White is equally fascinated with the people who have moved across this spectacular stage and those who inhabit it now. Trained as an anthropologist and archaeologist, as well as in literature, he traces the Indian history of the region from the Anasazi-Pueblo peoples, to Geronimo, Mangas Colorados, and Cochise, "the horse Indians with their fierce, Faustian view of the world," to today's Navajo silversmiths. Following stage coach lines and railroads, Spanish conquests and cattle drives, he leads us through the domain of gunmen like Billy the Kid and "good guys" like Kit Carson, through the world of Hispanics and Anglos, through the literature that portrays the regional drama. With him, we experience repeatedly and delightedly the "small peculiar thrill" of discovery.