Park University Books

Like many others,, this book examines ecosystem management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (Sidenote: why doesn't anyone seem to study the Greater Yosemite or Smoky Mountain Ecosystems?) The concept of "ecosystem management" has plenty of wrinkles to it - - hence the need for this book - - but the basic idea is to management both processes and outcomes at the level of an entire ecosystem instead of managing individual species.

The book focuses on three controversial issues, fire, elk and wolves. However, many other ecosystem issues appear through the book as well.

This book is explicitly multidisciplinary, with contributions from lawyers, economists, biologists, and land managers. The contributors address the kinds of topics that you'd want them to address, such as the role of top-level carnivores (wolves and bears), the consequences of elk (over)grazing, forest fire, and the like. The chapters fall into three rough groups - - the first, one the history and policy of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) concept, varying approaches to ecosystem management, and then particular processes (especially forest fire). The book is intended for the specialist rather than the layman - - but specialists in one discipline won't have any trouble understanding contributions from other disciplines, and advanced-level undergraduates in many fields would be able to read the book.

Like any edited volume, the contributions vary significantly in quality. Some authors have a clear view of the "big picture," while others are more limited to their own specialty. The biologists tend to have the greatest tunnel vision, but John Craighead's chapter does a great job seeing biological issues in a larger historical and political context.

It's also dated in significant ways, reflecting debates over the northern range of Yellowstone in the 1980s and 1990s. Since the introduction of wolves in 1995, top-down regulation of elk by predators has supplanted the policy of "natural regulation" of elk by food supply that motivated many of these changes.

Nonetheless, if you're interested in ecosystem management, or in the management of Yellowstone National Park, you'll want to read this book. It doesn't really address topics outside of these, so the general reader will probably find it frustratingly specialized.

The DOE plans to build a nuclear/hazardous waste incinerator directly upwind of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. What do the authors think about this recent development?

The essays compiled in this book are an excellent resource for someone who is trying to understand the complex issues surrouding the protection of the Greater Yellow Ecosystem. However, a number of the essays, in providing evidence to support the arguments are geared more toward the policy maker or toward the scientist who is gathering background information on the issues.

Not all of the essays are written in such a fashion that they are beyond the comprehension of the average reader. Some essays are written clearly and do provide an effective starting point for someone coming into the field to understand the issues surrounding issues such as fire policy or wolf management. Both of which are still hot topics in the region today.

Finally, many of the essays are better for understanding a historical perspective to the issues. Wolf reintroduction has occurred and now Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are looking to have wolves delisted. The essays on wolf management are dated enough that they are a starting point to understand the underpinnings of the issues of today, rather than where we are going in the near future.

All in all, if the reader can move past some of the more technical aspects of the book, they will have a better grasp of how and why various management issues are occuring in this wonder of nature.

There are so few grizzly bears left alive in the Lower 48 that grizzlies have become mytholigized as either demonic carnivores or hapless river wading salmon fishers.

Adolph Murie was one of our greatest naturalists. His books on wolves, mammals, and grizzlies all share the same great style of writing; that mix of wonder and research that illuminates the true nature of wildlife and man's place among them.

There are so few grizzly bears left alive in the Lower 48 that grizzlies have become mytholigized as either demonic carnivores or hapless river wading salmon fishers.

Adolph Murie was one of our greatest naturalists. His books on wolves, mammals, and grizzlies all share the same great style of writing; that mix of wonder and research that illuminates the true nature of wildlife and man's place among them.

Murie's book (originally a scientific monograph) on Ursus horribilis, the great brown bear, is a 242-page collection of observations of the grizzly's actions and relationships with its habitat. Murie's first-hand observations date from 1922 to the 1960s and were made around Denali (the original native name of Mount McKinley).

