California Books

This book provides great reading of descriptions of the glory, beauty, jopys and tribulations of Yosemite explorers and travelers over the years. It is must reading for anyone with an interest in the park.

This is a wonderful collection of early writings about Yosemite, something that surely took lots of digging through lots of old books to come up with. Here they are, arranged nicely for reading straight through, or dipping into from time to time. As a Yosemite lover, I'm always amazed at how little things have changed in the park since those times when described by the first visitors.
Neider's collection is thoughtfully assembled to showcase the best available Yosemite literature, and she has provided a valuable service with her "Editor's Notes" that translate into modern language some of the archaic terms and references so that the reader can more easily understand this magnificent park.
Her artwork provides a useful companion to the text. This excellent anthology should be required reading for all visitors to Yosemite.

Yosemite is one of this country's most beautiful sites, and is simply awe-inspiring. This collection of musings about the great park is an impressive read. Not only do you get a collection of writing on Yosemite, you get some of history's best writer's talking about it. Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Mark Twain are just a few of the brilliant mind's talking about their love for this wonderful place. If you are lover of nature, or simply brilliant prose, do yourself a favor and pick this up

Living in the Mother Lode here in the beautiful Sierras I fell in love with this book the moment it hit my hands. Had just come from Sonora east of where I live and stopped on Jack Ass Hill and looked at Mark Twains small one room cabin. A place that I actually would have moved into as a squatter had I ever been able to.

And this book will tell you why he and so many others loved the area the moment they came here. And so many of the black and white photos that are at the top of each new chapter reminded me of the ones my late friend Ansel Adams had taken.

Even if you never come here to visit this area please read the book and get a glimpse of why we and those like Mark Twain, John Muir Teddy Roosevelt and others loved the place so much.

I am pleased with my purchase. My book arrived quickly and in as stated condition. The book contained all the information I need to plan my up coming trip. I will keep it with me on the trail as a reference to flora, fauna and trail head information.

It's nice to see Tim Hauserman come out with a guide to the Tahoe Rim Trail so soon after the trail's completion. The Tahoe Rim Trail is destined to be one of the elite distance hikes in the West, right next to the High Sierra Trail, John Muir Trail, and Skyline to the Sea Trail. Having been to the Tahoe area, and recently finished reading the guide, I am already planning a thru hike on the trail for next year.

This book has a number of excellent features. The use of Tom Harrison maps (and the expertise of Jeffrey Schaffer) in the trail description chapters give the prospective hiker far more detail than typical guidebooks do. This is especially important in planning the logistics of a 150+ mile hike. In addition, Hauserman has done an excellent job of breaking the trail down into managable day-hikes and/or overnight trips. Those who, like my wife, want to complete the trail in 2 or more summers will find his organization useful. Finally, the trail description of each segement begins with helpful notes on water sources, camping locations, etc, which will greatly assist both thru hikers and those sampling the trail on a day hike.

If the book has a problem, it is the amount of space it devotes to introducing the Tahoe area and the trail. Less than half the book is devoted to trail description. While the rest of the material made for fascinating, and sometimes funny reading (Hauserman has a great sense of humor) it does add to the weight of the book. I appreciate this in my armchair, but will undoubtably be less happy with it on the trail. Other Wilderness Press Guides to similar sized trails are more compact (and still have great maps). Despite this small criticism, the book is an excellent buy and Hauserman has done a good job summarizing what will surely be one of the premier hiking trails in the years to come.

The author clearly knows and loves the area; a good thing because The Tahoe Rim Trail is the only guide out on this recently completed trail. Both planning and take with you information are in the book. When you are ready to go, just cut out the trail descriptions to take with you. I would also buy a Tom Harrison Lake Tahoe Recreation Map. The book's maps are good, but not convenient for map and compass work.

