Great guide that includes tollhouse, squarenail, courtright, kings canyon, seqouia and all of the crags around this area. Very indepth and keeps up on the new routes.

This is a very useful guidebook. It contains route photos, clear and detailed topos, and some verbal descriptions. Driving directions to climbing areas, first ascents and other information are also included. Both well-known and less-visited areas are described in detail. I used this book on a recent trip to Courtwright Reservoir and found it extremely helpful. The best aspect is probably the combination of easily understandable topos and photos of the routes -- many guidebooks only have one or the other.

Few men parallel the exploratory achievements of Jedediah Smith in the western U.S. This journal, written by Smith, illustrates the many hardships and sacrifices one must overcome in order to accomplish those dreams of exploration. Extremes of desert heat, impenetrable mountain snow depths, thirst, hunger, fatigue, momentary disorientations, spatterings of Indian hostilities, indecisions of Mexican officials in Spanish California, etc. were all obstacles to conquer on the road to uncharted territories. He attempted peace treaties between the Utes and Shoshonies, spent time with the Mohave Indians along the Colorado River (one of the first written accounts of their culture), describes Spanish mission life in southern California, the trek northward encountering Indian animosity, the first crossing of the Sierra Nevadas by a U.S. citizen and finally, the Herculean journey across the Great Basin to the 1827 rendezvous at Bear Lake. We are very fortunate that this journal came to surface as it is of major historical significance. Mr. Brooks' editing is exceptional.

If you like unprocessed, uninterpreted real history, you can't do better than reading original journals of people who experienced it. This treasure of a journal, discovered in an attic just a few decades ago, tells the day-by-day adventures of Jedediah Strong Smith, one of the greatest American western explorers. His travels are second only to Lewis and Clark's in significance for the opening the West. This book is the journal of Smith's first trek to California from the Rockies and back. It is filled with both the excitement of discovery, and the perils of horse-and-foot travel among potential enemies in inhospitable lands. You will read first-hand accounts of near starvation and thirst, of Indian attacks, of mountain blizzards and waterless deserts, of near drownings in rivers, of weary travels over wastelands and mountains, and other accompaniments of exploration in a day without roads, maps, telephones, electricity and fast food.

What makes this account so valuable is Jedediah himself. Serious and unpretentious, devoutly Christian and a man of high integrity, Smith was not the stereotypical Mountain Man. In just eight years since joining William Ashley's band of trappers (1824), killed by Indians at age 32, he had traveled most of the Western United States, surviving herculean odds along the way. One unforgettable scene in this journal has Smith meditating to himself atop a peak in the Sierras, after having suffered severe hardships with his men against snow and Indians. He reminisces about the comforts and joys of his childhood home back East, but then in the spirit of true courage, faces the desperate reality of his situation and the fact his men are counting on his leadership. From there he faces several life-and-death struggles getting over the Sierra Nevada (first white man to make the crossing) and across the desolate Great Basin wastelands and back to the Rendezvous near Salt Lake. When he arrives, his friends, who thought him long dead, celebrate by firing a cannon they had carted over the Rockies from St. Louis. [Historical note: within days, Smith was off to California again, this time to suffer even more hardships all the way to Oregon, including two Indian massacres.]

This was one of Smith's most important journeys; known previously only by some letters and pieces of the journal, we now have the full account! I'm surprised this book doesn't get more attention; I found it captivating. The descriptions of Mission San Gabriel, early Pueblo Los Angeles and the Mexican-controlled early California culture are revealing. Having seen the mission today hemmed in by the city, I now have the eyes of Smith and his aide Harrison Rogers (who died the following year in the Umpqua Massacre in Oregon), to see how it must have appeared in 1827. George R. Brooks' helpful footnotes give background information and locations, so that you can follow the route on a map. I think it would make a terrific family vacation to retrace his journey. From your air-conditioned van, along I-40 in desolate eastern California, or along I-80 in Nevada, look out your window and imagine Smith and his weary men in a desperate search for water, as you cover in a half-hour what took them two days.

In an age where history is processed through Hollywood tall tale tellers, who don't hesitate to rewrite what happened according to their politically correct biases, we need to get the story straight from the source. (Hmmm, this journal would make a great film epic, though.) We also need to appreciate the courage and fortitude of our pioneers, who accomplished great things with much less. Get a map of the Western states, open this book, and discover America with Jedediah Strong Smith!

This autobiographical and historical look at Schramsberg and its important role as the leader in American Sparkling Wine. It is written by the owners, Jack and Jamie Davies, in a down to earth, easy to undertstand style. Learn about their vision and pioneering determination to do something that had yet to be done in America, to produce Sparkling wine made the traditional way as done in Champagne, France. The book is filled with wonderful stories, delicious recipes and gorgeous photgraphy. Jim Alinder, demonstrates his Ansel Adams prowess with the camera. This tasteful picture book covers all seasons and aspects of the making of great Sparkling wine in both color and black and white photography.

This book is a must have for any coffee table or wine enthusiast.

This coffee-table book actually makes great reading! It has splendid color and duotone pictures of the winery, the caves, the vineyards and the surrounding Napa Valley landscape in all four seasons of the year. In addition to telling how they transformed a mountain-side wilderness back into the Napa Valley's leading producer of fine champagnes (President Nixon took several cases of Schramsberg champagne to China to toast Chou en Lai), the Davies have included excerpts from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Silverado Squatters" describing his visit in its heyday 100 years earlier, and the story of how Jacob Schram, an imigrant German barber, was able to save enough to buy, clear and plant his mountain vineyard and dig the caves that have now been expanded to house more than 2,000,000 bottles fermenting today to become tomorrow's finest champagnes. The chapter with Jamie's collection of special recipes and menus for fine dining make this more than just a book for lovers of fine wine and great photographs!