Murie's observations are dispassionate and objective, seemingly free of any bias for or against the great bear (although, at the conclusion, his admiration for the beast and his passionate desire that mankind refrain from "managing" wildlife do emerge). His observations include such topics as bears' range and movement, mating, mother-cub interaction, food habits, and relationship with various types of potential prey such as caribou, moose, Dall sheep, squirrels, marmots and mice.

As mentioned, Murie's observations deal only with the grizzlies of interior Alaska around McKinley National Park. He occasionally refers to but does not report on the brown bears of the Alaskan southern coastal areas, although he does accept them as a variety of grizzly (some feel that they are different species or sub-species).

Before buying this book, the reader should understand that it is not a "story book" about bears. There is no connected "story line" throughout the book, nor is it a collection of harrowing tales about grizzly attacks on hapless humans. Readers looking for entertainment or excitement should seek elsewhere. However, the book is quite illuminating as to the normal habits of normal grizzlies in their normal environment, and readers who wish to understand the actions (and, dare I say, the thought processes) of these animals will find the book a realistic, down-to-earth resource. It does not propose any encompassing scientific theories or postulate new hypotheses about grizzlies; it merely reports on how they act, where they roam, and how they live. In the end, this fairly long series of observations is quite effective in painting a very realistic and useful picture of both the grizzlies and, to a lesser extent, of the animals upon which they prey or with which they coexist.

There are a few somewhat grainy, black and white photographs reproduced in the book, indicative of the photographic technology available to Murie. Somehow, though, their quality adds to the overall impression of the book as the product of a keen observer of wildlife half a century and more ago. In brief, I found the book interesting and informative, if not exactly a "page-turner," and it should be useful to those who would become naturalists, who are curious about grizzlies, or who, like me, will always feel somewhat entranced by Alaska, the Last Frontier, and its still-wild creatures.

Many of you, no doubt, have acquainted yourselves with the series of books that comprise the US Army War College Guide to Civil War Battles. The latest volume, the Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga, edited by Col. Matt Spruill, constitutes a new and worthwhile addition.

The series follows a particular format that bears mentioning. Each guide uses excerpts from after-action reports, along with topo maps and detailed driving and, occasionally, hiking instructions. This enables a reader to place himself at critical points on the battlefield with a solid understanding of the terrain's significance. Spruill does not deviate from this standard. The choice of maps and selection of battle reports (most from the Official Records) along with his brief comments clearly document the fierce fighting which took place on these fields. Considering the heavily wooded terrain and confusing ebb and flow of forces over the area, Spruill paints a remarkably clear picture of what transpired.

The great clash of armies at Chickamauga played out over two intense days of combat along a front some several miles long. On this ground, characterized by forests of thick brush punctuated with only a few open spaces used for small farm cultivation, the hostile lines came almost into contact before fighting was possible. Blind to what lay before them and often unaware of the success or failure of supporting units, commanders threw their troops into attacks that flanked and routed the enemy only to be flanked and routed in return. Scattered farmer's fields became killing zones as artillery concentrated their attention on the openings in the surrounding woods. Each side felt for the others vulnerable flank in a deadly race to capture and hold the road to Chattanooga. Soldiers entrenched at every opportunity and built breastworks, however shallow, whenever a lull in the fighting permitted time.

Spruill's book depicts this story very well, guiding the reader from one disputed point to another. For the most part, he allows the participants to narrate each scene. Yet he tempers their tale by reminding you how restricted a view each possessed. Invariably, men felt the fighting on their front to be the fiercest they experienced, during the war. As a consequence, we travel in our mind's eye along the paths of victory and defeat, where soldiers marched and fought and died to possess the ground where we now tread. Let me recommend the book to you.

I just completed a hike of the Chickamauga NBP, using Colonel Spruill's guide book. The book transformed a pleasant day outdoors into an informative learning experience. The hiking directions are precise. The selected narrations by the participants enhance understanding of the action on the field, and Colonel Spruill's additional notations explain the narrations in a larger context. If you're serious about getting the most out of a visit to Chickamauga, then this book is a required item in your rucksack.

