Books published by publisher Mountain Press

If you’re hankering to explore the use of handplanes in woodworking, this succinct but detailed guide will get you started and take you far along your way. Designed especially for the newer handplane user, it describes handplanes and planing methods from the ground up in thorough, easy-to-follow language. Richly illustrated with over 90 color photographs and drawings, Choosing and Using Handplanes answers the questions beginning and intermediate handplane users have about this exciting but sometimes confusing mode of woodworking. In this book, you’ll learn about • The types and uses of different planes • How to set up handplanes for use • Sharpening blades • Planing techniques • Work-holding methods • Buying and restoring old planes • Caring for your planes • Diagnosing and fixing planing problems Foreword by Charles Neil, Furniture Craftsman and Woodworking Instructor

Return to the turbulence of ancient Canaan in Book Three of The Stones of Gilgal. Even the raging floods of the Jordan could not stop the Israelites from crossing the river and setting up camp near Jericho. Canaanite kings and kingdoms--even the Anakim giants--are in turmoil. Former enemies jostle for power in new alliances, united only intheir determination to destroy the Israelite invaders.When the massive fortifications of Jericho collapse, Salmon rushes into the ruins to save Rahab, the beautiful harlot who had rescued him and his fellow spy from certain death. But saving her from her own city is not so easy. And that is only the beginning of the trouble, treachery and devastating ruins they and their friends face as they settle into their new life in the Promised Land.

The sun has set; the sky is dark.Bright stars shine in the night.It’s time to rest, to dream sweet dreams,then wake with morning’s light.The animals will slumber, too.Some near, some far away.How will they settle down to sleep?Each has a special way.Fourteen animals, including the cuddly koala, the hairy anteater, and the wise owl, are featured in this lyrical bedtime story about the unusual ways that animals sleep. Natural history notes explain how each animal sleeps, from the magnificent frigatebird, which naps while flying hundreds of feet above the sea, to the walrus, which sleeps with its tusks anchored in floating ice. Whimsical watercolors of dozing animals will help any weary child fall to sleep with a smile.

Before it became a national park, the Big Bend was home to a number of ranches and mining operations. On the Wilson ranch, which stood at the center of the current park, Patricia Wilson Clothier spent her youth exploring the wonders of ranch life in the Chisos. Patricia´s richly detailed memories, coupled with a backdrop of Depression era hardships, bring the Big Bend to life in this original and vivid description of a childhood spent Beneath the Window.Big Bend has been a National Park since the mid 1940´s. Thus it is preserved for visitors to enjoy, however almost all signs of earlier ranches and homes have disappeared. It is difficult today to imagine crops growing, peach trees bearing fruit and fenced pastures and shearing sheds. The Wilson ranch alone had some 40 miles of fence with careful attention paid to preserving water sources and using them carefully. Being a stone´s throw from the Rio Grande made Mexico and its people close and friendly neighbors to the American community in Big Bend. If you ever have a chance to visit Big Bend National Park, this memoir is a must."

From the mysterious "Angel of Goliad" to the influential Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, the eleven women portrayed in this engaging book were indeed bold--breaking down barriers of sexism, racism, and political opposition to emerge as heroines of their time. The second in a new state-by-state series for teen readers, Bold Women in Texas History revewals the feminine side of the Lone Star State's storied past. Within these pages are tales of fearless femmes who dared to dream and resolved to take action. Among them we meet Mollie Kirkland Bailey, circus owner and mother of nine, who served in the Civil War as both a nurse and a spy; "Brave Bessie" Coleman, who traveled to France to get the pilot's license that, because of her sex and her race, she was not allowed to earn in her home country; and Mildred "Babe" Zaharias, one of the greatest female athletes of all time.Perfect for school or home, this collection of short but informative biographies is both a valuable resource and an entertaining read. For readers young and old, Bold Women in Texas History proves what women can accomplish when they dare to be bold.

A merciful pirate. A cyborg with divided loyalties. Bounty hunters out for blood. All Krys wants is to capture enough bounties to keep her belly filled and move up in rank, but when she and her dad catch a pirate, the pirate’s crewmates retaliate. The attack kills Krys’s dad and burns away half her face and limbs.When her relatives set out to avenge their fallen brother, Krys must choose between forgiveness and revenge, the law and the outlaws. No matter what she chooses, it will either be betraying her friends or betraying her family.