About the review lead: I was just reading along, checking out the background information chapter, and the flora and fauna chapter, then hit the Lets All Get Along chapter. On this multiuse trail, hiker, horse and mountain bike interactions are common. The Sharing the Trail With Horses section led off with "A horse believes that everything will eat it until proved otherwise" (from Sonja Willits, TRT Newsletter). That phrase made me smile and instantly simplified the horse-hiker rules I have heard. It is now engraved in my brain. I - a non-biking hiker, appreciated the Dirt User's Hints (for bikers). The chapter was rounded out by the Inconsiderate Backcountry Blockhead rules for how to be a bad hiker.

Good information in Weather, Water and When to Go chapter. This is where the author's local knowledge is obvious. Snow is a factor for many months, Lightning for others. Some of the paragraph leads: Elevation, Which Way the Mountain Faces, Lee of the Mountains:..., The Wind..., Dehydration, Hypothermia, Avalanches.

The Users Guide chapter has info on, for example: what to take, where to fish, where to take the kids, lists the trailheads, and is addressed to horse people and mountain bikers as well as hikers.

The meat of the book is the Trail Descriptions chapter. The author has organized it so that the entire 165 trail can be completed in eight trips varying from about 15 to 30 miles each. Each trip write-up follows the same format, a Tom Harrison map of the route, paragraph(s) on Difficulty, Best Seasons (when to go), Highlights, Heads Up! (cautions - water, etc.), Tips for Mountain Bikers, Getting There, and the actual Trail Description.

The Trail descriptions are detailed - example: turns north and in .8 mile, switchbacks down... Sidetrips to interesting places off the TRT are boxed off from the normal text. Finally, Alternative Routes are discussed. I am familiar with the 50 mile part of the TRT that coincides with the Pacific Crest Trail and found those descriptions quite accurate.

After the trail description chapter is one on Other Tahoe Area Attractions where the author has brief information of some of his favorite trails in the area. Not the end of the book though. The book winds up with information on Resources, Recommended Reading, Mileage Tables, Tim's Top 5 Places...

Nice job on the book design - black and white photos, maps, white space and illustrations make the book pleasant reading compared to most trail guides.

An essential resource for anyone planning to hike the TRT.

Having just completed the Tahoe Rim Trail I must say that Tim Hauserman's book was, as many Appalachian Trail hikers say of Bryson's Into the Woods, my bible. The book was great for two reasons.

First and foremost, it is a truly comprehensive guide that allowed me to carefully plan my trip. For each segment he includes useful maps, dead-on descriptions of each segment, directions to your start and end points, difficulty assessments and tips for mountain bikers. The highlights described for each section give the reader just enough to whet one's pallet and make them go out and hike. His suggestions for side trips are a great way to plan longer more enjoyable journeys into the glorious Tahoe surroundings.

Tim's way of writing is both humorous and informative. This unique style makes his opening chapters a fun and pleasant read. In covering a wide array of topics such as trail history, flora and fauna, when to go and the not to be missed "getting horsey on the TRT" Tim gives his readers a taste of Lake Tahoe, back country culture, and crucial tips.

The books only flaw is that weighing in at 15 oz. no thru-hiker would actually want to carry it with them on the trail. However for a day hiker I recommend taking out the relevant pages, or perhaps making photocopies.

All in all I think this book is well worth it. In addition to being the perfect guidebook, it is a great read.

I bought 2 of these for gifts and 1 for myself. The drawings and photos in field guides are always too small. The pictures of flowers in this book leave no doubt about what your're looking at. Non-native (alien) species are identified. Even pine cones and insects are identified. The introduction about habitats, pollinators, soils, climate,etc. is well written. There is a discussion about cameras, lenses and film used. This is not a comprehnsive field guide, but it will help most amateur naturalists identify many common plants. I love this book and hope the authors continue their wonderful work. Last, but perhaps most importantly, this book is incredibly afforable.

An "Elegant Book of California Flora" (as stated in the preface). The book has ~135 gorgeous plates of wildflower pictures, some closeup and some landscapes. The flowers are identified with both common names as well as scientific ones. Dates and locations are shown for each photo. This book is more a photographic study than a wildflower identification book.

