and seasonal distinctions), and where and when it can be found. And each account includes a brilliant color photo of an adult of the species, with additional views of selected birds to illustrate male, female, or juvenile plumages.

The authors point out the best birding locations in the state-more than two dozen hot spots of which they have intimate knowledge-that reflect utterly different bird communities thriving only a few hours apart. They also provide a checklist for all state birds, a calendar of Kansas bird activity, and recommendations for binoculars and other field guides.

The Great Plains are America's biological melting pot, drawing creatures from surrounding regions to create a rich diversity of wildlife. Here are pronghorn in the shortgrass, rattlesnakes underfoot, and golden eagles soaring skyward. Here, too, pockets of bison can still be found, recalling yesterday's thundering herds.

In this spectacular book, Bob Gress--one of the region's preeminent photographers--is joined by the distinguished naturalist Paul Johnsgard to illuminate the enormous variety and uniqueness of prairie wildlife. Gress has selected--from the nearly 600 non-fish vertebrate species found in the Plains--150 of the most interesting, charismatic, and important species, while Johnsgard provides a lyrical text covering the ecology, behavior, and life histories of these creatures. The result is a vivid and striking marriage of image and text.

From meadowlark to prairie dog, here are many creatures one would expect to encounter in the field: characteristic breeding birds, typical mammals, and conspicuous reptiles and amphibians. Grouped by habitat--tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairie, plus sandhills, shrubsteppes, forests, and wetlands--these stunning images also bring you face-to-face with the short-eared owl, black-footed ferret, and six-lined racerunner, as well as other fascinating but overlooked animals on the prairie like the olive-backed pocket mouse, Henslow's sparrow, narrowmouth toad, and barred tiger salamander.

An unprecedented partnership between two great observers of the region, "Faces of the Great Plains" provides keen insights into and thoughtful reflections on both prairie wildlife and the art of nature photography. Especially in the wake of increasing threats to the prairie's habitats, it should foster a new appreciation of the region's abundant fauna, inviting us all to see the land through new eyes and to join in the preservation of these natural treasures.