It's a great read, very interesting idea.

This book is a survey of the Northern Calfornia collection of artifacts at the Riverside Municipal Museum, Riverside, California. A photograph of each item appears with its corresponding short catalog record. The focus of the book is the basketry collection. In addition, a brief history of each Indian tribe is given. This book is one of three by Curator Chris L. Moser, also see Native American Basketry of Central California and Native American Basketry of Southern California.

Gary Geiger's photography draws you in and makes you want to jump on the nearest train, plane or automobile to drink in the beauty and wonder of the Monterey/Carmel area.

First, let me explain that I am *NOT* particularly a fan of Ellery Queen. It's of the right generation for the mystery novels I do love best. But, try as I might, I've never really appreciated Queen as a character, and the stories don't intrigue me the way writers like Christie, Rendell or Bramah often do. So why, I've always wondered, did I have such fond memories of this particular novel of Ellery Queen, having read it more than a few years ago. I still had my old (ancient!) copy of it, so one day I took it out...and I found it just as compelling as I remembered! Okay, so I now had a mystery of my own to figure out. Several inquiries and web pages later, I had my answer. This is actually one of two Ellery Queen novels ghost written by none other than Avram Davidson! (The other one, if you're interested, is "The Fourth Side Of The Triangle.") Davidson is much better known for his fanstasy-type short stories...very much in the line of the "weird fantasy" (a genre that hardly exists anymore) published by Arkham House during their first three or four decades of publishing. Consider these quotes: "He was one of the finest short story writers ever to use the English language." "[He] may may have been one of the great short story writers of our times...the equal of, say, Saki and perhaps even John Collier." So, these two novels (if you can find them in print, that is) are more than a little bit of fun. If you're looking for something well worth your time, check them out!

This is a GREAT book. It is a MUST read for all 4th grade teachers and students. It has universal appeal, that I think anyone, who enjoys reading about history, in a kind of you are there style, will enjoy. I have read this book yearly to my 4th grade classes since it was first published. The story is based in the Rancho period of California history. It is unique in that it is about a girl, and how daily life on a rancho affects her. The girl is young and the kids easily relate to her. The story itself is fiction. But, it is set on a Rancho that really did exist in what would later become Ventura County. The names of the people that the girl and her family interact with are real names of local founding families, and are historically accurate. A LOT of research has gone into making it as historically accurate as it can be. There are other good fiction stories for other periods of California history, but usually a boy is the main focus. It is WONDERFUL to have a book that has a girl as the main character and to have one that strives to be historically accurate while still telling a good, engaging story.

If, like me, you are a California- or San Francisco-phile, then doubtless you already know of this book. It is THE classic account of the Gold Rush era, mostly because it isn't tarnished by revisionism--it was published in 1855! It has served as the first informational source for both researchers and novelists alike. But this review is intended for those who might not be familiar with the history of California, or may have read only the novels, journalism, or light non-fiction treatments. Don't be put off by the publication date or the book's level of detail--it is a very enjoyable read! The authors were not scholars or historians, but rather a doctor, a lawyer, and a journalist. It is jam-packed with anecdotes and factoids that will make you appreciate even more the accounts of Mark Twain, Joaquin Miller, Ambrose Bierce, Bret Harte, Henry George, etc. It is truly the root of the fruit.

When missionaries came to colonize California, it was to Baja California "Antigua California" that they came. This is the story of the Jesuits who persevered in a barren, waterless, resource poor place. But the really great thing about the book is that it is the whole story of the pioneer mission period: it is also the story of the aboriginal peoples who were the targets of the Jesuits, and of the people (mostly Mexican) whom the Jesuits hired and brought along to handle and create daily life-soldiers, sailors, artisans, laborers. For once, a comprehensive history truly is. Using original eighteenth century materials (church records, diaries, letters, reports) the author has tracked down the movement of individuals, their genealogies, their careers, their contributions. More than most, it is a book of portraits of real people, pieced together sympathetically from scattered and scanty records. For a scholar, the book is eminently useful: full of maps, chronological tables of people and places, explanations of systems and bureaucracies. For the history buff, it is a dream of readability and detail. Highly recommended.

I love this book. The writing is totally conversational, effortless to read, yet full of insight and humor. A.E. Hanson practiced landscape architecture for many years in southern California, and during the 20s he became very successful creating gardens for wealthy clients. His biggest and most notable commission was the Harold Lloyd estate which he created (including hiring and directing the architect) over the course of several years before the depression.

Every landscape architect and landscape contractor will enjoy this book. His descriptions of the problems he faced, and the way he dealt with them, are amusing and inspiring. He describes, for instance, walking through a gulley in Benedict Canyon, a miserable eroded dry wash, and telling Harold Lloyd (who has just purchased it) that, "sure, no problem, we can put a golf course here" then going back to his car and sitting with his head in his hands for half an hour wondering how in the hell he was ever going to deliver on his promise. Needless to say, he delivered, and the story of how he did what he did makes a great story.

Everyone who has ever built anything big knows the huge effort required to carve beauty out of inanimate and uncooperative materials ( and dealing with clients, architects, and builders) . You will relate to A.E.'s story, and you will learn something.

A great book. Lots of black-and-white illustrations, many (if not most) from the period, illustrate the text very well. Like all Hennessy & Ingalls publications, it suffers a bit from mediocre printing, but it is a nice looking paper-back book and that's a small quibble. Well worth the price.

Read this book after reading "Frozen in Time" (about the Franklin expedition lost in the arctic) and "Alive" (about a 1972 plane crash in the Andes), both terrible and true tales of people forced to fight death and starvation.

This book is as stunning as the other two!

The book is well researched. Dramatic. Brings to light details and hypothesis of how these people coped in the face of death.

It is interesting seeing this team piece together the Donner party's activities.

Fantastic read if your into human adventure & spirit!