The Chickamauga battlefield guide published in 1997 and the first not edited by Jay Luvaas. Matt Spruill maintains the series standards and format started with the Gettysburg guide. The book covers the first major victory of the Confederate Army of Tennessee in the American Civil War. This victory, coming after the defeat at Gettysburg and Vicksburg's surrender brightened Confederate hopes in the Fall of 1863. New features include a 30-page essay on Civil War medical and a section of aftermath. The Chickamauga Park covers two days of fighting and many positions overlap. This leads to some understandable confusion for visitors while viewing monuments and trying to understand the battle. For anything beyond the park driving tour, this book is essential.
The series format is directions to a point on the field, orientation, a general lesson on what happened in your view, followed by first person accounts of the action. These guides are designed using the general staff training concept of a Staff Ride. This is when a class is taken to a historic location, discuss what happened and see how the terrain influences the event. Staff Rides are designed to be intensive "on the ground" training coupled with physical observation in the hopes students will gain experience for later use.
I am not saying this to frighten you away from this guide but to tell you this is not a walk about and look at the monuments type of guide. This guide will have several pages devoted to the action at this point. It may contain a critique of the local commander's actions with possible alternates.
My experience is that reading the book prior to my visit works best. This allows me more time observing the field and less time reading the book. Of the tour options, a professional guide is usually the best but most expensive choice. The park driving tour is the best choice for a quick trip through the field to get the kids passport stamp. This book is the best choice for a serious student of the battle looking for a detailed explanation.

As a lifelong resident of Coney Island,and the author of a recently published memoir entitled Remembrance of a Restaurant,or a Decameron of Dining,I share the deserved enthusiasm of all reviews for this life of remarkable showman,Fred Thompson. Unlike other reviews, mine is more intimate. Fred Thompson was an habitue of the finest restaurants of the period like Ravenhall's,Villepique's,Beau Rivage,and my parents notable landmark restaurant called Villa Joe's.A Little Bit of Naples in Coney Island.It was razed by urban renewal(1915-1975)As a boy, I recall his frequent patronage ,especially when he gave me season passes to Luna Park ,and a pat on the head.He was as modest as his imagination was flamboyant. He often had dinner talking to my father about my father's Boston Terrier championsI remember him as being always abstracted,away in thought. Mr. Register has reminded us in this biography of the great originals of that period of singular will and imagination. If I still had the restaurant I would invite Mr. Register to a drink on the house to celebrate this triumphant book suitable for a great showman.

Fred Thompson was the "kid" (he was in his early twenties when he built Luna Park in Coney Island) who first recognized that the American middle class in the early 20th century was ripe for amusement and fun, ready to embrace consumption, fun and leisure as a moral system. Here he is given his due as a great innovator (inventor of the theme park), and a great showman (Broadway producer of mega-extravaganzas). Woody Register's highly readable and extremely insightful book is not just about Fred Thompson (of which there is very little historical information other than press releases, scattered interviews and new stories about Thompson's endeavors and stunts), but is all about the break between the early industrial age (all about saving and putting aside wages for a rainy day, Victorian respectability, the patriarchal society and responsibility) and the dawning of the modern age of consumption (spending for the fun of it, disrepectable activities, the newly feminized office-based white collar man and irresponsiblity). Thompson was the first entreprenuer to sell the idea of childhood as a lifelong event sustained through the agency of the carnival, the theme park, the toy. His genius lay in combining the new conception of childhood as a time of "innocent joy" with the new era of comsumption for consumption's sake. A wild spender, he died penniless, still enthusiastic, still working on his next big project, a perfect exemplar of the new boy/man Peter Pan personality he was instrumental in creating. According to Mr. Register's Introduction, this work took him much longer to write than he expected it would. We are the beneficiaries of his extended and meticulous labors -- this book is sure to beome a classic cultural studies text.

