Product Description
Introduces the geography, animals, tourist sites, and other facts about America's westernmost state. ... Read more

Product Description
Using nearly five hundred historical maps and many other illustrations--from rough sketches drawn in the field to commercial maps to beautifully rendered works of art--this lavishly illustrated volume is the first to tell the story of California's past from a unique visual perspective. Covering five hundred years of history, it offers a compelling and informative look at the transformation of the state from before European contact through the Gold Rush and up to the present. The maps are accompanied by a concise, engaging narrative and by extended captions that elucidate the stories and personalities behind their creation. At once a valuable reference and an exhilarating adventure through history, the Historical Atlas of California, featuring many rare and unusual maps, will be a treasured addition to any library. Distilling an enormous amount of information into one volume, it presents a fascinating chronicle of how California came to be what it is today.
Copub: Douglas & McIntyre ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Derek Hayes Map Book of California
It was great when it was talking about the history of California, from the time of Cortes. It had great explanations about each of its maps, and the maps showed the California culture, with the Spanish maps, and cartoons.

A "must have" book for serious people
Hayes' "Historical Atlas of California" is a real treasure.
His book spans 500 years of the history of CA.
It is very readable and a "must have" for any student of historical geography. I strongly recommend it. It is well written and very well illustrated. A real find.
Anybody interested in California's past and future would be well advised to at least peruse this "coffee table" sized book.
It has a wealth of information and lots of rare maps.

Cartographical cornucopia
This chronologically depicts California's discovery, development, and divisions. It follows the guesses of the earliest European explorers (I wonder what a native map would look like, but none's represented) and you see the island gradually become a peninsula or archipelago before assuming over the centuries its coastline. Then, the interior begins to take shape, and cities and farms and railroads fill the spaces. A sort of time-lapse ideologically and practically from the past five centuries.

You better understand the gaps: Virginia is shown a few days from California in one early attempt, while the Gold Rush pioneers used routes that were narrowly drawn and could not be deviated from-- around the rest of the West there might be empty spaces, figuratively or cartographically. San Francisco benefits especially throughout its growth, and a 1906 aerial drawing shows dramatically the fire sweeping some--but not all-- of The City. Hayes informs us in his text how the fatalities had been underreported (under 500) when they may have been three or even six thousand. The speculators and profiteers did not want to ruin their chances of rebuilding and selling to new residents. Such chicanery can also be found in the early Spanish who kept their findings off the maps, or kept the maps secret, to avoid tipping off discoveries to the rival British.

Not only rail and auto and industrial, but oil, military, and unusual maps appear. Those in which the patterns of Los Angeles 125 years ago can be found in the train routes, and how these mirror the freeways today, are instructive. I also learned that a 185-mile interurban line once ran from Chico to the Bay Area, to my great surprise. Among other finds: the color-coded charts directing the Japanese relocations during WWII, Jo Mora's Sierra cartoon (but his Hollywood one's not here), and a 1887 Hollywood real estate map from its first booster who, typically, showed many more mountains than even a pre-smoggy day could be glimpsed from Tinseltown-- let alone the beaches!

The text is informative, but I caught an error: Henry Kaiser's steel mill would have not been built at Fontana "eight miles inland" to avoid Japanese attack. Perhaps Hayes meant "eighty"? I do wish some of the maps were larger; the book's affordable and portable enough, but this invariably cuts down the ability even with magnification to discern the kinds of precision that any lover of maps likely has who'd buy this book.

Highly recommended
I was delighted with the book. It is a treasure trove of information provided you use it properly. I use a magnifying glass to view the maps in close detail to get the most out of the book. If you look closely at the maps you are treated to an "evolution" of the state from the time that it was thought to be an island to the present. By inspecting each map very closely you see places that now don't exist, lakes that have disappeared, and roads that have gone from dirt paths to super highways. If you love history as I do, you'll love this book, I also recommend "the Historical Atlas of the United States" by the same author. Same format, same great look at the nation through time.

