Richard Mahler

Richard Mahler
Writer, Editor, Stress Reduction Teacher, and Media Consultant


about richard

Whats New

books

articles

radio & audio

consulting

teaching

more on mahler

other stuff

contact


  Books by Richard Mahler

 
cover of jaguars shadow
Purchase The Jaguar's Shadow: Searching for a Mythic Cat

When nature writer Mahler discovers that wild jaguars are prowling a remote corner of New Mexico, he embarks on a determined quest to see in the flesh a big, beautiful cat that is the stuff of legend, yet verifiably real. His passion sets in motion a years-long adventure through trackless deserts, steamy jungles, and malarial swamps, as well as a confounding immersion in centuries-old debates over how we should properly regard these powerful predators: as varmints or as icons, trophies or gods? He is drawn from border badlands south to Panamanian rain forests along a route where the fate of nearly all wildlife now rests in human hands. Mahler's odyssey introduces him to unrepentant poachers, pragmatic ranchers, midnight drug-runners, ardent conservationists, trance-induced shamans, hopeful biologists, stodgy bureaucrats, academic philosophers, macho hunters, and gentle Maya villagers. Along the way, he is forced to reconsider the true meaning of his search預nd the enduring symbolism of the jaguar.

Read more about The Jaguar's Shadow

 
insiders guide: santa fe
Purchase Earth Notes: Exploring the Southwest's Canyon Country from the Airwaves

Earth Notes is a compilation of favorite essays heard on the popular public radio show of the same name. Richard has eight pieces in this 2005 book, including writings about aspen trees, Navajo hogans, and Hopi salt mines. Edited by award-winning nature writer Peter Friederici, this collection captures the diversity of cultures and landscapes found on the Colorado River plateau, the meeting point of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. The book is published by the Grand Canyon Association and illustrated by Diane Iverson, with a foreword by Gary Paul Nabhan of NAU's Center for Sustainable Environments.

Read more about Earth Notes.

 
hidden picture perfect escapes: palm springs
Purchase Hidden Picture-Perfect Escapes: Palm Springs

The sun-drenched Coachella Valley is Southern California's most popular winter travel destination, offering attractions and activities for visitors of all ages, interests, budgets, and backgrounds. Here is an insider's guide to the entire region, including separate chapters on Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and neighboring communities as well as Palm Springs. Learn about hotels, restaurants, spas, shopping, casinos, family attractions, museums, golf courses, tennis courts, hiking trails, architecture, festivals, and more.

Read more about Hidden Picture-Perfect Escapes: Palm Springs.

 
santa fe memories
Purchase Santa Fe Memories

Published in 2002, Santa Fe Memories is a collection of signature recipes from 19 of the Santa Fe area's finest (and most enjoyable) restaurants, including Coyote Cafe, Casa Sena, The Shed, Rancho de Chimayo, SantaCafé, The Old House, Mine Shaft Tavern, Gabriel's, and Guadalupe Cafe. Beautifully illustrated by acclaimed painter Betty Carlson, this is a perfect gift for lovers of Southwest cuisine. Look for a companion book, San Francisco Memories, in late 2008, with 17 recipes from top San Francisco restaurants.

Read more about Santa Fe Memories.

 
insiders guide: santa fe
Purchase Insider's Guide: Santa Fe

Insiders' Guide: Santa Fe is available in a lavishly illustrated and fully updated (2005) fourth edition of this comprehensive, 458-page guide to The City Different. Co-authored with award-winning writer Nicky Leach, an area resident for many years, this is widely considered to be the most comprehensive Santa Fe guidebooks on the market. It's equally suitable for a weekend visitor or anyone considering relocation to the area as a permanent resident. As a bonus, a number of Richard's photos illustrate the text.

Read more about Insiders' Guide: Santa Fe.

 
secrets of becoming a late bloomer
Purchase Secrets of Becoming a Late Bloomer

Richard, a long-time National Public Radio contributor, collaborated with Connie Goldman, former co-anchor of NPR's All Things Considered, in creating a print version of her popular radio series about "extraordinary ordinary" people who happen to be over age 70. This is the updated third edition, with new material, published in September 2007 by Fairview Press. Although the book is targeted toward an older readership, it's also been enjoyed by many younger persons who would like some inspiration and ideas about how to make the best of their later years.

Read more about Secrets of Becoming a Late Bloomer.

 
stillness
Purchase Stillness

In Stillness: Daily Gifts of Silence and Solitude, Richard combines entries from a journal he kept during a 97-day personal retreat in the New Mexico wilderness with intriguing research and specific practical advice about ways to incorporate stillness into everday life, which include nature walks, yoga, and meditation. The book has been widely praised for its exploration of a rarely-discussed phenomenon of modern life: the disappearance of deep silence and time for self-reflection.

Read more about Stillness.

 
tending the earth, mending the spirit
Purchase Tending the Earth, Mending the Spirit

Another collaboration with Connie Goldman, this book is full of heartwarming stories, revealing interviews, and surprising facts that reinforce the theme of it title; Tending the Earth, Mending the Spirit: The Healing Gifts of Gardening. Special emphasis is given to the therapeutic aspects of gardening for individuals, groups, and neighborhoods. For the gardener in your heart (or on your shopping list). This revised second edition, with a larger format and type font, was published in fall 2006 by Nolin Press.

Read more about Tending the Earth, Mending the Spirit.

 
belize: adventures in nature
Purchase Belize: Adventures in Nature

Richard wrote five editions of the best-selling Belize: Adventures in Nature, which won praise for its emphasis on natural history, Maya culture, and outdoor adventure. Last updated in 1999, this guide is still extremely useful and has much website information, nature lore, and background on Maya ruins that remains current.

Read more about Belize: Adventures in Nature.

 
guatemala: adventures in nature
Purchase Guatemala: Adventures in Nature

Since 1993, Guatemala: Adventures in Nature has appeared in four editions, each more extensive in coverage than the last. Like the above-mentioned Belize guide, this popular 1999 handbook to the Maya heartland is lavishly illustrated with gorgeous photos and detailed maps. Emphasis is given to indigenous peoples (past and present) as well as natural history and outdoor adventure.

Read more about Guatemala: Adventures in Nature

 
new mexico's best
Purchase New Mexico's Best

Winner (among 60 competitors) of the American Travel Writers Foundation's Silver Medallion Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism award for best travel guide of 1997, New Mexico's Best contains hundreds of entertaining entries on exactly what New Mexicans themselves consider to be their state's "best", including hotels, parks, and restaurants. Dated, but largely accurate and eminently useful. Included are contributions written by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as well as local writers Rudolfo Anaya and Jim Sagel

Read more about New Mexico's Best.

 
plane truth
Purchase Plane Truth

Co-author Riki Stevens was a long-time flight attendant and attendants' union organizer who blew the whistle on passenger airline safety. The disturbing exposé she wrote with Richard will interest anyone who flies. The text includes a specific list of positive actions any of us can take to make our flying experience healthier and safer.

Read more about Plane Truth.