D.H. Lawrence summed up the Southwest's effect on him in 1928: "In the magnificent fierce morning of New Mexico, one sprang awake, a new part of the soul woke up suddenly and the old world gave way to the new." Arthur J. Bachrach's book D.H. Lawrence in New Mexico: "The Time is Different There" seeks to illuminate Lawrence's fascination with and love for the Land of Enchantment. A resident of Taos, the site of Lawrence's New Mexico home, Bachrach bases much of his information on the recollections of locals who remember D.H. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda. He enhances the book with reproductions of letters from Mabel Dodge Luhan, the Lawrences' host for most of the time they spent in New Mexico, as well as photographs from private collections that depict, among other things, the various cabins in which the Lawrences stayed during their three separate sojourns to Taos.

Like Eliot Fay, who recounted Lawrence's travels during the last ten years of his life in the 1955 book Lorenzo in Search of the Sun, Bachrach refers to the three periods in which the Lawrences visited New Mexico as Taos I, Taos II, and Taos III, and he organizes the book around these periods. Bachrach begins with a brief synopsis of Lawrence's early years, setting the stage for his desire to leave Europe and Mabel Dodge's invitation to visit her in New Mexico. Taos I lasted from September 1922 to March 1923, and Bachrach notes that Lawrence arrived on the 10th, the day before his birthday; he adds that "Mabel took an instant dislike to Frieda" (12), although this dislike soon turned into a "friendly relationship" (14). Bachrach's recounting of Taos I includes several episodes: the story of the Bursum Bill, which sought to remove the Pueblos' rights to their land, a law that Lawrence helped to fight; his attempt -- foiled by Frieda's jealousy -- to collaborate with Mabel on the story of her life; and the couple's eventual relocation to a cabin on another ranch owned by Alfred Decker Hawk.

Taos II, from March to October 1924, represents "the most productive writing period of all Lawrence's visits" (41); Bachrach devotes two chapters to the era, concentrating first on the ranch that Mabel deeded to the couple. He notes that the ranch is currently on the National Register of Historic Places and may be visited by the public. However, for those who are unable to make the trip, he offers a detailed description of the site, along with photographs and anecdotes. He also offers concise summaries of some of the works Lawrence created during Taos II: "The Princess," "The Woman Who Rode Away," and St. Mawr.

Bachrach gives us very little information about the Taos III period, from April to September 1925 that included Lawrence's last trip to New Mexico before his death in 1930. One notable inclusion in this chapter is a charming letter to Frieda Lawrence from a young Tennessee Williams. The 1939 letter seeks Frieda's cooperation for a play Williams intended to write about Lawrence's life. Although Williams began writing the play, I Rise in Flame, Cried the Phoenix, soon after he wrote the letter, it was not produced for the stage until 1959. Bachrach ends his book with a discussion of the paintings Lawrence created while in Taos and their fate after Lawrence's demise.

D.H. Lawrence in New Mexico is a brief and enjoyable read. Although somewhat sketchy on background information, it provides many colorful details, such as the location of the site for Lawrence's collaboration with Mabel, the flat roof of her house that also served as a nude sunbathing area. A generous sprinkling of photographs embellishes the book nicely. Because Bachrach's narrative tends to be rather episodic in nature, there were often stories for which I would have liked more elaboration. The book is quite short: only 105 pages excluding notes and appendices. Certainly there was room for some fleshing out of the anecdotes, which, in and of themselves, are quite intriguing. Bachrach's book will be of interest to casual fans of Lawrence as well as those serious scholars who read everything they can about the author. Those who share Lawrence's affection for the Southwest will appreciate this story of an English writer who fell in love with New Mexico.