Colorado Book Review at Denver Public Library

Begun in 2009, what was originally established by Colorado historian Dr. Thomas J. Noel as the Center for Colorado Studies promotes research into Colorado through scholarly book reviews, resource guides, and by compiling lists of recent Colorado research. In 2021 this became the Colorado Book Review at Denver Public Library. Tom Noel, now retired, was a University of Colorado-Denver history professor and Colorado State Historian, and is a widely published author, and is often referred to as "Dr. Colorado."

Colorado Book Review

The Colorado Book Review provides more than 270 reviews offering insights on books about Colorado, often providing the only critical reviews available. This digital resource is constantly growing with the regular addition of new reviews. Send books for review or suggestions to Tom Noel (Tom.Noel@ucdenver.edu).

• Latest book reviews

New Publications List

Updated regularly several times per year, this list of primarily non-fiction books on Colorado lets you know what people are writing about the Centennial State. If you know of a book that should be on this list but isn't, please let us know! We'd love to hear about it. Send books to Tom Noel (Tom.Noel@ucdenver.edu).

Resource Guides

Covering topics pivotal to Colorado history, these in-depth research guides provide an introduction and research gateway into deeper scholarly research. They are provided here as digital resources, available for downloading or reading online.

• Colorado Native American Studies Resource Guide / by Pam Milavec (2010, 40 pages). Available in digital format (PDF) and in print.
• Colorado Mining History Resource Guide / by Dana EchoHawk (2013, 96 pages). Available in digital format (PDF) and in print.
• Hispanic Colorado Resource Guide / by Dana EchoHawk (2011, 58 pages). Available in digital format (PDF) and in print.

Special Publications

The Center aims to contribute to Colorado studies with print publications such as:

• Noel, Thomas J. and Gail M. Beaton. The Woman's Bank: a Denver Success Story. Denver, Colorado : Colorado Studies Center, University of Colorado-Denver, 2020. 67 pages, with black-and-white and color illustrations. Includes index.
• Noel, Thomas J., with Shelby Carr. Charles Davis Vail: the Highway Engineer Who Transformed Colorado Roads. Denver, Colorado : Colorado Studies Center, University of Colorado-Denver, 2019. 94 pages, black-and-white and color illustrations. Includes index.
• Leavitt, Craig W. and Thomas J. Noel. Herndon Davis: Painting Colorado History, 1901-1962. Boulder: University Press of Colorado & Center for Colorado & The West, 2016. xvi + 280p. index, endnotes, bibliography, 200 black & white & color images, 9 x 12” $34.95.
• Thomas J. Noel, Jane C. Harper & Craig W. Leavitt. Colorado Newspapers: A History & Inventory, 1859-2000. Denver: Colorado Press Association Foundation & Center for Colorado & The West, 2014. xv + 432 p. bibliography, appendices, photos, drawings. paperback $49.95.
• Noel, Thomas J., Craig W. Leavitt with Diane B. Wunnicke. A History of the Hilltop Heritage Conservation Overlay District in Denver Colorado.  Denver: Center for Colorado & The West, 2013. 92 p. index. endnotes. color & b & w photos. maps. paperback. $5.00.
• Sternberg, Barbara Edwards; Boone, Jennifer and Evelyn  Waldron. Anne Evans—A Pioneer in Colorado’s Cultural History: The Things That Last When Gold Is Gone.  Foreword by  Thomas J. Noel. Denver, CO: Center for Colorado & the West & Buffalo Park Press, 2011. 566 p. photos, bibliography, index. $29.95. Paperback. 6”x 9”

Founding Director

Prof. Tom Noel (retired), History Department, University of Colorado Denver, and director of CU-Denver’s Public History and Preservation Program