I just read the first 2 chapters of the book and flipped through the rest. This book is fantastic. Ive read other small business help books (like one by Burstiner) and they were terrible. They put you to sleep and are not easy to read. Jenkins' book gets right to the point and sums up everything you need to get started. I didnt have to read through pages of pointless details that dont nessisarily apply to every business. Those details can always be sought elsewhere if needed and not drag a getting started book under.

Thanks Mr Jenkins. -Kelly K

If you want to know the ground rules of doing business in California, this book covers it all, in easily understood English, not legalese. FORBES Magazine (11/96) recently did an article on business self-help books, concluding most were not worth the paper they were printed on. However, they cited 4 such books they did consider very worthwhile, and this 50-state series was one of the four FORBES liked. The pre-addressed postcards to various government and private agencies, to obtain needed forms, booklets, and posters, are extremely useful, to satisfy both federal and California requirements.

I just hope she writes more books. Enjoyed this one so much I couldn't put it down. She puts you right there in Baja on the warm sand by the vivid blue sea. Her stories of her dog Ink add much to the pleasure of reading this cheerful book.

The only thing wrong with this book is it ends! I just wanted it to keep on going I enjoyed reading it so much. It really makes you feel like you are right there watching the whales sprout and the sun set over the brilliant blue green waters of Baja. Please Barb, keep writing!

My ex gave me this book and it was one of the few things she was right about. Really funny and really clever. A brilliant mystery. Moses Wine rocks!

As far as I know, the only detective novel in which the [P.I.] gets his cae from his shrink. Highly amusing with a brilliant parody of Richard Pryor.Santa C

Provides, in human terms, the modality & methodology vital to bring the city (and the country) to a nexus of understanding as to how & why government can transform our collective way of life!

Very few political books have the honesty and the integrity that this book has...it is full of real life events in San Francisco politics and it is full of San Francisco tradition....you really feel like you are living the adventure and that you can make a difference whether its with the homeless problem or the lack of competitive bidding in city contracts...facinating reading!

Sunset Boulevard lives large in legend and lore (did I say that?), and this book presents myriad facets of the long and meandering street, one of the most famed in America. From interesting anecdotes (including the story of how an entire school was buried beneath what is now Dodger Stadium) to hundreds of elucidating and entertaining photos and illustrations, some historical and many contemporary, the book is a compelling and engaging treatise. While some of the subject matter isn't of inherent interest to me, the author's writing pulled me in to many a tale, and rewarded my attention handsomely. The maps and address/phone information are useful for touring the boulevard and its many neighborhoods, as listings present to the visitor and native alike lots of places to eat, drink and otherwise acculturate. Sunset Boulevard itself is, of course, but one stretch of asphalt, but there's a wealth of history -- and plenty of current interest -- that lies along its 23-mile length.

From start to finish, this remarkable book captures the essence of the legends that have shaped both the lore and the reality of Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard literally crosses the heart of Los Angeles, touching along its route to the Pacific Ocean many neighborhoods that define the city's diversity and drama both past and present. This book culls stories of the past and ties them to the present, explaining every step of the way how Sunset Boulevard helped make Los Angeles what it is today. The maps of each neighborhood show both present-day landmarks as well as those gone-but-not-forgotten. Each chapter is devoted to a specific neighborhood along the 23-mile route and contains lists (including, happily, addresses and phone numbers!!) of restaurants, museums, nightclubs and hot shopping sites worth visiting. All in all, this is a book for both tourists and locals alike.

This book provides a fascinating and comprehensive glimpse into the daily lives of pre-contact California Indians. It is laid out in easy to use chapters that provide just enough information to be complete, but still include local examples and myths to add flavor to the narrative. My only complaint is that some of the skills are a bit complicated and are confusing to read. I guess you just have to go out to the wilderness and try it out! This is a must-read for anyone interested in California Indians and their history.

Pual Campbell's Survival Skills Of Native California is an impressive, scholarly, exhaustive, detailed compendium surveying more than 2000 California-based Native American tribal skills. Survival Skills Of Native California is superbly enhanced for readers, students, researchers, and scholars with almost one thousand instructional illustrations. Included are informative sections on all the basic survival skills, the tools of gathering and food preparation, the implements of household and personal necessity, as well as the arts of hunting and fishing. Survival Skills Of Native California offers the reader comprehensive, authentic, detailed information and instruction on how to live off the land and capably employ all of the varied resources of earth's bounty that enabled the survival of California's native population for millennia. Survival Skills Of Native California is a unique and invaluable acquisition for personal, academic, and community library Native American studies collections reference collections.

I had the good fortune of taking a graduate course with the author some years ago. In the course we read a chapter excerpt from her dissertation research, which this book is largely based on.All of us were struck at the keen insight and sensitivity of Dr. Goldstein's writing. Rather than hide behind educational jargon, her observations are plainly presented, yet often eloquent in their analysis. Although this book focuses on younger children, it would be helpful reading for all educators. To some degree, she helps those of us who have taught to rediscover what we always knew was there but never articulated in this way. Goldstein draws on the ethic of caring proposed by Nel Noddings of Stanford University. Her research was deemed as less than rigorous at the time by some but fortunately Noddings saw the essential merit in it. This book puts the core concern before the reader without resorting to polemics. It lets the actions of the loving teachers speak for themselves. I now plan to use the book with Chinese colleagues striving to develop their own humanistic curriculum.

This well written and straightforward book breaks ground in the realm of elementary education. Showing different perspectives in her varied education career, Goldstein touches upon many of the issues young teachers face in confronting their feelings toward their students. Goldstein expertly tackles each issue one by one and encourages the reader to take their own approach to education and embraces the differences in teaching styles while maintaining her expectations.,