BLURB Hero

Dennis Slifer

Five of Dennis Slifer's books on Southwest rock art are listed on Amazon.  The most familiar to me is Signs of Life: Rock Art of the Upper Rio Grande. I think I acquired the book soon after it was published in 1998, and it has served as an indispensable guide to my own explorations of the subject since that time.  Slifer was a geologist working with the New Mexico Environment Department when he produced the book.  His scientific background coupled with unflagging enthusiasm gives his rock art work an unmatched quality of authority as well as a high level of artistry thanks to his talents for writing, drawing and photography.

I discovered only recently that since retiring in 2007 Slifer has self-published thirteen books using BLURB.  As Slifer says:

... With the advent of self-publishing software and print-on-demand books I am now empowered to produce a book about rock art for myself, free of the demands of publishers, reviewers, editors and marketing directors.

In Slifer's BLURB collection, the one that immediately caught my eye was Art on the Rocks: The Best of the Quest.  The book is 224 pages in length and features photographs of the author's favorite rock art sites made over a period of thirty years.  Given the length and quality of the book the hardcover price of $87.99 is unsurprising, if a bit daunting.  Slifer's on line preview of the book on BLURB generously displays all the photos.  With the selection of the full-screen option the preview text is a bit small for comfort, but still readable.