We are delighted to announce the imminent publication of Si las paredes hablaran: Edificios históricos de Chapala y sus antiguos ocupantes, a Spanish translation of If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants. Si las paredes hablaran is being published in September 2022, and will then be available via Amazon as either […]
We are delighted to announce the publication of Lake Chapala: a postcard history. What was life at Lake Chapala like at the start of the twentieth century? Why and how did some villages on its shores become premier international tourist and retirement destinations? This ground-breaking visual history of Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest natural lake, answers […]
Latest releases – most titles have print and e-book editions: Lake Chapala: a postcard history (2022) Foreign Footprints in Ajijic, decades of change in a Mexican village (2022) If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants (2020) According to Soledad: memories of a Mexican childhood (2020) New Worlds for the Deaf: the […]
We are delighted to announce the publication of Foreign Footprints in Ajijic: Decades of Change in a Mexican Village. In the 1940s, Ajijic, on the shores of Lake Chapala, was a small, remote, parochial village of farmers and fishermen. Today, Ajijic is a vibrant community, home to one of the largest US retirement communities outside […]
The 42 chapters of If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s Historic Buildings and Their Former Occupants are arranged in three parts: PART A: The town center Parish church of San Francisco Stagecoaches and 1907 traffic congestion Gran Hotel Chapala (Posada Dona Trini) Villa Ana Victoria The Widow’s Bar Casa Barragán (the Witter Bynner house) Plazas, old […]
The 49 chapters of Foreign Footprints in Ajijic: Decades of Change in a Mexican Village are arranged in five parts: Part A. Pre-1940: Adventurers Ajijic before 1940 German land-grabber Ajijic gold rush Zara “La Rusa” Zara’s gold mine Austrian lakefront orchard Part B. 1940s: Trailblazers Ajijic in the 1940s Rustic German inn English squire’s famous […]
We are delighted to announce the publication of If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants Lake Chapala played an important role in the history of tourism in North America and has grown into one of the world’s premier retirement destinations. Yet, the details of how and why this transformation occurred have […]
We are delighted to announce the publication of According to Soledad: memories of a Mexican childhood, a creative non-fiction work by Katie Goodridge Ingram. Click here to purchase your copy via Amazon. Advance readers have described this book as a literary equivalent of the award-winning movie Roma (2018), written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. However, […]
We are delighted to announce the publication of another fine non-fiction work about Mexico: New Worlds for the Deaf: the story of the pioneering Lakeside School for the Deaf in rural Mexico, by Gwen Chan Burton. Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via links on our site may, at no cost to you, earn us […]
Sombrero Book is pleased to announce that the 4th (2013) edition of “Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury” is now available (Kindle and Kobo editions). In “Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury”, author Tony Burton reveals the magic of Western Mexico. Relaxed and intimate, this easy-to-read yet authoritative account features 37 original drawings by Canadian artist Mark […]
Mexican Kaleidoscope: myths, mysteries and mystique, by Tony Burton, with thirty original pen and ink illustrations by Enrique Velázquez, is available in both print and e-book editions from all major online retailers (prices in US$): Print edition on Amazon.com – $19.99 E-book edition for Kindle – $7.42 Copies of the print edition are also available […]
Sombrero Books is delighted to announce the release of the print edition of Dilemma, a novel by Jan Dunlap. Available world-wide via Amazon, the 190-page print edition costs US$14.99. Order your copies today to ensure receiving them in plenty of time for Christmas and the Holiday Season! Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via links […]
We are excited to announce that we have moved the “Lake Chapala artists and authors” project to its own dedicated website. This will allow us to modernize the look and functionality of the site and better serve our many readers. All existing profiles of artists and authors, comments and other information, are already on the […]
The much-lauded “Lake Chapala Through the Ages: an anthology of travellers’ tales” is available as a regular print book, and in a Kindle edition. The book was chosen by Ellaine Halleck for the Guadalajara Reporter newspaper in 2013 as one of the 15 best books about Mexican history. Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via […]
These extracts come from Dale Hoyt Palfrey’s review of the latest (4th) edition of “Western Mexico, a Traveler’s Treasury” for The Guadalajara Reporter, 18 April 2014. Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via links on our site may, at no cost to you, earn us an affiliate commission. Learn more. “Whether you’re an intrepid on-the-road adventurer […]
In the twenty years since its first publication, “Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury” has become a classic. The latest edition is easily the best ever! Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via links on our site may, at no cost to you, earn us an affiliate commission. Learn more. Award-winning travel writer Tony Burton reveals […]
These are the definitive street plans of the major villages on Lake Chapala including Chapala, Ajijic and Jocotepec, and their subdivisions, together with touring maps of the north and south shore, and a detailed regional map showing highways, tourist information and villages within day-trip range of Guadalajara and Chapala. Sorry: we have sold out of […]
Sombrero Books is pleased to announce that Jan Dunlap’s debut novel – Dilemma – is now available for Kindle readers at the very attractive price of US$2.90. The regular print version (real books are nice!) will be published early next month, well in time for those Christmas gifts! Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via […]
Canada celebrates its 150th birthday this year. In honor of Canada Day, here is a list of those Canadian artists and authors who have connections to Lake Chapala and who have already been profiled on this blog. Enjoy! Henry Sandham (1842-1910), a well-known Canadian illustrator of the time, illustrated Charles Embree‘s historical novel, A Dream […]
This review, by Dale Palfrey, of “Mexican Kaleidoscope: myths, mysteries and mystique” appeared in the 24 November 2016 edition of the Guadalajara Reporter: New tome uncovers obscure details about amazing Mexico Sombrero Books is reader-supported. Purchases made via links on our site may, at no cost to you, earn us an affiliate commission. Learn more. […]