A town put to the sword. The young forcibly recruited. An old man out for revenge.After his town is put to the sword and the children are taken to replace the fallen, an old man is out for revenge. He’s ready to fail at the most difficult challenge in the world: cultivation.Too corrupted to even take the first steps, the sly old elder simply agreed with those who told him that it was impossible. Then he quietly ignored them, rubbed his hands together, and started anyway. He had always failed in what he did: he lost his way from the academy, his command was devastated by a Mage, he lost his town, and now his last hopes for the future had been stolen by a group of raiders. The only thing that had never failed him was his sharp mind and philosophy. He would cultivate... no matter what it cost him.A lifetime of failure can dull and dampen a soul. A reason to live, a goal, can change that in an instant. It is always darkest just before the dawn.

An end of the world. The start of a new one. A thousand places to be.Artorian has survived his encounter at the Ziggurat, but at a sharp cost. However, the powers in the world are moving and there is no time to rest. Even if Artorian doesn’t realize his part in it, the next stage of the great plan is set in motion.In a place of mountains and dales, the old scholar must seek new information in order to puzzle out the last pieces and gather victory with his own two hands. For his loved ones, his humanity may need to be left behind. Yet, becoming something else is a small price to pay for an old man on a mission. Life comes at a price, but success comes with Ascension.War and Moonfall loom on the horizon. It matters little. Artorian will build his arsenal.

The cheetah may be the fastest land mammal, but is it the fastest animal of all? Or does the award go to a soaring bird, slithering snake, or sailing fish? The fourteen animals presented in Who’s Faster? span a range of speeds, from the slow crawl of a sloth to the breakneck blur of the fastest animal in the world. With lyrical text, author Eileen Meyer describes each animal’s unique movement and then asks readers, “Who’s faster?” Kids won’t be able to stop turning the pages until they find out who’s fastest. Beautiful watercolors by award-winning illustrator Constance Bergum capture each animal’s graceful movement and include intricate details of hooves, whiskers, fins, and feathers. An appendix provides more information about each animal.

The vaunted power of the Mage’s College. Unbounded freedom among the Wolfmen. The best of both worlds.Recent college grad Sam King was hoping for a backpacking trip across Europe as a graduation present. Instead he’s going to get a different kind of trip: a three-month stint in the ultimate immersive gaming experience. As a lifelong geek, gamer, and outsider, it’s a better gift then he’d ever dreamed.But when he jumps feetfirst into the world of Eternium, run by CAL, the Certified Altruistic Lexicon, it’s not exactly what he expected. All he wants is to quest, game, grind some levels, and get his hands on awesome loot. You know, have fun! But the Mage’s College seems to have a very different definition of fun, one involving study, blisteringly strict regulations, aristocratic hierarchy, and tons of pay to play.Sam crosses the College and finds himself running for his life with a back-talking book that is far more than it seems and a class that no one has even heard of. If he can navigate the deadly College politics and the looming war with the barbaric Wolfmen, he might just find the fun and adventure he was looking for.

Visions of the war to come. Alliances on the open water. Sink or swim.Zeke and the team are one step closer to their goals of defeating War’s generals and freeing Brindolla for good. Storm Company’s return from the Great Below was harrowing, nearly as bad as the time they had to spend there.Though they bear the scars of their journey, it’s finally time to sniff out War’s Generals wherever they might hide—including across the ocean in the mysterious continent of beasts.Plots thicken like the clouds over the water, and the group begins to realize the currents and intrigue they will have to navigate successfully if they want to survive sailing Into the Storm.

Don’t wait for a trip to the thermal pools of Iceland or the black beaches of Hawaii to discover what’s so hot about volcanoes. Warm up with a copy of What’s So Hot About Volcanoes. Lively discussions introduce readers of all ages to the creative power of volcanoes, explaining the reasons behind where they form, what they look like, and when they explode. Think of a volcano as the safety valve on a pressure cooker, author Wendell Duffield tells readers. The inside of Earth reaches a blistering 9,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and volcanoes simply release some of that pent-up heat from time to time. Some volcanoes erupt so gently that observers can stand nearby while others erupt so violently that they destroy themselves, as well as everything within reach of their hot gases, lava, and ash. Sections explore the challenges of predicting eruptions, what happens when magma mixes with water, and how people are using volcanic heat for energy. An appendix lists all the volcanoes in the United States that are still young enough to look like volcanoes.