The mysterious Fredrick Thompson left little biographical information in his wake, but Woody Register has taken the scant evidence and woven it into a revealing narritive of the man who made Coney Island famous. This book cchronicles an even more important story as well, the concepts of leisure and amusements in the 20th century. The theme park, theatrical spectacular, Vegas showroom and Broadway all own a debt to Fred Thompson's inner child. This book is a must for anyone serious about the business of fun.

This book holds amazing powers, the photos, the writing, and the caves. I love this book. I gave it to my 12 year old twins for their birthdays last year.


KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!

Photographer Raymond Klass has done an outstanding job of capturing the beauty of Mammoth Cave National Park both inside the cave and out.
It is the best photo book ever published on the park.
The reproduction of the over 100 color photographs is outstanding.
If you have ever been to Mammoth Cave or are thinking about visiting the park, this book is a must.

An amazingly thorough sensitive immersion in a captivitatingly unique geological ecology. Take A Bow!

What an education this book provides! Who knew how many ways there were to co-opt a society? I just thought the anthropomorphizing of animals at SeaWorld was offensive. And I wasn't particularly happy about the living beer-commercial aspect of it all either. But I had no idea of the historical and political context of all of this posturing. Alongside Cadillac Desert (Marc Reisner) you can get a very thorough understanding of this strange megalopolis of Southern California.

A devastating deconstruction of Sea World that gives jagged substance to the nagging feeling of dislocation and coercion that most of us feel when we are in a corporate theme park. Its also a handbook for rescuing environmentalism from greenwashers and the corporate media. Finally, its a sustained hymn of pure hatred and contempt, and everyone loves to read abuse. Enjoy!

Susan G. Davis's Spectacular Nature: Corporate Culture and the Sea World Experience examines Sea World from "economic, local historical, spatial, and experimental perspectives, as well as the point of view of its management and at least some of its customers. Her thesis encompasses the representation of nature and the environment by private corporations; Davis states that Sea World represents new private institutional uses for nature mainly as a product for mass consumption. Davis's primary objective is to discover a connection between public meanings, mass entertainment, and private enterprise as she tries to "understand the theme park form and its appeal to its customers, as well as critical questions about Sea World's cultural meanings and effects." Spectacular Nature makes one think more critically about their theme park experiences, specifically the place of the amusement park in society and American culture. It does this by proposing a question of intent: Is the theme park strictly here as a business enterprise with the purpose of making profit, or does it seek to be an environmental activist and educational philanthropist. Davis argues that Sea World is a combination of all three worlds; "it styles itself an urban public resource, a site of animal rehabilitation, marine conservation, research, and education." She argues that large corporations are responsible for shaping our culture by producing the locales of America's families. It is a bit disappointing when Davis reaffirms the fact that American culture is based on commercial centers funded by big corporations. One would think that there is more to our great hegemonic nation besides theme parks, movie theatres surrounded by an extremely commercial environment, shopping malls, and minors singing awful pop music. In Orange County, Davis notes that Disney has a tremendous influence and is planning on building a themed community to help demonstrate the redefining of social space. Not only are theme parks culturally relevant in our society, but also Sea World and other parks like it are replacing forest trails and lakesides as means of appreciating nature. Apparently some people believe that going to an environment with confined animals affirms their identity as caring, sensitive, and educated individuals that is possibly reinforced by the Sea World announcer saying "you show you care just by being here." She makes the point that nature has become an object for consumption and empathy. Unlike most money grubbing theme parks, Davis clarifies that Sea World at least offers educational programs to poor and unfortunate children. Although a field trip to Sea World isn't as educational as a trip to the tide pools, it provides excellent hands on experience for the hundreds of thousands of students from first grade to college. Davis states that the educational enrichment experience is slightly tainted by the Kodak moment with the children feeding and petting all the various wildlife. She also explains that despite all the parks educational efforts its first priority is to provide its parent corporation, Anheiser-Busch with a "fair rate of return." Another issue raised in Spectacular Nature is the matter of animal captivity. Of course animal rights activists want the animals in the wild ocean where they can swim freely without the constraints of their swimming pools. They also think that performing tricks and wearing props is demeaning towards the animals. Sea World has changed the whale acts and eliminated the props to make them seem more natural. Sea World wishes everyone to know that their animal performers are happy and cheerful, and if they weren't, there would not be a show. Shamu is Sea World's representative and Davis explains that the killer whale serves as a "mediator for the audience, Anheiser-Busch, and the larger corporate world. One of the most troubling factors of Spectacular Nature is that opens your eyes to the dominance of corporate America in shaping our lives and culture. There is no getting away from it because major corporations such as Proctor & Gamble and Anheiser-Busch distribute almost everything we consume. Even when we want to get away from suburbia and indulge in nature's majesty we either have to drive for hours or go to a zoo. I live in Orange County and I'm not pleased with Disney's continuous expansion because I fear one day my community will be a corporate stretch of neighborhoods. Davis doesn't intend to make us despise corporations she makes us more aware of their force in our culture.

