A Fragile Beauty is a joyful summing up, in words and photographs, of John Nichols' life in New Mexico, and his writings since 1969. The book is a rich tapestry of his artistic, spiritual, and political evolution in a lovely by fragile land. Using excerpts from his early writings, plus black-and-white new photographs and candid snapshots he took long ago, Nichols acquaints us with the living roots of his work and his persuasions. Finally, he details the baroque, whacky, and ultimately rewarding process of nursing his book, The Milagro Beanfield War, through the Hollywood maze to ultimate fruition under the directorial guidance of Robert Redford. Complementing that intriguing saga are some of the author's pictures from the filming. In addition to the introductory essay, Nichols has chosen from four of his previous books to illustrate themes that lie at the heart of his work: a strong passion for the land, and a deep concern for those who wish to protect it and who struggle for the rights of the human community. These excerpts form an essay that is quintessential Nichols, a humorous, lyrical, and occasionally angry reflection of his beliefs -- Book jacket.