California Books

Great stuff. Good information - BUT, what has been of the most use to me is the maps - I've used it in many presentations...tremendous information, looking forward to the new addition.

This book gives a very good description of pinot in the USA. It cuts through all the stereotypes assoiciated with growing and making pinot noir, and gives warm-climate growers a second look.

Ever since the movie "Sideways," it's been easy to love pinot and to know why. Like the movie's characters, pinot noir (the grape) is unpredictable, occasionally brilliant, often bad and otherwise given to fits and starts of temperment and quirkiness. John Haeger's "North American Pinot Noir" is the backstory. From the grape's historic evolution (probably in Burgundy) to it's spread through North America's most marginal winelands, the pinot story on our continent is one of renegade artisinal winemakers living and dying with fickle vintages and improvised technology and, ultimately, winning the grudging respect of Burgundy's barons. This encyclopedic account starts with the plant, it's natural history (habits, pests, preferences and all) and progresses all the way through it's best products -- the wines themselves. The tasting notes are extensive and regrettably bounded in time, but they offer acclaim to some great vintages and some great vintners. As the book ages, the notes themselves will only serve to remind most of us of what we missed. But as a survey of pinot's great American terroirs and their beautiful fruits, the book confers rich knowlege and a deep sense of why this grape matters. The book is the University of Pinot Noir. For graduate school, find a place that you like -- Dundee HIlls or Santa Maria Bench -- and proceed to the advanced seminars they offer.

As a part-time wine instructor and wine enthusiast, I'm always looking for good resources to share as well as for my own use. This book is simply outstanding: the writing is clear, there is more information than you could ever possibly use, but you don't feel like you're drowning in irrelevant junk. Bravo!

I just started getting really involved with hiking and the North Bay of the Bay Area has some great parks, but I needed an introduction to get me started and prepared before I hike each park. This book details each and every hike from trailhead and distance to what to look out for on each trail. If you live in the North Bay, I highly recommend this as a primer.

This is a very well written and well-researched book. Very easy to follow - as we know trails are often hard to follow with questionable signage - but this book has never failed me. I have been on a dozen or so of it's hikes and have never had a serious problem as it is a most reliable reference.

Well Done Mr. Weintraub!

I found North Bay Trails and the author's previous work, East Bay Trails, to be excellent. It provides great direction and is written from a hiker's perspective without confusing and unclear information that haunts so many guidebooks. The maps are always accurate and as fine as a bound format allows while the excellent photos help us choose where to go. The historical background is fascinating and the information on wildlife and flora keep me and my child going from discovery to discovery along the trail. This book has guided us to wonderful places we would not have thought or known to hike rather than take us to the often hiked Mt. Tam and Pt. Reyes areas (although his picks in these areas are jewels). This is a must-have if you want to hike the glorious North Bay - now, if Weintraub could just pack our lunch...

David Weintraub's North Bay Trails will please California residents who want to locate hiking areas north of San Francisco. This is the first comprehensive guide to cross county lines to include Marin, Napa and Sonoma Countries, exploring scenic routes and trails for both avid hikers and casual walkers. An excellent reference promising lasting value.

Much discourse on Heidegger finds seeming grounds to separate the man from the philosophy, but Rockmore, in reviewing the crucial parts and pieces of the case, makes a strong case for the intrinsic connection of the Heideggerian philosophy to the philosopher's Nazism. The point should be obvious from the context of the times, Heidegger's conservative demeanour and the latent confusions of anti-liberal culture already effecting Nietzsche. The book focus on a detailed analysis of the famour Rector address, then follow the trail through to the attempt by Heidegger to disengage himself from his prior affirmations. One can waste a lot of time on sophistries here, and, while the value of the philosophy might endures in a question, the fixation of the typical discourse here deserves this careful review of the prosecutor.

Tom Rockmore has radically overturned 20th century philosophy models by challenging Martin Heidegger head-on.

Most famous writers of 20th century philosophy imitate Heidegger's terms, 'in-the-world,' and 'them' and other aspects of his existentialism. Heidegger's Nazi affiliations are most often swept under the rug and even today many of his writings are kept secret by his Estate.

Tom Rockmore courageously joins the battle to expose Heidegger as a Nazi thinker -- and not as an unwilling Nazi participant as his followers like to soft-soap these issues. But Dr. Rockmore is not seeking sensationalism or merely political battles, rather, he is an erudite philosopher himself with some penetrating insights into the origins and weaknesses of Heidegger's positions on the issues.