There aren't many species of herps in these two parks; they're cold and fairly far north. The book list 12 definite species and four or five possible species. However, the book covered them very well, dealing with their role in the parks ecology, how fires have helped shape their habitat, and so on. It's a really good refernce for how reptiles are distributed in the park, and how they interact with the other species. There are better sources for info on the various reptile species mentioned here, as the author's field of interest is narrow. Still, an execellent book on the herps of those two parks.

I laughed, I cried; two thumbs up! A science-based book, complete with citations of all the current literature, coupled with a readable, flowing style of writing. An important repository of all the scientific knowledge of these species in this region and issues affecting them (e.g., fire, climate change), yet engaging even to younger amateur herpetologists. Or, of interest to anyone who simply loves Yellowstone and the Tetons.

This book concerns the largest still-existing Mississippian site in North America, the Cahokia site in Illinois. While the book is very good, Pauketat misses a rather obvious piece of the puzzle, in my opinion - or at least, gives a big part of Cahokian society short shrift.

Mississippian cultures, of course, are those cultures building platform mounds, largely based on maize agriculture, with what appear to have been elements of a common belief system known as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. They began to thrive in the late prehistoric era (roughly 900 A.D. until European contact. These cultures had hierarchical societies with commoners, nobles, and paramount leaders, and were the most complex cultures north of Mesoamerica. Cahokia is the largest known of the Mississippian cultures.

Pauketat does a fantastic job correlating the purely material elements of Cahokian society, and mathematically correlating the different phases of Cahokian culture. But it is fairly clear from the archaeological record and historic accounts of the Mississippian cultures, such as those from the De Soto expedition, that Mississippian cultures were based on a common SYSTEM OF BELIEF. Pauketat's work, while highly useful and relevant, does not delve deeply enough into this aspect of Cahokian society nor fully extrapolate the ways in which the material evidence in the archaeological record would have been based on the Cahokian system of belief and cosmology, in my opinion.

An good book for anyone wanting to learn more of Cahokian society - but one that could have been excellent with more attention to a critical part of this ancient culture.