Picture books are great. This one is the best. For detail, color, clarity, texture, composition -- every photo is a prize winner. 5 stars!

This is a book to cherish. Larry Ulrich's large format photography brings us into a world of beauty. From the grand views to the tiny details, everything is perfection. All flowers were taken in their setting and at their best. I have the 1994 edition. Printing is one of the sharpest I have seen and colors are sumptuous.

I've just revisited this book for what must be at least the hundreth time. It is an old friend that never fails to bring new hope. Garnett goes beyond the stunning simplification of a harsh and chaotic world at the horizons into one of harmony and purpose from a loftier perspective: It allows me a better perspective on my own place in the world, and - more importantly - the world's place in my own sphere. It reminds me that it can be a place where beauty and inspiration intersect.

This book features a broad range of Garnett's highly graphical aerial photographs. While almost all are striking in pattern, form and texture, I particularly enjoyed the agricultural shots, the sanddunes, and the fractal/branching patterns. Garnett's work is so very different than almost everything else I've seen, that I felt I needed this book to round out my collection.

Garnett's work is for me the absolute essence of what the art of photography is all about. He has an incredible eye for beauty and the technique to bring it to life. The printing is top notch, and the introduction enriches the book further.

These are black and white aerial photographs only in the most literal sense. They also exist as simply exquisite patterns, textures, abstracts, but always with a second hit of pleasure when you realize what the literal subject was.

Of 50 books of photography I own, this is the most precious to me.

This book contains 73 black and white aerial landscape photographs, with a brief introduction and a list of Garnett's exhibitions and publications/photo essays. The photographs are amazing. Pure form, pattern, and texture. The scale of many images is completely deceptive - fractals 30 years before the word was invented! The introduction by Martha Sandweiss is concise and insightful. I would have liked to know more about how the pictures were made, but this information is probably available from the bibliographic references. My only criticism is that the binding on my copy is failing slightly.

I dip into this book almost daily. Priscilla's stories and images are magical and her skill with language is inspiring. I keep this book near.

This is the first book of poetry that didn't leave me feeling ill after reading it. This is true life without all the cosmetic work made to spice it up into something it isn't. Instead we get the real thing, which is more interesting. Wonderful work from a talented writer. Hope to see something else from this writer in the near future. I recommend this book for anybody interested in real poetry from the heart.

Somehow I'm under the impression that poetry books are meant to be read a poem at a time, thoughtfully relished and slowly. I read Wishbone like a bestseller paperback, page after page consumed in the subliminal drama of the heroine's life. It's the only book of poetry I've read in one sitting. I'm really pleased to have five of her poems in the Modern Wife Library so you can see for yourself why I love Priscilla Lee's poetry....

I was moved by this debut book. I loved how the images of bridges and of eyes connected the range of sections from the early familial content of the first section through the sections having to do with loves, friends, and finally the "new" family. I also liked the whole question of one's life relative to what is fated, even predicted about it: how one chooses one's life as much as one is chosen by it.

I was intrigued by the style of her long-lined poems in the section titled "Peel". I found them consistently successful, and unique to her rich and thoughtful mind. And the humor in "Burnt Offerings" simply underscored the wisdom I sense throughout the book.

I'm glad Priscilla Lee write this book, and I look forward to her other work.

I'm not sure how I even came across this book but what a wonderful find. This book illustrates the complex relationship among the farmworkers, growers, contractors, unionists, advocates, lobbyists, etc. It was extremely well written and readable, alternating between background information/statistics and first person narratives. I also liked the photographs (which were not of the same people who spoke in the book) but would have liked informative captions to go along with them. I am astounded by the enormity of this industry and the agricultural power of the USA. I would certainly pay more for my produce if it would help improve the farmworkers' situation (although the book clearly states that consumer price has little to do with these conditions). I can no longer look at fruits and vegetables the same way.