The 20th century is filled with defenses of Heidegger the man and the writer. His nakedness is praised as beautiful attire by some of the key writers of the past century. Tom Rockmore has performed a revolutionary act by exposing this nakedness and hypocrisy, not only politically but in the realm of theory.

This is one of the most interesting books available on 20th century philosophy.

This well written and closely argued book is a stringent criticism of Heidegger's philosophy and its relation to his notorious embrace of Nazism. Rockmore argues that Heidegger's involvement with the Nazis was hardly the result of personal quirks or coercion but rather a product of his philosophical preoccupations. Rockmore bases his conclusions on a careful reading of the relevant texts, analysis of the main features of Heidegger's thought, and relevant historical background. For example, while Heidegger liked to present his thought as a recovery of the insights of pre-Socratic Greek thinkers, Rockmore shows that Heidegger was influenced by the racist and anti-rationalist Volkish ideologies prevalent in Germany. Rockmore's case is well argued and others, notably Heidegger's recent biographer, Rudiger Safranski, reach identical conclusions. It is clear as well that Heidegger abandoned overt Nazism not because of any real ethical concerns but rather because the Nazis would not accomodate Heidegger's ideas for how German society and education should be run. This book also contains damning criticism of the individuals who have defended Heidegger; including members of Heidegger's family who have apparently restricted access to potentially damaging documents; Heidegger's disciples, some of whom have attempted remarkable ways to explain away Heidegger's Nazism; and a number of other philosophers who seem to be unable to stomach the fact that the person they trumpet as the great thinker of the 20th century was a Nazi. Heidegger emerges as a brilliant and remarkably egotistical man inhumanly dedicated to the pursuit of a small set of ideas, some of which may be great insights, but literally careless of human rights, human dignity, and the physical suffering of the great majority of humanity. One criticism of Rockmore's book is that Rockmore, though usually very careful with terminology, is sloppy about use of the term Nazi. Rockmore argues that Heidegger, after his withdrawal from overt Nazism, remained dedicated to an "ideal Nazism". It would be better to restrict the use of term Nazism to the actual acts and (often contradictory) programs of the Nazis. As Rockmore shows clearly, Heidegger was preoccupied throughout his life with ideas that were anti-humanist, anti-democratic, and Volkish in character. This puts Heidegger in the same general category as the Nazis but referring to "ideal Nazism" is a bit confusing.

Excellent exposé of the person and their inseperable philosophical and political beliefs.

This puts Heidegger in the correct context of his position relative to Nazism, that is, an integral part of the greatest act of capitalist criminality in the 20th century and not, as has been said many times elsewhere, an unwilling participant in the whole "accidental" tragedy.

It says something about the charade called the denazification that Heidegger was allowed so much free reign after, what is euphemistically called the second world war, was brought to a close, with the unexpected crushing of western state capitalism by the USSR.

Regards,

Martyn R Jones
http://www.itspolitics.com/feuerbach/index.htm

Just finished the book and it gave a very good insite as to how the early motion picture industry operated. Both Fred Balshofer and Arthur C. Miller painted a picture, as to how the movie industry operated in the early days in New York, New Jersey and California.

Motion Picture operations behind the camera and indoor and outdoor sets are described in detail as to how they were set up and shot....

As a motion picture theatre historian, it gave me insite as to how and how complicated filming of early motion pictures were to get the precise black and white picture on the screen and focused...

Very good reading.....

This is one of the most enjoyable memoirs of early movie days that I have in my collection. Fred Balshofer and Arthur Miller more or less alternate chapters, with Mr. Balshofer recounting the teen-age Arthur Miller seeking work in the film business, which Mr. Balshofer provided at his studio in New York. Mr. Miller describes his own progress from shooting in the wilds of Fort Lee, New Jersey, to Hollywood and the many films he worked on. The beauty of such a book for the film buff is that it is truly first-hand reporting by people who were in on the very beginnings of the industry.

Film fans who can readily spout all the myriad technical details of modern cinematography - and we all know you're out there - might enjoy this marvelous documentary of the very earliest days of American film. The authors give a thorough review of their experiences with the small companies, the actors and the business of producing film in the first decades of the century when they began their careers. The earlier material is what gives this book its value, though the authors discuss their later work - Miller filmed such black and white classics as John Ford's "How Green Was My Valley" and William Wellman's "The Oxbow Incident".