the traditional view of the mississippian culture implies that these superchieftanships emerged along the mississippi river drainage areas and controlled vast territories from 1000 A.D. to 1400 A.D. then suddenly crashed due to warfare,drought,famine,cultural exhaustion,(or add your own cause here).This book refines this interpretation to where a completely different and complex picture emerges.The Mississippian complex at Cahokia is broken down into different phases,Lohman(early emergent Mississippian)to late Stirling phase and a couple in between each phase representing a distinct development that occurred at Cahokia.A book could undoubtedly be written on each of these phases alone. In even the earliest emergent phase Cahokia localities were already controlling nearby villages.As proof the author offers evidence from waste deposits(directly linked to this phase),that the "most desirable cuts of deer meat were being consumed at the Cahokia site".The author carefully uses this type of evidence and alot more examples to show the progression from early to late phases. There is also a well explained chapter on pottery that leaves on in awe.Since reading this book I can imagine the immense numbers of potters employed in this never ending labor,it must have struck one as one entered Cahokia during this period.I had previously imagined hunters filling the plaza with hunting or war trophies as a never ending game of Chunkey progresses in the plaza.Now I see the plaza covered with thousands of incised jars filled with about anything a person could think of. Pauketat also straightens out,using archaeological evidence,the question of populations of these Mississippian towns. In the 60's,it was said that Cahokia was a town of 38,000.Now that figure has been vastly downgraded as the Mississippian culture has been separated into phases and at its peak the population of Cahokia,was only a few thousand.Lastly Pauketat challenges the power and influence of these chieftanships,in actuality they controlled only a small local area and would have been in constant competition with other high ranking villages in the areas.There were apparently numerous rises and falls before the sites were abandoned permanently in the 1400's.Could it be the ceremonial complex at Cahokia no longer met the needs of the people who supported it?I have read previously in other works that the American Indian,"Sundance" ceremony of the plains Indians was probably instituted at Cahokia and as tribes abandoned this site and went west,they took this ceremony with them.The book is a fascinating read though i will admit i had trouble understanding the graphs and still don't.I had also never realized how many mounds were on the other side of East St. Louis and across the river where the city of St. Louis resides.Between the looting and destruction of so many of the mounds.one could wonder if a true picture of the Missippian culture around Cahokia could ever be completely accurate,but this book is a fresh attempt at it.

North America has at least one ancient pyramid. A dirt one. Situated within a very fertile region known as the American Bottom, the extent of its base overshadows even the Great Pyramid at Giza. And though some today might dismiss it as a weathered lump of soil - the elements have taken their toll - it once towered over North America's greatest medieval city. Known as "Monk's Mound," because a group of early 19th century monks set up shop there, the structure rises some 100 feet over the southwestern Illinois wetlands. Photographs can't capture its ominous girth. Nor can they convey the anti-gravitational energy required to ascend to the summit from which the St. Louis Arch is visible. The panoramic view from on top, a modern rural landscape punctuated with human-made dollops, belies a metropolis that once rivaled London and Rome in population. Between 900 and 1550, an estimated 100,000 - 150,000 people lived in this city now known as "Cahokia." But sometime in the mid-16th century, just before pointy French hats infiltrated Illinois, it was abandoned. Mystery shrouds Cahokia and its people. They left no known written or verbal records. To add to the mystique, no North American city equalled Cahokia in size until Philadelphia overtook it in the early 19th century. As a shadowy symbol of its former strength, North America's Great Pyramid still stands, miraculously, where it was built over a thousand years ago.

"Cahokia: Mirror of the Cosmos" provides a historical survey of the land and the mystery surrounding Monk's Mound from the Big Bang to approximately 2002. Why the author reached back to the nanosecond of creation remains a little obscure, but that tiny section leads to an interesting discussion of the topographical and geological formation of the American bottom. Thanks to many natural forces the ancient Cahokians, or "Mississippians," found rich fertile soil in the center of North America. They settled there sometime before 900 and fed their burgeoning populace from gifts deposited by glaciers millennia before. What happened at Cahokia afterwards remains, as said above, subject to speculation. Regardless, an entire chapter explores what might have happened based on the meager evidence archeologists have uncovered. Evidence exists for a stratfied society with social classes, an elite, and a worker class. Pottery and artifacts found at the site demonstrate sophisticated artistic skill. They played a game called "chunkey." Some evidence exists that Cahokians used mathematics to design their city, set up an astrological calendar, named "woodhenge," and fortify the inner city with a bastion-lined stockade. The book also explores theories for why Cahokia was abandoned. Everything from climate change, resource depletion, wars, and nutritional or sanitational problems receives at least a cursory analysis. In addition, the book cites the uncommon theory that the Cahokians simply "moved on." Maybe no tragedy occurred? Maybe they willingly abandoned their city?