Historical Atlas of California
This beautiful book contains copies of 476 historic maps dealing with California history from the earliest times to the present. This book is for any historian interested in California history, and any individual interested in maps. These are located in repositories all over the United States, thus we can virtually travel and update our history by reading this wonderful book. I was particularly delighted to find an 1847 rendering of the battle of Los Angeles between the Americans and the Mexicans. Each map is thoroughly cataloged in an appendix along with a fine bibliograhy. ... Read more

Product Description
The California Edition includes Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation, 9th Edition in its entirety, and Field Guides to the following state sites: The California Cascades: Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount Shasta; Point Reyes National Seashore; The San Andreas Fault; Sierra Nevada via Tioga Pass; Yosemite Valley; Mono Lake; Santa Ana Winds; Southern Coast; Dana Point to La Jolla; Death Valley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Satisfied customer!
Not only did I get the book within a couple of days but the seller also sent me another book (Atlas) that is very useful in my geopgraphy class.

Thanks!

Better than Expected
The book arrived in only 3 days and in a condition BETTER than I expected.Thank You! ... Read more

Product Description
In an era of escalating food politics, many believe organic farming to be the agrarian answer. In this first comprehensive study of organic farming in California, Julie Guthman casts doubt on the current wisdom about organic food and agriculture, at least as it has evolved in the Golden State. Refuting popular portrayals of organic agriculture as a small-scale family farm endeavor in opposition to "industrial" agriculture, Guthman explains how organic farming has replicated what it set out to oppose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Local Organic Movement
I'm currently writing my dissertation on the dynamics of the local organic movement in Southern Arizona.This book was a wonderful resource in helping me frame my literature review.

Well written with careful research
I agree with the previous reviewer, this book did a great job of exposing the hypocrisy of 'Big Ag' in organic agriculture without seeming the author was biased or selling an agenda.I am an aspiring organic farmer myself, and found this book informative about both the history of organic agriculture as a movement and its march towards mainstream acceptance, along with the corporate infiltration that comes with it.I thought the author did a good job of not just detailing the current state of organic agriculture in California, but in explaining the seemingly inevitability of its development to today's conditions. This is a great read for anyone interested in the economics of organic agriculture or farming in general.

Original, Intellectually Engaging: It Rips Stale Myths Apart
Well, everything you think you know about organic agriculture gets brilliantly demolished and reformulated in this innovative and ground breaking book. Think you know about small family farmers in California? Well, get ready to learn about the real corporate farming tradition, especially in the Central Valley. Think a new generation of organic farms makes for some sort of new utopia? Well, you're living in an "agrarian dream" if you think conditions for agricultural workers get transformed automatically in a more "organic" world.

I eat organic food all the time and myth after myth that I have accepted gets exposed in this book. Think the regulators are always on the side of the little guy? Think eating organic food automatically creates a more sustainable food system? Think you're "going back to nature" if you eat organic? Well, Guthman lays out how all of us have to think critically and take concerted action if we really want to change the power relations of today's industrial agriculture.

And yet I finished this book more exhilirated and inspired to
think about and work toward a new world of sustainable agriculture. And with my eyes now wide open that when I'm eating an organic apple that doesn't transform the world or ease the exploitation of those working the land. I see this as a seminal work in showing us clearly how to tear off our blinders and move from our agrarian "dreams' to a new agrarian reality. ... Read more

Product Description
While the official history of planning as a defined profession celebrates the state and its traditions of city building and regional development, this collection of essays reveals a flip side. This scrutiny of the class, race, gender, ethnic, or other biased agendas previously hidden in planning histories points to the need for new planning paradigms for our multicultural cities of the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very bad service
I returned this book 3 weeks ago and never get my money back. I sent email asking the seller and never get reply either. Very bad service. I really do not want to do this but this seller make me feel upset.

