Our latest recommendation is On the Banks of San Simeon Creek: San Simeon Pioneers by Clark Colahan (Central Coast Publishing, 2011, $19.95). Read a synopsis by Clark Colahan. We recommend these three excellent, eminently readable books on subjects that could easily be difficult: 1491 by Charles Mann, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, and Oil on the Brain by Lisa Margonelli. The California Deserts, An Ecological Rediscover. 2008. Pavlik, Bruce M. University of California Press. 384 pages. "To see the natural world through Bruce Pavlik's eyes is always a delight, for he is among the finest ecologists and nature writers in the West. But to explore with Bruce the range of California's desertstheir deep history and diversityis a special treat, for we see them not as 'big empty' wastelands, but as elegant landscapes rich with relationships. Both human and other-than-human beings contribute to these relationships, and no one has told their stories as well as Pavlik has done." Gary Nabhan, author of Arab/American: Landscape, Culture, and Cuisine in Two Great Deserts. Fire in California's Ecosystems 2006. Sugihara, N.G., J.W. Van Wagtendonk, K.E. Shaffer, J. Fites-Kaufman, and A. E. Thode, editors. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 596 pages. (Chapter 14 is entirely devoted to the "Central Coast Bioregion.")
Hard Road West: History and Geology Along the Gold Rush Trail, Keith Heyer Meldahl Historical Atlas of California: With Original Maps, Derek Hayas. University of California Press, 2007, 256 pages. This atlas tells the story of California's past from a unique perspective. It is lavishly illustrated with approximately 500 maps and many other illustrations. The illustrations are accompanied by extended captions and concise narrative. The work is unique because only historical maps and other adornments were utilized in contrast to existing atlases that are comprised mainly of new cartographic materials. This is a beautiful atlas that is instructive and a pleasure to view. Introduction to Fire in California, David Carle (Berkeley: UC Press, 2008) Review by Robert Pavlik, 14 October 2008. David Carle is on fire. Since his retirement from the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 2000, he has authored or co-authored nine books, three in the UC Press Natural History series. His first was on Water in California, the second looks at air, and the most recent is also the most incendiary – Fire in California. It’s a hot topic right now, following so closely on the heels of some major conflagrations over the past few years. After reading this fine work, its easy to predict that more are on the way. The Wave readers are familiar with some of them: in the fall of 2003 devastating fires roared through Silverwood Lake SRA and Cuyamaca Rancho SP. Last year a 150,000+ acre file burned in the Santa Barbara backcountry for more than a month, and this year, fires have raged across California, from Goleta to Big Sur to Mendocino to Paradise. As I write this, fires once again are encircling the San Fernando Valley. A small fire in Malibu in January 2007 burned several multimillion dollar homes. The locals blamed State Parks, saying the Department didn’t clear “brush” away from their exotically landscaped mansions. Didn’t anyone ever tell them that when you plunk yourself down into a fire dependent community you might get burned? Dave Carle’s book comes just in time. Its compact, concise, and a great read. It is lavishly illustrated and comprehensive in its treatment of the subject. The author examines the role of fire in ecosystems across California, from the redwood forests to riparian areas, oak savannas, and the deserts. His treatment of fire and wildlife is particularly interesting and informative. I was fascinated to learn about fire beetles that swarm to the site of a fire storm from several miles away to lay their eggs in freshly killed trees. Carle also addresses the physical impact of fire on soils, air, and water, and the complex relationship between climate change and fire. He concludes this fascinating volume with a chapter on living with fire in the Golden state. Carle details what to do before a fire strikes, during a fire, and after the event. Its must reading for Californians who live in what is known as the wildland-urban interface. The bibliography indicates the author’s careful research, indeed mastery, of the subject. This is a book that belongs in every ranger station across California. Immigration at the Golden Gate: Passenger Ships, Exclusion, and Angel Island by Robert Eric Barde, Praeger/Greenwood Press, March 2008 Angel Island is both an important
piece of American history and a metaphor for the immigration
process on the West Coast. To illuminate the many facets of the
Chinese immigration experience in California in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, Barde follows the various threads of
one Chinese female immigrants 20-month detention on Angel
Island. Her experience was extraordinarynot only in being the
longest known detention at the Immigration Station, but in being
connected to so many important events and central characters in
immigration through the Golden Gate. Her tale is chillingly
relevant to todays debates over exclusion and detention.
Peak Everything: Waking up to the Century of Declines, Richard Heinberg, New Society Publishers, 2007 Pages: 200 Richard Heinberg has written three books on peak oil and his new work widens the environmental and resource scope of his forecasts. He provides compelling evidence that the limits we all have been hearing about for decades are really upon us. He also hints at the directions we may take to escape or adjust to resource limitations. Point Piedras Blancas, an Images of America Book by Arcadia Publishing, Paperback: 128 pages, docent Carole Adams. For thousands of years, Point Piedras Blancas, located along the central coast of California, has attracted people to its rocky, windswept shores. In ancient times, it was used by Native American cultures. Since 1875, it has been the site of a First Order Lighthouse, warning ships to steer clear of its rocky shoals, a duty it continues to fulfill. Although the years have not been kind to this stunning area nor to the lighthouse, new life is being breathed into it by a partnership of enthusiastic community volunteers and government agencies. Their common goal is to restore this magnificent site to its original state while reintroducing the natural environment that was almost obliterated during the past four decades. Authors Carole Adams and John Bogacki are both deeply involved with the efforts to restore Point Piedras Blancas. Adams is a volunteer at the Piedras Blancas Light Station, and Bogacki is a former site manager. They have created a visual representation of the story of Point Piedras Blancas using photographs, illustrations, and architectural drawings that are part of the Bureau of Land Management Piedras Blancas Light Station Collection. The authors proceeds go to the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association for restoration and education. State Boundaries of America: How, Why and When American State Lines Were Formed by Tegan and Jerry Hansen is an original book detailing the formation of each state of the United States.
Testimonios: Early California Through the Eyes of Women, 1815-1848. 2006. Translated with introduction and commentary by Rose Marie Beebe and Robert m. Senkewicz. Heyday Books, Berkeley, California. The book is comprised of thirteen women's firsthand accounts from
the time when California was part of Spain and Mexico. Many of these
chronicles come from women who lived in San Luis Obispo and nearby
lands. |
