I purchased a bunch of travel books for my trip to California, and this is by far the best! Especially good if you want recommendations on moderate and budget lodging and dining, not just pricey stuff.

This is absolutely the most up-to-date book on California. I wanted to know a lot about where to go for wineries, and this was the perfect book. Plus it gives a neat, accurate description of accomodations and where-to-go's. A must have for all travel guide fans.

I'm pretty sure Marc E. Herman isn't the guy who worked on this book. I think Marc E. Herman is a hydrologist or something like that. The co-author of this book is a guy named Marc Herman. But I think his middle name is Robert and he doesn't know all that much about hydrology.

Really good book though.

Having moved to Reno three months ago, and overwhelmed by the vast expanse of national forests, parks, and monuments just over the border, I am finding this book extremely helpful. If there is an outdoor activity and it can be done in north cali, this book will tell you where to do it. Not only that, it is very well written, gives good critical commentary, and provides other interesting bits of knowledge along the way. It is also nice in referencing additional books that may get more specific in regards to a specific activity. This book should be useful for anyone who wants to explore the area but doesn't know quite where to start, whether looking for a serious, extreme adventure or quiet family weekend.

Bought this book for my dad for Christmas and he loved it. It is a very nice book for inspiring any wood worker. If you know someone who loves wood working and you are tired of buying them another tool, give this book a try.

When I started woodworking as a hobby about 11 years ago one of the books I first came across in a library was "Sam Maloof". I consider Sam Maloof to be a genius. When I heard that there is a new book out about Sam Maloof I couldn't wait to get a hold of it. The book "The Furniture of Sam Maloof" is a very nice and detailed life story of the woodworking genius and (my guru) with a lot of details about his excellant work. This book is so precious to me that I wont even let anybody in my family put a fingerprint on it. I could easily say that no other person has made such a profound impression on me than Sam Maloof. This book is a must for every woodworker's library.

Gateway To Alta California: The Expedition To San Diego, 1769 by writer, photographer, and historian Harry W. Crosby is the story of the first land journey to San Diego undertaken by Europeans in 1769. Crosby draws upon original sources such as the journals of Padre Juan Crespi, Joseph deCanizares (Captain Rivera's official scribe), Padre Junipero Serra, and Gaspar de Portola, as well as recreating the overland trek himself (literally on foot and muleback) to map out the original and historic route that went through the then unexplored, unknown, desolate wilderness of northern Baja California to found the community of San Diego. A strongly recommended addition to California Historical Studies reference collections, Gateway To Alta California also lists the names of the Hispanic members of this historic expedition party.

I don't usually like History books, because they always feel like reading homework. A friend bought this book for me and I didn't think I was going to be interested--but I was! What a great adventure story--as interesting as Lewis and Clarke or Captain Cook's stories of discovery. I didn't know anything about this expedition, and I've lived in California all my life. I highly recommend this to people who like a good adventure book with some interesting history.

The author skillfully uses the biography of a San Francisco gold rush pioneer to illuminate the broader history of America's westward movement. Through the prism of one man's experience, a reader comes to understand the impulses and circumstances that constitutes one of America's single-most important developments--the setteling of America's west. Fans of "common-man" history will especially like following the tracings of an average man and family, who, by pluck, industry, and perseverance managed to create for himself and his heirs an authentic, Horatio Alger rags-to-riches success story.

This is a riveting account of one man's journey to the promised lands of California. This is a must read for California history buffs. It is the most impressive and well researched book I have read in a long time!!!

Both Jack Smith and Mr. Gomez have passed on from this life. Thanks to Jack's gifted writing ability, you can experience the culture, beauty and patience pace still to be found in Baja California. I have been there and seen the house, the road, the federalli check point, the cliffs and the fishing village. I have had the good fortune to have stayed in a home near Jack's and met others who followed Jack's column in the LA Times during those years of construction of his "mansion". I have searched used book stores and bought on-line used copies while new books have not been published since 1997. I am so glad it is back in print so I can recommend it to my friends. Great reading and funny too!