Yet the great bulk of the book covers the earlier period, and is a marvelous record of a little discussed but significant aspect of early film-making. We are treated to inside tips on shooting from legends such as Billy Bitzer, and endless little moments of discovery as the author's relate their developing skill at the craft of cinematography. Along the way some of the book's stills highlight moments and times, a few significant. The best give striking glimpses into the workings of early movies. A still picture from MGM's 1927 trial scene from the feature "The Bellamy Trial" captures almost the entire nature of filming: Miller behind the Mitchell camera; director Monta Bell astride the judge's bench looking like a cheerleader holding a semaphore; star Leatrice Joy measured for focus in the witness stand; the other actors in tuxs milling around below the bench; Betty Bronson listening up forward to a violinist; and at the far right an actor leans across the witness stand and is drawing a sly smirk from Ms Joy.

There are a few others of this quality - including a great shot of the New York Motion Picture Stock Company in 1911 with a tiny Bebe Daniels centering the front row, who, unlike everyone else is slightly out of focus - even then Bebe was irrepressibly alive!

However, the historical information, and not the pictures, is what gives this book its irreplaceable value. As the other reviewers have noted, we are given here an exceptionally clear-eyed description (these are after all cameramen) of these lost days, and in certain cases gives us unique insight into the day to day workings. Early film-making involved everything from gang battles, legal threats, to taking sledgehammers and smashing open locked studios! In 1912 the legal challenges reach the point that the best lawyers in California are fighting it out over the film rights over the Keystone comedies.

Perhaps best of all is the detailed story of the 1914 filming of the immortal serial "The Perils of Pauline" with Pearl White. Shifting in and out of the book are the power changes constantly rolling through and upending the early days of the industry like the seismic waves of an earthquake.

A sensational addition to any film library, and a must purchase if you love silent films and enjoy reading about the earliest days of Ameircan movies. Fortunatley reasonably priced used copies are available. Perhaps the University of California Press might reissue this 1967 book in paperback?

This book contains the reminiscences of Fred Balshofer, who began as a camera operator in 1905, and the great cameraman Arthur Miller, who learned from Balshofer. Their careers cover filming in Fort Lee, NJ through Hollywood.

Chapters:

1. Early Career with Shields, Lubin and Others (Balshofer dupes films for Arthur Lubin. Melies shows up in a rage.)

2. Early Film Companies Crescent and Bison (Balshofer founds companies to bypass the Edison patents and the Motion Picture Patents Company, meets Miller.)

3. Making The True Heart of an Indian (Early Indian romance starring Young Deer, his wife Red Wing, Evelyn Graham. Miller meets Billy Bitzer.)

4. Patents Company Troubles and the Decision to Move West.

5. Working for Edwin S. Porter (Miller works with Lois Weber, mentioned in passing only.)

6. Filming in the Wild West.

7. With the Pathe News Weekly.

8. Keystone Film Company and Rivalry among the Companies (Miller works with Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett, Charles Chaplin.)

9. The Perils of Pauline (Miller works with Pearl White, Crane Wilbur.)

10. The Sterling Film Company and Actor Troubles (Balshofer meets Chaplin, works with Francis X. Bushman and photographer William Alder in "The Second in Command.")

11. Working for George Fitzmaurice (Miller works with director Cora Adams mentioned in passing, writer Ouida Bergere, actor Florence Reed, set designer Anton Grot, actor Antonio Moreno.)

12. Yorke Film Corp. (Balshofer works with May Allison, Harold Lockwood, Valentino, Julian Eltinge, Virginia Rappe, Harry & Jack Cohn.)

13. Filming Mae Murray, Elsie Ferguson, Richard Barthelmess and Others (Includes Sessue Hayakawa, Fanny Ward, Mae Murray. "Forever" with Wallace Reid. Describes John Barrymore effect in "Jekyll and Hyde.")

14. Filming in London and Rome (Miller shoots "The Eternal City" and meets Mussolini. "Cytherea" for Goldwyn with early Technicolor. Works with Edmund Goulding, Ronald Colman, Blanche Sweet, Leatrice Joy, Anna Q. Nilsson, Cyril Chadwick. Transition to sound.)

15. With Cecil B. DeMille and John Ford (Includes Tay Garnett, Raoul Walsh, Lew Ayres, Harry Langdon, Helen Twelvetrees, "Wee Willie Winkie" with Shirley Temple.)