RIPPED OFF FOR $72!!
CRAP!! BS!! ETC!!The only reason I gave it one star was because it does not accept a review having ZERO stars. I have not received my order.I filed a claim with Amazon and have not gotten a response other than to rate my purchase.Hm, you do the math...How happy could I be for having been ripped off for $72. And, yes, I did attempt to contact the seller... NO RESPONSE!!!Imagine that... I'm pissed.

AMAZON- BOOK OR MONEY... K?

Good textbook
All natives of the golden state should at least be somewhat familiar with this information that makes one fully appreciate our beautiful and magnificent state.

Didn't use
Ordered according to my syllabus only to find out that we would be using a different book, so never had an opportunity to find out if the book was a good resource for the class. ... Read more

Product Description
This book chronicles the fascinating story of the enthusiastic, stalwart, and talented naturalists who were drawn to California's spectacular natural bounty over the decades from 1786, when the La Pérouse Expedition arrived at Monterey, to the Death Valley expedition in 1890-91, the proclaimed "end" of the American frontier. Richard G. Beidleman's engaging and marvelously detailed narrative describes these botanists, zoologists, geologists, paleontologists, astronomers, and ethnologists as they camped under stars and faced blizzards, made discoveries and amassed collections, kept journals and lost valuables, sketched flowers and landscapes, recorded comets and native languages. He weaves together the stories of their lives, their demanding fieldwork, their contributions to science, and their exciting adventures against the backdrop of California and world history.
California's Frontier Naturalists covers all the major expeditions to California as well as individual and institutional explorations, introducing naturalists who accompanied boundary surveys, joined federal railroad parties, traveled with river topographical expeditions, accompanied troops involved with the Mexican War, and made up California's own geological survey. Among these early naturalists are famous names--David Douglas, Thomas Nuttall, John Charles Fremont, William Brewer--as well as those who are less well-known, including Paolo Botta, Richard Hinds, and Sara Lemmon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
Since I love these types of histories, I dove right into the book, much of the story being known to me from previous readings. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the in-depth stories and insightes into early California history.

On David Douglas
So far I've only read the chapter that focuses on David Douglas' stay in the state when he was based in Monterey, which happens to be my home town.I've been living in the Pacific northwest for many years and knew about him from his botanizing in that area, as well as my interest in native plants.Growing up in Monterey I have no recall of any mention of him, but that may have changed by now.

In his travels, Douglas was a prolific diarist noting the plants he encountered as well as many aspects of daily life and various encounters with natives and other notable events.Regrettable, all his journals written in California were lost in a boating accident.

I was very happy to read that Douglas must have studied and taken in the beauty of the entire coast line of the Monterey Peninsula.There are references elsewhere to Point Pinos (a present lighthouse location near Asilomar) and a lone cypress (apparently the renowned Lone Cypress in Pebble Beach), and he must have spent time at the mission near the mouth of the Carmel River.From there he likely explored the coast southward; hard to imagine that journey now without the coast highway.Additionally, he spent time at the Mission San Antonio which is located somewhat midway between the south Big Sur coast and the Salinas valley, where I sure he found a full plate of new species.

A great value of all this is to force the reader into the eyes of the protagonist and try to imagine what such a magnificent country side could have looked like 180 years ago.

I've lived out of state for 30 years now, but my interests in the natural world and familiarity with the Golden State will prompt me to finish reading this book.History is much richer that reading about conflicts and the decline and fall of governments, isn't it?

... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
First published in 1999, this celebrated history of San Francisco traces the exploitation of both local and distant regions by prominent families--the Hearsts, de Youngs, Spreckelses, and others--who gained power through mining, ranching, water and energy, transportation, real estate, weapons, and the mass media. The story uncovered by Gray Brechin is one of greed and ambition on an epic scale. Brechin arrives at a new way of understanding urban history as he traces the connections between environment, economy, and technology and discovers links that led, ultimately, to the creation of the atomic bomb and the nuclear arms race. In a new preface, Brechin considers the vulnerability of cities in the post-9/11 twenty-first century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Imperial Indeed
While friends nagged me to read this book, I spent years dodging away. OK, they were right, I was wrong.