With These Hands is an excellent book that contains oral histories -- astonishing interviews -- with farmworkers, growers, labor contractors, government officials and labor union officials. These statements are interspersed with excellent but brief summaries of various issues. The full range of the complexity of farmworkers' lives is explored, from wages and benefits to the structure of the farm labor market to the international consequences of agricultural labor practices. As a lawyer for migrant farmworkers, I'm all for books about them but have been disappointed by a lot of what has been written. This book does not disappoint.

"The Poorest of the Invisible Working Poor" could be an alternate title for Daniel Rothenberg's "With These Hands." Most of us know migrant farm workers only when one of them breaks the law and get written up in the newspaper. However, just about every piece of produce we routinely select at the supermarket has passed through their hands. I particularly liked the format of Rothenberg's book, alternating factual explanation with monologues by those involved in farm labor. I appreciated the wide variety of viewpoints exposed, not just those of migrant workers, but also of contractors, farmer employers, government officials and labor organizers. Most migrant farmworkers are Hispanic, many of them in this country legally, and some are U.S. citizens from years back. Many others, out of economic desperation, risk their lives sneaking across the U.S./Mexican border to find honest work doing the most backbreaking labor, under the most inhumane living conditions, for the most miserable wages. Their sheer numbers help keep farmworker wages low, but the power of the agricultural lobby has helped maintain the dismal conditions of farm labor since the Depression. Everyone who eats should read this book. Every politician should read it twice.

Read This Book! The book With These Hands, is a very accurate depiction of migrant farmworks today. The author, Daniel Rothenberg, is an anthropologist that spent three years living among workers and getting to know the people who work in the labor camps. He compiled more than 250 interviews to try and gain insight on the numerous hardships that these people face. Many people only hear about migrant workers who get into run-ins with the law, therefore giving these people a stereotypical view of how many of these migrants actually are, and what they go through to make such horrible wages. Every aspect of these farmworkers lives are explored, from wages to the farm labor market to consequences of labor practices. This book is really a reality check to people because of how much these workers have an affect on our lives. People don't stop to think about how all of their fruit products are gathered and how the workers are treated for doing such back breaking work. This book differs from many others that have been written on this same topic because it covers all different angles of migrant farmwork for yesterday and today. A definite two thumbs up!

What is Los Angeles? The utopical golden land of new beginnings or the ruinous end of the American dream? It is both, as this anthology will show. A precious book for everyone looking for a comprehensive collection of the manifold ideas and representations Los Angeles has inspired through its history, "Writing Los Angeles" comprises two centuries of great literature. From William Faulkner to Joan Didion, from Nathanael West to James Ellroy, every great author shows a different aspect of the City of Angels: City of noir, city of apocalypse, city of pictures, city of dreams and nigthmare, "autopia", "lost world" and what else?
I found this anthology pretty useful and inspiring. Though not all voices are heard with the same intensity, it comprehends works by novelists, architects, journalists, urbanists. There are American voices and European voices, angry ones and enthusiastic ones. A must-be for every kind of audience.

Compiled and edited by David L. Ulin, Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology is a unique and diverse collection of fiction, poetry, essays, journalism, diaries, and more, contributed by over seventy writers (ranging from William Faulkner, M.F.K. Fisher, and Bertolt Brecht, to Ray Bradbury, Norman Mailer, and Tom Wolfe), and showcasing the "City of Angels". Through varied eyes, the teeming and diverse West Coast metropolis manifests its best and its worst during its eventful history as Writing Los Angeles explores a wide range of issues and events ranging from the post World War I economic boom to recent and nationally televised violence. A very highly recommended compendium of artistic, emotional, severe, gritty, nostalgic, and clear-eyed literary pieces, Writing Los Angeles vividly brings a city and its people to life throughout the generations.