16. Last Films Before Retirement (Darryl Zanuck. "The Rains Came" with Clarence Brown, Myrna Loy. "The Razor's Edge." "Anna and the King of Siam" with Irene Dunne, John Cromwell. "Ox-Bow Incident," William Wellman. "How Green Was My Valley." "Song of Bernadette," "Gun Fighter," Henry King.)

This book, along with its Oregon-Washington Second Volume, is a MUST-read for anyone planning their own trip along all or part of the Pacific Crest Trail. This trail guide provides a wealth of information such as mileage, water-stops, trail conditions, tips, maps, and even locations (including addresses!) of post-offices and other along-the trail stop-overs for re-supply. PCT hikers often carry this book with them in their packs and reference it often. More weight-conscious thru-hikers will cut or tear the book apart into sections (it's conveniently divided into a long series of trail sections between stop-overs) and ship the abbreviated guides back to themselves at towns along the journey.

Combining years of research and tens of thousands of miles of first-hand trail experience, the authors have done an outstanding job in allowing future backpackers access to the information they need to plan their own epic adventures. The book usually comes with an pamphlet included to keep you posted on any updates and changes to the trail since the book's latest release (which I believe there have been six such releases since its initial publication in '73).

I'm planning my own thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, and after much of my own extensive research through countless other books and guides, I still come back to this one for the information I need to plan my own greatest adventure to date. Be sure the check the Oregon & Washington volume of the guide as well, written by the same authors in the exact same format.

I have used this book since 1980 to hike all or part of the PCT. It can make or break your trip. The most important info is where to find water. Some souces are difficult to find, but this book will lead you to it. The amount of info,maps, water, landmarks, milage,trail conditions, suppy points, etc., make this book a must on any hike along the PCT. If you don't have it with you, you're a lost soul.

I enjoy all of the Schaffer books because they are accurate, fun to read and reliable. This book has little chapters on the PCT, and the descriptions of each part of the trail are a total delight. So often these hiking books neglect to tell you how to reach the trailhead and oftentimes they don't provide detailed instructions (I mean this for section or day hikers of the PCT). Schaffer never makes this mistake. You will not need a separate map to locate any of the sections of the trail, his maps and written instructions are first-rate. In fact, there is even a nifty fold-out map sewn into the rear pocket so you can tote it along on any of your journeys. Equally interesting is that this book doesn't merely give elevation gains, difficulty ratings and desriptions of the trail conditions. These are vital to know, but Schaffer also includes little bits of information of what kinds of wild flowers you will encounter, birds, wildlife and other little nuggets neglected in other guides.

The book is supposed to be mainly for thru-hikers of the PCT, but there are many trails here that can be used for day hikes. These trips will be in the 10-16 mile range and any strong hiker can easily do these hikes in one day. If you do choose to go the entire PCT, Schaffer describes water sources, camping sites and addresses whether bears or marmots might be a problem for you. Most importantly, he tells you where to find water and whether the water source is reliable throughout the whole year.

I can't recommend this guide highly enough. Even if you're an armchair hiker, you'll derive many hours of vicarious joy from this guide.

I bought this book & another book, kept this one and returned the other. I haven't seen a better guide to the PCT.

As to Churchwell's history of Palm Springs, here is what was said by Peter Wild, English Professor at the University of Arizona and author of numerous books on the Southwest. "Two of the most reliable [histories] . . . are Frank Bogert's oversized book . . . ;and my favorite . . . , Mary Jo Churchwell's heartfelt work giving us a generally accurate picture of how much was lost when the village was wrenched into a city."

Mary Jo Churchwell's history of Palm Springs touches on the familiar Palm Springs of old ....a Palm Springs populated by the beautiful people like Bob Hope and Gig Young, Lucy and Desi, and yes, the lovely Miss Dinah Shore. BUT, Churchwell's Palm Springs is so much more: The canyons, the desert wildflowers, corny street and condo names, and above all, the sunshine that just won't quit.

All I can say is WOW! I want all my friends to read it - very moving. This reads as if I'm chatting with an old friend that grew up in Palm Springs as I did. I remembered things I thought I had forgotten. Let's hear more from Mary Jo Churchwell!