The book's last four chapters discuss the evolution of the land known as Cahokia from the arrival of French explorers to the building of the Cahokia Mounds State Park's impressive six million dollar interpretive center. More than once either environmental or industrialization factors threatened Cahokia's survival. Voluminous sketches and photographs depict the changing landscape, and the names and stories of those who helped preserve the mounds receive adequate coverage. Railroad developers, airports, x-rated drive-in theaters, housing developments. All of these elements encroached on the dormant medieval city. How the mounds survived the political and cultural tensions of the last three centuries stands as a near miracle of vigilance. The book tells the whole story.

Though Cahokia was designated an international UNESCO site in 1982, it remains a relatively obscure North American attraction. Archaeologists seem more interested in the site than historians. And they haven't hesistated to dig. Some amazing things were unearthed at Mound 72, including possible evidence of human sacrifice. The book has the details. Plus, inexplicable stones were detected inside of Monk's Mound while extracting core samples. Theories abound. But even considering those hordes, archaeologists think they have unearthed only one percent of the information that Cahokia holds. Perhaps as more discoveries unfold, Cahokia will finally enter the American historical annals and history books as the first known great North American city. Until then, it remains somewhat of a secret to those not living in the St. Louis area. "Cahokia: Mirror of the Cosmos" provides an easy to read non-technical introduction to an exceedingly important North American landmark. After finishing it, go climb Monk's Mound for the full effect.

This is a stunning book, in every way: lavishly illustrated and a gorgeous, full-color design. Sally Chappell, who writes for the Travel Section of the New York Times, tells a fascinationg story of a sophisticated ancient culture and empire that thrived along the Mississippi valley between 1100 and 1500, at the same time that the Aztecs were coming into power in Meso-America and the Incas in South America. Cahokia was the major city of this empire, and in 1200 its population exceeded that of London in Europe. Chappell tells the story of this historic site near St. Louis, with its fabulous monumental architecture, relgious traditions, and trading networks. But Chappell takes it well beyond the story of the Native Americans. She explores how the site evolved over time, was influenced by French explorers, was used during the Civil War, and what became of the site in the 20th century. An amazing story of both a place and "place."

This gorgeous book really excited me when I found a copy at the San Diego REI store. The California Coastal Guide, by the California Coastal Commission, is a delicious menu of beaches, cliffs, boardwalks, marshy estuaries, tide pools and baysides. For under 25 dollars, this makes a great gift for anyone planning to move to or travel along the long, endlessly changing California coastline.

From San Diego, my plan was to drive along the coast to Seattle, camping and hiking enroute. This book showed me the BEST places to leave the highway and get to the water, and includes everything there is to see - even the tiny, hidden gems only locals know of. Each section includes a map of the local town or city, and how it fits into the coast at that area. Mileages are given between areas for reference.

Places to camp and hike on EVERY SECTION of the coast are included - thank goodness! It's hard to get this kind of information from any one resource. I didn't want to drive north with a gazillion guidebooks to each part of California.

The guidebook starts with the northern coast and works south, so I mentally had to read backwards while I traveled, which was fine. Each section of the coast is also given an introductory treatment with highlights of flora and fauna (ie. - want to identify sand verbenas and pickleweed? Know a sanderling from an avocet? Dig for clams? There's a lot of fun stuff here.

My main regret about this cool book was that it did not continue up into Oregon and Washington! I felt like I was abandoned once I crossed the border. Not their fault. :)

This book is a work of art and science for anyone who loves California and hiking along the sunniest beaches of the Pacific Ocean.

This book have complete guide for ocean side and srounding area in California. Excellent with chart of many sections such as fire pits, camp sites, etc. all covers along with coastal line on North to South of whole California. Also many terminology and explanations related with ocean and coastal environments, too. This is a must have guide book to looking for camping or barbequeing for family.

Good reference for the camper. We love to camp on the state beaches and this is a very helpful ref.