Treat yourself. Look through the best book of Oregon scenic photos you may ever see, “Oregon: Preserving the Spirit and Beauty of Our Land” (Voyageur Press, 144 pages, hard cover, $35).

Photographers Terry Donnelly and Mary Liz Austin shot early in the morning and late in the afternoon to capture gorgeous views of Hells Canyon, Zumwalt Frame, Leslie Gulch, Steens Mountain, Painted Hills – and dozens more.

Writer Tim Palmer knows Oregon, it’s easy to tell. He lives in Port Orford and travels widely. He has published a dozen books about the American landscape and its rivers, including “The Columbia,” for which he recevied national honors.

But the photographs in this book are what make it memorable – my favorite is a shot of the spectacular east rim of Steens Mountain.

In a sparkling foreword, essayist and poet John Daniel says, “… from bear grass to rabbit brush, sword ferns to sage, there’s a wild place shown here for every spirit, for every mood that wants out of town.”

But – a great big, capital letters BUT – ” this book and others that glorify natural, scenic Oregon overlook the problems faced by those trying to create a livelihood in this natural splendor. It’s as if the only purpose for scenic Oregon is the enjoyment of those who live in the crowded parts of the state.” That aside, this is a great book and one to enjoy over and over.

Notable books

Mushrooms

For expert advice and intriguing detail turn to the colorful pages of “Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the World” (Timber Press, 372 pages, hard cover, $39.95).

Scientists and teachers lan Hall, Steve Stephenson, Peter Buchanan, Wang Yun, and Tony Cole collaborated to create a comprehensive and accessible reference work.

Excellent color photos, detailed descriptions and simple keys enable the reader to identify many common and important mushrooms. They include vital rules to follow when mushroom hunting to avoid the poisonous or just disagreeable species.

This book is no substitute for one of the good mushroom guidebooks. But it’s an excellent partner to a guidebook. The world-wide presentation includes a glossary, a chapter on cultivation of commercial mushrooms and a list of Chinese names of mushrooms.

Frontier horror

For six months during the winter of 1872-73, some 50 Modoc warriors and their families fought 1,200 U.S. Army troops to a standstill. Read about it in “The Soldiers’ Side of the Modoc War” (Bear Creek Press, 80 pages, soft cover, $9.95).

These “eyewitness accounts of America’s ‘most costly war’ ” were first published almost a century ago, says Bear Creek publisher Mark Highberger, Wallowa.

The battles waged along the Oregon-California border created a frontier horror that shattered lives and ruined careeers.