If you've dismissed Palm Springs as a soulless wasteland fit only for golfers, gamblers and creaky celebrities, this book will change your mind. With Mary Jo Churchwell as your good-natured guide, you'll discover the things that truly make Palm Springs unique in the world. This is the first book to focus on the area's awesome natural wonders and its bold past populated with writers, eccentrics and explorers. Whether you're a visitor or a lifelong resident, this book will quadruple your enjoyment of this desert town.

If you've dismissed Palm Springs as a soulless wasteland fit only for golfers, gamblers and creaky celebrities, this book will change your mind. With Mary Jo Churchwell as your good-natured guide, you'll discover the things that truly make Palm Springs unique in the world. This is the first book to focus on the area's awesome natural wonders and its bold past populated with writers, eccentrics and explorers. Whether you're a visitor or a lifelong resident, this book will quadruple your enjoyment of this desert town.

Finally -- an all-inclusive source of information for favorite aunties (to stay that way) and god-parents too! Although I have no children, I have scads of nieces and nephews who visit from back east; plus my friends have children who sometimes like hanging out with me (and I with them). For years I have cut articles about "fun places to go" out of newspapers and magazines and stuffed them into drawers, until I have no drawers left. But no more! This fun and well-written guide has it all and is geared specifically to children and their grown-up buddies, not just vacationing families. I especially enjoy the photos taken by the author's children, which prove they really did enjoy these places. Not only do I recommend this guide to vacationing families, I also sing its praises for Southern California adults with young friends and relatives who visit often.

I have found this book to be totally enjoyable, humorous and was extremely helpful when we took our grandkids to visit friends and sightsee in the L.A. area. I have many friends who like to travel and I will certainly recommend this book as a real time saver while in L.A. Excellent!

This book provides all the basics -- sites, how to get there, prices, hours, amenities -- but it also rings true with an air of authenticity and experience. This is a real mom who went to these places with real kids and went through all the same things that everyone goes through -- standing in lines, eating good or bad concession food, trying to give the kids a fun day instead of just wearing them out. We've actually used and benefited from the info in the book and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Excellent book! Author Kathie Weir describes hundreds of enriching things for parents and children to do in the greater L.A. area. As a longtime resident of southern California, the author has visited most of these sites with her children, so her descriptions include a personal and honest touch; for example, in evaluating one museum, she writes, "Most of the under-twelve set will be happier elsewhere, but if you have one of those super-brainy, bored-with-everything, and a bit off-beat teens, this museum is IT." I liked her warm, down-to-earth writing style. Most of us---who think of famous amusement parks when we think of L.A.---are not aware of the area's wealth of museums, historical sites, wildlife preserves, train rides, gardens, annual events and much more. For instance, I was surprised to learn that Southeast Los Angeles has a Civil War Museum. The Union Army was stationed on the West Coast during the Civil War, and the Officer's Quarters of Drum Barracks now serves as a museum. The book lists many other places as intriguing as this. A Parent's Guide to Los Angeles is also very well organized. The author divides Los Angeles County into four areas, lists the sites by geographical section, and includes clear driving directions to each one. In fact, she devotes a whole chapter to tips on driving in L.A., offering helpful advice about coping with freeways and rush hours. Weir most definitely understands what it's like to travel with children, which gives her book even more credibility. She writes, "Parents never know what might strike a child's fancy" and confesses that when she took her children to see the great sights of Europe, the part they talked about the most afterwards was feeding the pigeons. How true this rings for anyone who has traveled with children! "An afternoon at a playground followed by hotdogs, cooked in the park's firepit can be a cherished memory for a kid," she advises. I was impressed with her attitude that sightseeing is a valuable form of education for children, but that "every family is different and every child has his or her own interests." This book provides a wide range of choices for any family's individual needs. I highly recommend this book.

The book Pasquala is about a brave girl who suffers because her dad and mom die. Pasquala is a strong character because her uncle who adopts her isn't very kind to her. For example, he doesn't let her go to the mourning ceremony or be in the ceremony changing kids into adults. Pasquala is the book's narrator, and she is a good one because she helps others. She saves the padres when she runs for 3 days and nights to warn them about an attack, and that's why she dies. I think that the book is good and it teaches a valuable lesson: we need to help others and then they are going to help us back when we need it. Pasquala even got her name from a padre who calls her that because she helps others. I like this book a lot, and think most kids my age would enjoy reading it. I learned many things from this book, such as how Yokuts Indians collected salt.