Los Angeles has always meant/will always be/is many things to many people. Some write it off as the City of Pilates-loving, Yoga meditating, Chai Tea Consuming Crack Pots. Well, yes...it is that and so much more as exemplified in the mind expanding, colossally comprehensive, edited by David Ulin: "Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology." That so many important writers have deemed Los Angeles as appropriate subject matter, both positive and negative, only supports the notion that the City of the Angels "gets" to everyone who comes in contact with it. Some like Faulkner and Fitzgerald came to Hollywood late in their careers and left disillusioned to say the least while Nathanael West and James M. Cain thrived and wrote some of their best stuff here.
"Writing Los Angeles" is exhaustively researched and some of the expected writers are represented here: Cain, West, Ellroy, Didion but what of Simone De Beauvoir and Umberto Eco? Probably the most important thing Ulin has done is introduce us to SoCal writers we didn't know or of whom we've forgotten: D.J. Waldie or Ruben Martinez, for example.
If nothing else, Ulin has proven that Los Angeles is fertile ground for the creation of writing of the highest order. And for this, we Los Angelenos are forever in his debt.

"definitive" is a an overused adjective... but this volume is indeed just that. ulin's winning (and sometimes surprising) selection of material captures the breadth and depth of a literary milieu artfully and evenhandledly. (ulin must be uniquely well read and/or uniquely familiar with his material - some of his choices, e.g. robert towne's intro to chinatown screenplay, are fun just to consider in a potentially crusty dusty Lirbrary of America anthology). forget the heavy intellectual (and physical!) weight of this tome -- this is no door stop or boat anchor, its a joyous sojourn in the searing sun. brevity, clarity and wit!

I already had a couple of trips to Yosemite under my belt before buying this book in anticipation of a third, but I still found it very useful. Much of the information you will want at hand before and during your trip is conveniently compiled in this book, and it is presented in a charming and amusing way. (Bruinhilda, your host, is a cartoon bear.) History, hiking, flora, fauna, lodging, feeding, even five pages of telephone numbers you may need, are all there. The price of this book will be a pittance compared to the total cost of your trip to Yosemite, and it will help you to get the most out of your visit. I particularly recommend this book to people who aren't planning a trip to Yosemite-maybe it will encourage you to go (and to respect and care for the park when you do)!

This book may be better than Steve Medley's "Guidebook to Yosemite National Park" because of its question and answer format. The cartoons are excellent, especially if you're a fan of "Farley" as I am...it's very easy to read and information is easily accessible, also it's about as up-to-date as you can possibly get. My husband and I were married in Yosemite in September of '98, and sent this book around to the invitees who had never been to our beautiful park. The book got rave reviews from all.

I would recommend this book, along with the Jeffrey P. Schaffer book "Yosemite National Park" (which I would also give 5 stars) as "Must-haves" when visiting Yosemite. The "Yosemite Handbook" is especially good for people who are bringing children, and plan to spend the majority of their time in the Valley...can't say enough good things about this book!

The way the books of this series work is that they took a guide for new rangers in Yosemite with the 100 or so most frequently asked questions, and wrote their own answers for each park. It's a great format because it makes for easy reading beforehand, but it's also quick as a reference when you're there because they're arranged in an intelligent order. There's also a huge reference section at the end with lists, copies of permit forms, and so forth. So the thing to do is read the FAQ before you leave but bring the book and refer to it once you're there.

I've been to Yosemite four or five times since I've purchased this book, and still find it useful. Partially this is because if you go in different seasons there are different things to see, and sometimes you just want a pizza and that's in there too (Camp Curry has good pizza, if anybody's curious).

This is THE A-Z Yosemite guild, with info ranging from how long it takes to get there to what restaurants will best suit your needs and not to say, your price bracket. This guide will interest the most unenthusiastic of readers. It gives you a very lighthearted look at camping (the way it was intended to be) and detailed insider information of Yosemite with a side of humor narriated by an animated bear. The animation makes it all the more enjoyable, as it pokes fun of the stereotypical tourist and his civilized quirks. The guide uses a helpful Q&A format. It also provides an informative hiking graph of strenuosity and milage along with a graph of campgrounds and their amenities. I consider it the Yosemite bible of sorts and a must have for first time visitors!

