House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest

The greatest 'unsolved mystery' of the American Southwest relates to the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the 11th century converged on Chaco Canyon (now New Mexico) and built a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. The Anasazis' accomplishments - in agriculture, in art, in commerce, in architecture and engineering - were astounding, rivaling those of the Mayans in distant Central America. By the 13th century, however, the Anasazi were gone from Chaco. Vanished. What was it - drought pestilence war forced migration mass murder or suicide Craig Childs draws on scholarly research and a lifetime of adventure and exploration in the American Southwest, to pursue the mystery of their disappearance. Considering many possibilities - drought, suicide - he points the way to a new understanding of how a vibrant civilization collapsed.HOUSE OF RAIN is a landmark work in the literature of ancient Native American culture, a key to a fascinating and mysterious lost civilization.

“'And adventure story, a history, and a cultural analysis all wrapped in exceptional writing.' - Pete Warzel, Rocky Mountain News'Craig Childs succees in translating a good hunk of Southwestern archaeology while providing us with the kind of inductive visceral experience he does better than any other naturalist.' - Katharine Niles, Denver Post'Childs excites the imagination and creates a haunting portrait of a people and a way of life that will last long after the reading is finished.' - Clay Reynolds, Dallas Morning News”

'And adventure story, a history, and a cultural analysis all wrapped in exceptional writing.' - Pete Warzel, Rocky Mountain News 'Craig Childs succees in translating a good hunk of Southwestern archaeology while providing us with the kind of inductive visceral experience he does better than any other naturalist.' - Katharine Niles, Denver Post 'Childs excites the imagination and creates a haunting portrait of a people and a way of life that will last long after the reading is finished.' - Clay Reynolds, Dallas Morning News

Craig Childs is also a river guide, a field instructor in natural history, an adventurer, and a writer. He camps in the wilds of the American West several months of the year, usually living in the back of his truck, out of a river vessel, or from his backpack.

Previous Books:

The Animal Dialogues, House of Rain, The Way Out , Secret Knowledge of Water

The greatest 'unsolved mystery' of the American Southwest relates to the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the 11th century converged on Chaco Canyon (now New Mexico) and built a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. The Anasazis' accomplishments - in agriculture, in art, in commerce, in architecture and engineering - were astounding, rivaling those of the Mayans in distant Central America. By the 13th century, however, the Anasazi were gone from Chaco. Vanished. What was it - drought pestilence war forced migration mass murder or suicide Craig Childs draws on scholarly research and a lifetime of adventure and exploration in the American Southwest, to pursue the mystery of their disappearance. Considering many possibilities - drought, suicide - he points the way to a new understanding of how a vibrant civilization collapsed.HOUSE OF RAIN is a landmark work in the literature of ancient Native American culture, a key to a fascinating and mysterious lost civilization.

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