The book Pasquala is about a brave girl who suffers because her dad and mom die. Pasquala is a strong character because her uncle who adopts her isn't very kind to her. For example, he doesn't let her go to the mourning ceremony or be in the ceremony changing kids into adults. Pasquala is the book's narrator, and she is a good one because she helps others. She saves the padres when she runs for 3 days and nights to warn them about an attack, and that's why she dies. I think that the book is good and it teaches a valuable lesson: we need to help others and then they are going to help us back when we need it. Pasquala even got her name from a padre who calls her that because she helps others. I like this book a lot, and think most kids my age would enjoy reading it. I learned many things from this book, such as how Yokuts Indians collected salt.

The genre is historical fiction. The story began when Pasquala and her mother were hiding in a cave because they saw soldados coming to their village. Pasquala was scared when she sees shadows near the cave opening so she closes her eyes and then feels a hand touch her; when she opens her eyes her father is right in front of her. Her father said the soldados had gone. After a couple days they go to the Pacific Ocean and on their way back Pasquala gets sick, so they have to take her to the mission to save her life. After a while they start living at the mission. One day her father finishes a beautiful saddle, so now the soldados want him to take it to the presidio where the soldiers live. When he gets back he is sick and dies. But before he dies he tells Pasquala and her mother to leave the mission. When Pasquala and her mom go back, the other villagers don't really like them anymore, because they had to do their work while they were gone. From this book I learned a lot about the Yokuts Indians who lived in the Central Valley. The book was short (about 90 pages) and easy to read. I liked the ending because usually most books have a happy ending; this one was sad. Read this book, it's enjoyable and a great way to learn about Califoria history and geography.

The authors have done a fabulous job in bringing to life what it must have been like to be a little Yokut indian girl living in California's Great Central Valley 200 years ago. It teaches a great deal about the Yokut way of life and how things started to change when the Spanish arrived with their missions along California's coast. This is a fast read! You won't be able to put it down! Each turn of the page brings little Pasquala to a place in your heart where she will remain long after you finish the book. It is a fantastic book for 4th grade teachers to read aloud to their classes. It is also an excellent book for anyone who simply enjoys reading a well-written compelling story.

Having a group of friends whom I hike with everyday we run out of places to go, well we did before I got this book. It's very comprehensive, including descriptions of each area, map of the area, facilities available and a bit of history. Even the appendix has useful information, with websites for many organizations that can provide addt'l info. I recommend this for anyone in the bay area who wants to explore our beautiful preserves.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in hiking the hills on the Peninsula. It is very well organized and easy to use. Good for everyone from a casual hiker to serious outdoors enthusiasts.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District came into existence in 1972 as the result of an overwhelming vote in 1972 to preserve lands from rapid development. In 1976 the "open space" concept was extended into San Mateo county and in the nearly 30 years since the MROSD has come to manage almost 50,000 acres in an area where even small amounts of real estate command a huge premium. Divided among 24 separate "preserves" and managed for low impact recreation, MROSD lands protect much of the natural beauty of the bay area.

An accomplished hiking guide author, Weintraub's book does indeed list and describe one or more trails in each preserve. Distances covered range from short half-mile strolls in Foothill Open Space and Skyline Preserves to a 10+ mile jaunt through Purisima Creek Redwood Preserve. The vast majority of the hikes however are 5 miles or less and are more suitable for a contemplative walk than a strenuous workout. Accompanying the descriptions are some useful map sketches with mileage between key points carefully delineated.

The hikes, however, are not the centerpiece of the book. The real highlights are the local history selections. In addition to relating the history of MPOSD, Weintraub delves into the local history of each preserve. Old photos accompany Weintraub's descriptions of historical logging in the Purisima Creek area, wine making at Picchetti Ranch, and the former stables of Los Tracos Reserve. Better yet, Weintraub's talent as a professional photographer shows in the many beautiful plates and pictures that adorn this book and capture the beauty of the bay area. Finally, the book has numerous interesting sidebars that cover everything from wildlife in the area to the mechanics of trail building and maintenance.

Local history buffs and frequent hikers in the south bay area will certainly want to purchase this book. As a hiking guide it is a little limited. Unlike Weintraub's other guide books from Wilderness Press, this one is more narrowly focused. The reader is compensated by getting more wonderful prose and photos than the traditional guide book format allows. All factors considered, this is a wonderful book.

I really don't think this should have been written as a guidebook. The idea of including at least one hike from each preserve works well in a few cases, but is almost laughable in others. However, the history and background given on each preserve makes up for this poor guidebooksmanship.