For some people this book is a substitute for visiting Yosemite. I suppose that is legitimate. For Neill this book is clearly act of devotion to something he loves, even adores. For me the portfolios are pure art. In them Neill shows me ways of looking at things I never imagined. The contrast of snowy shore and black water. El Capitan veiled in mist and inky trees. Half Dome grey and majestic foregrounded by a glowing tree. Neill is especially good with the color black. I love the way he sometimes offers up a deep green that shades into black.

Not every photo is a masterpiece, but a high percentage of them are. They are stylized without being candy-coated, like the works of so many other landscape photographers. They condition consciousness so that after looking at them I see even my humdrum little suburb in a new way. This effect is surely due in part to the majesty of the subject, but it is mostly the achievement of William Neill. I revere this book and recommend it to any lover of beauty. Go to Mr. Neill's website and see the pictures for yourself.

The greatest portfolio of Yosemite I've seen. Mr. Neill is a very influential photographer.

A long time fan of William Neill's amazing photography, this book is a work of love. It is obvious in the beautiful images that his passion for Yosemite is revealed, page by page. Yosemite is one of the most visited and most photographed national parks in the US. Made famous by the images by Ansel Adams, among others, Half Dome and El Capitan have been photographed by millions every year for decades. Just when you think that every possible image and perspective has been taken, Mr. Neill's book opens your eyes up to more unique and varied possibilities.

To truly reveal the magic that is Yosemite, you must explore it during all the seasons, time and time and time again over the years. Mr. Neill clearly did as this book explores the beauty and uniqueness that is Yosemite through all those seasons, all the weather. With each page memories and enchantment flood the soul as I remember standing in the same spot, but seeing it anew through the magic of his camera, surrounded by the magic of the place. Even if you've never visited Yosemite, you will come away a friend with this book.

I highly recommend it to everyone who visits or considers visiting Yosemite. If you are thinking about a book that represents some of the magic that is nature and the wild in the United States to give to a friend from a foriegn land or someone city-bound, this book will feel like a hike through the woods and some magical place.

William Neill has done it again! Be sure and check out the rest of his wonderful books. I highly recommend "By Nature's Design" and "The Color of Nature" books. His images are timeless.

While Yosemite's splendor is introduced to the reader in the photographs, it is impossible to really capture the beauty of this great park with just a picture. The beauty of this book is a combined effort of excellence in photography and prose which sings the praises of this absolutely amazing corner of the world.

I highly recommend this book for those heading to Yosemite, want help in remembering a trip, or, for those of you not fortunate enough to have the chance to get there (go-go-go!), you'll read it and book the next flight!

I read this after reading a book about a silver mine fire in Idaho. This is more of a historical type book, but it held my interest. The book author did his homework and brought this sad story to life. I recommend it.

As an avid reader of non-fiction books based on historical events, I picked up 47 Down in hopes of learning a bit about my home state and in return I got so much more. Not only does O. Henry Mace give a gripping account of a disaster that affected the lives of many but a concise representation of the background and history of mines in California and across the country. What I appreciated most about the book is the detail the author took into researching the lives of not only the 47 miners and their families, but also the reporters, rescue workers, and the town as a whole. By the time I closed the book I had a clear picture in my mind of what life was like in Jackson, California 1922. I can hardly wait for the next book O. Henry Mace writes!

"47 Down" refers to the number of miners trapped in one of the deepest and most prosperous gold mines in the California foothills, in the year 1922. I bought the book because of a distant relationship to one of the individuals managing the mine, thinking this would be a good way to learn some family history. I was prepared to wade through what I thought would be dry melodrama, but I was gripped from the first pages.

In addition to learning a great deal of interesting information about mining and mines, I was completely captivated by the human story of the trapped miners and the bravery and ingenuity of the rescuers. There is a story line involving the contemporary media which was also interesting in that it points out how little some things have changed. The technology of the media may have evolved, but the competition and frenzy for a good story and headlines has not changed much. This was a terrific book that will interest people who have no idea what mining is all about as well as those who do.