"God and Mr. Gomez", while not a recent book by a long shot is a timeless read. It is written in the hilareous style that only Jack Smith can pen. You blend in with the characters and it being a true story makes it all the more interesting and satisfying. A great read for summer, or anytime

This book traces the history of the California Gold Rush from 1848 to 1859. It is an exciting tale of fortunes won and lost, of thousands of men and women catching "Gold Fever" --the promise of easy riches. Some of it is quite humorous "...Get our California Gold Grease! Only 10$ a box. Rub on your body, roll down a hill. Gold, and only gold [in italics] will stick to your skin!"

The book also is realistic, telling of the dangers facing people who came over land or by sea around South America to the Isthmus of Panama. Both during the gold rush and after its height a gold-based service economy arose to meet the needs (at highy inflated prices) of the miners.

The book describes how gold was mined, and the properties of gold that make it valuable "A piece of gold the size of a pea can be stretched into a wire that is two miles long. ...Gold is eight times heavier than stones and sand. Gold is sturdy, yet soft." Surprisingly informative and always interesting, with Michael Eagle's portraits and exciting scenes illustrating the already exuberrant text. An excllent book for elementary school readers in grades 2 through 5 (or so), "Gold Fever" makes history fun!

Gold Fever is an outstanding book! I ordered this book to use with American students ages 7-9 learning about the American West. We read the book aloud and discussed its content as we went. The content was perfect for this age group and the illustrations were wonderful. My students were enthralled and begged for more time (we read it over two days). They asked great questions and wanted to learn more. This book has great basic information about gold, the Gold Rush, and its impact on California/the West. Overall--good, solid content and thought-provoking illustrations.

I HIGHLY recommend this book!

150 years later, we in California are still struggling to understand the legacies of the Gold Rush. How much of California's present "character" can be traced to the tumultous 1850s? GOLD RUSH: A LITERARY EXPLORATION attempts to answer this question from two directions: first, by examining the diaries, letters, and journals of the 49ers who actually participated in the rush, and second, though the generations of later writers who have re-interpreted the Gold Rush again and again. The book's many short selections and splendid illustrations provide many access points; though sometimes old, the accounts are never dull. At turns humorous, chilling, and thought-provoking, GOLD RUSH is a compelling read for any Californian interested in the state's roots.

Growing up in California you are taught that the future is always gold . "Gold Rush: A Literary Exploration," edited by Michael Kowalewski, pulls back the curtains on perhaps the most important event in the Golden State's history to reveal a place filled with dreams, nightmares, courage and cowardness. A place that became America's future.

Published by Heyday Books and the California Council for the Humanities, "Gold Rush" is 500 pages of short selections (1-8 pages) that lend insight to the California and American character. Writing includes: poems from Robert Frost, Gary Snyder and Wendy Rose; journal entries from William T. Sherman and John Muir; and essays from Thoureau, Dame Shirley, and Emerson.

On the eave of California's 150 anniversary of the discovery of gold (January 24, 1848), this book is a great read for anyone curious about how California shaped America.

If you have ever been to the Monterey Peninsula and played just even one or two of the famous courses there, this book will be that stimulus to allow you to relive those rounds or to think ahead to new ones on those most famous (and exclusive) courses.
Nearly every hole at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point are pictured and a good amount of the holes at Poppy Hills, Monterey Pennisula CC, Spanish Bay and Pacific Grove are included as well. You can practically feel the damp and crisp morning air or hear the seals barking offshore through the pine forests as you flip through the pages of this book. If ever there was a great bedtime book for golfers who want to have pleasant dreams about one of the world's best (if not the best) golfing venues, this would be that book.

A beautiul book although the first copy I ordered had a defect from the publisher. Half of the pages in the book were upside down.

A Good Camp: Gold Mines Of Julian And The Cuyamacas is an informal hand fascinating istory of the San Diego gold rush of 1870, and provides the reader with a lively cast of local characters blended with a geology of the region and an exploration of early mining processes. The result is a history which blends historic photos and details of a Southern California mining spree.

This book showed a really interesting side to San Diego history--the gold rush! I've lived here all my life, and didn't know there was so much to learn about gold mining in the Julian area. I especially liked the parts about the people who lived then, and how they worked in the gold mines. I've been to Julian before, but the book made me want to visit again.