A good example is the Saratoga Gap OSP. Saratoga Gap has only one trail, with virtually no redeeming qualities except that it connects users of Long Ridge OSP and Upper Stevens Creek County Park to the plentiful parking at the summit of Hwy 9. The book recommends that hikers walk down the trail and enjoy the "feeling of seclusion" as cars whiz by 50 yards away on Hwy 35. Yet the section is redeemed by its archaeological and botanical notes. I was also interested to discover that the preserve contains wreckage from a 1959 plane crash, one which my local fire department responded to.

I recommend this book to anyone who uses these preserves, and wishes to know more about the stories behind them.

Funny, absurd, and heartbreaking moments abound in this memoir, which offers an incredibly dispassionate account of being raised, on the brink of poverty, by a freeloading father and codependent mother. In a surprising and original way, the extreme differences between his parents seem to operate like yin and yang forces that converge into the strangely sane wholeness of Dirk's own mindful and even compassionate perspective on his parents and his past.

Once you open this book, you won't be able to put it down until it's finished. There's never a dull moment. The story is heartbreaking and pretty funny at times & the author's writing style is sharp and smart.

Perishable has a lot in common with The Glass Castle, which is one of my favorite memoirs. Both stories make you wonder what in the hell the parents are thinking.

I'm very curious about what happens to the family after the book ends. I can't wait to read the author's next book.

The title of Dirk Jamison's slender memoir Perishable is a reference to the most striking oddity of the author's childhood, that his father--a man for whom the notion of responsibility was anathema--undertook to feed his family of five for a number of years by "trashing," taking recently discarded food prised from dumpsters home to the family dinner table. This was a lifestyle choice rather than necessity. Able-bodied but unwilling to waste his time on a paying job, the author's father saw eating trash as a means of gaining free time: "More trash means less work. Less work means more time." But his enthusiasm for jars of expired pickled eggs and the like was not shared by the rest of the family. The elder Jamison's bizarre take on life was coupled with a selfish abdication of parental responsibility. But his father's instability, if perhaps the worst of what the author endured growing up, was not the whole of it. Jamison's mother was the better parent of the two, but she brought her own problems to the familial mix. Now "slinking off to cry with slabs of chocolate," now refusing a knee operation because she was sure it implied temporary amputation of the affected limb, Jamison's mother, the author explains, was not so much crazy as stupid: "'Ma'am, are you insane?' is the question that nobody ever asks. But I can see that question in their eyes, and it's a misdiagnosis I'm always grateful for. Much preferable to the actual problem, which appears to be staggering stupidity." There were also the regular abuses of Jamison's Mengele-esque older sister and, in the author's adolescence, the in-retrospect-inappropriate attention of "Scoutmaster Gary," the Mormon overseer of a series of Church-sponsored activities in which Jamison took part. In short, the author's home life was unstable, and his father's mode of parenting arguably a form of abuse. Jamison and his siblings lacked dependable adult figures who were capable of making rational decisions on behalf of the family.

Jamison tells the story of his unusual childhood in spare, unflinching prose. Neither sentimental nor self-pitying, the author approaches his subject with something like journalistic dispassion. He is startlingly frank. This is most admirable not when he is detailing his family's failures but rather when he confesses to poor behavior of his own during the period. In the end Jamison's remarkable account of his peculiar upbringing is probably more universal in its scope than he intended. My guess is that a lot of readers will find much that's familiar in the book, their own imperfect familial relationships here writ more extreme. Thus Perishable isn't merely a good read. It may help you laugh at your own crazy relatives.

Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

All of us grew up in families that were more or less dysfunctional. But this one takes the cake. Well, it wasn't as bad as those families you see on the TV news where a child is actually killed, but boy was it bizarre. In fact it seems remarkable that Mr. Jamison grew up at all, let alone sane enough to put enough sentences together to write a book like this. Then when you find the humor and understanding that he brings to the book and you have to realize that almost regardless of what you do to them kids seem to shake it off and grow up.

The story is delightful (so long as you didn't have to live it). This is what happened to the true hippies who never became part of society. Or as viewed from the standpoint of the author realizing that everyone in your family is a lunatic. To summarize: Dad's dropped out, working sucks and he isn't going to do it any more; Mom is a Mormon whose main goal is to get her children into heaven; sis is trying to kill him. They are all nuts, but as it is described, they're nuts in a delightful way.

Highly amusing read.