Local author Don Lago is an award-winning writer, who has published more than 50 nature and astronomy essays in national magazines and literary journals and penned 11 books. For about 30 years, the Grand Canyon has fascinated this Flagstaff resident, and he has explored it physically (kayaking and backpacking) and intellectually. Lago is especially intrigued by Grand Canyon history and has asked some questions no one else has, discovering previously unknown stories from history, including those featured in the following books.

John Wesley Powell’s journey down the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon continues to be one of the most celebrated adventures in American history. The Powell Expedition: New Discoveries about John Wesley Powell’s 1869 River Journey offers new and important information about this historic exploration. For nearly 20 years, Lago researched the Powell expedition from new angles, traveled to 13 states, and looked into archives and other sources no one else has searched. His groundbreaking research changes and expands our basic understanding of the expedition by looking into Powell’s crew members—significantly rewriting the story of this famous voyage.

Many vivid characters have shaped the Grand Canyon’s past. Its largest story is one of cultural history and changing American visions of the land. Grand Canyon: A History of a Natural Wonder and National Park is a mixture of great storytelling, unlikely characters, and important ideas. It has become the standard history of the canyon and park.

The landscapes of the American Southwest—including the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the Sedona red rocks—have long filled humans with wonder about nature. In Where the Sky Touched the Earth: The Cosmological Landscapes of the Southwest, Lago explores how these have offered humans a deeper sense of connection with the universe. Through ageless Native American ceremonies, modern telescopes, and even dreams of flying saucers, this poet and philosopher of science strives to find order and meaning in the world and brings out the Southwest’s beauty and mystery.

Canyon of Dreams: Stories from Grand Canyon History is an eclectic compilation of stories that run the gamut from the idiosyncratic to the landmark, the mythical to the empirical, and everything in between. With captivating narratives this book sheds light on many obscure aspects of the canyon and takes readers on rollicking adventures in the process.

Thursday, March 15, from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm, Northern Arizona University Bookstore will feature Don Lago and these four titles in their “Grand Canyon Author Event.” Just in time for Spring Break, this book-signing will be of interest to both the casual and the scholarly reader who is intrigued by the history, geology and astronomy of Northern Arizona. A short walk from downtown Flagstaff, NAU Bookstore is located at 1015 S. San Francisco (Building #35 on NAU maps). Parking is available in the garage just south of the bookstore. Route 10 of NAIPTA’s Mountain Line Bus Service also stops right in front of the Beaver Street entrance of the store.