I thought I'd read all the San Francisco and California history I ever needed, which was a lot, and that one more recounting of the glory days of Mark Twain, the Gold Rush, the opium dens and Willis Polk in his prime would be gratutious boredom. Thank god they kept nagging.

What the reader gets here is all of the above but with totally new spin, as though Howard Zinn put on environmentalist glasses and went off to fight the good fight once again. Kevin Starr nothwithstanding, this is California history as the world ought to know it, and for the world's benefit.

Organized in chapters that deal with themes, not chronology, it gives us the real costs and nature of mining, the ravaging search for water rights, the pursuit of military contracts to arm the bay, the rise of populist journalism, and the absurd rivalries that gave birth to the University of California and Stanford. I could go on, but why?

Read this book if you have the remotest interest in the subject matter and prepare to be enlightened.

The author's critical analysis requires the reader's own
While well written and an interesting perspective, you really have to retain your own critical thinking before rushing to the negative side this book presents.

To suggest that somehow one group of ruthless, zealous rich people are responsible for creating the imperialist and destructive city is ridiculous.The rest of us were just innocent, unwilling and unwitting bystanders/accomplices?Foolish.

Take for instance Giannini, the man who started a 'community bank' that eventually became BofA.This is story that's almost analogous to the It's A Wonderful Life thread that a little ole savings and loan can help people in their own striving for the american dream.He saved the fortune from the fire and him and others used their wealth to rebuild the city.Hundreds of millions of dollars.Consider that if it weren't for the gold rush, there might not have been the money.Consider this today - do you think any uber wealthy individuals would spend their fortunes on rebuilding the world trade center?Of course not.There's STILL a gaping hole there.

To me this is why the city can be both considered imperialist, but also still dreamy.It has detractors and benefactors, and at times these were motivations held at the same time by these 'barrons'.It is its charm that it can have this diversity along with everything else.

History told as stories
Simply put, Imperial San Francisco may be one of the best city history books out there. Brechin doesn't simply go chronologically through San Francisco's moments and players through time. He actually focuses on a particular elements (e.g. William Randolph Hearst, creation of Hetch Hetchy, Comstock Load, or Stanfords) and tells the story of that person or issue. In so doing, he brings you in closer to the events and people that mattered while keeping you interested. At the same time, "Imperial San Francisco" makes sure you know the big picture and how these events have influenced San Francisco and the region to this day.

I highly recommend this book. I've given it as a gift to multiple friends. Good pick for anyone who likes History, San Francisco, historical stories, or cities.

Book Purchase
I am very happy with this product. I ordered it and it was at my house within days. Very awesome!!!

Best book about San Francisco, but not just about San Francisco
Besides being the most comprehensive introduction to understanding the city of San Francisco, this is also probably the best book on the topic of political geography written in recent times.

Brechin recounts the fabled history of San Francisco by painting unforgettable pictures of those who came and went, the fortunes made and lost, the construction, destruction and reconstruction of a city blessed and plagued.

But more than being a book about the creation and development of San Francisco-- this is a book about how chance, conspiracy, and capital would allow a few to dominate the many: resulting in a planet that would never be the same.
... Read more

Product Description
What is fire? How are wildfires ignited? How do California's weather and topography influence fire? How did the California Indians use fire? In the spirit of his highly acclaimed Introduction to Air in California and Introduction to Water in California, David Carle now turns to another fundamental element of the natural world, giving a fascinating and concise view of this complex topic. His clearly written, dramatically illustrated book will help Californians, including the millions who live near naturally flammable wildlands, better understand their own place in the state's landscape. Carle covers the basics of fire ecology; looks at the effects of fire on wildlife, soil, water, and air; discusses firefighting organizations and land management agencies; explains current policies; and explores many other topics.
Features:
* 91 color illustrations and 15 maps
* Tips on what to do before, during, and after fires
* An overview of major wildfires in California's history
* A discussion of the effect of climate change on fires in natural landscapes
A book in the Californians and Their Environment subseries, dedicated to understanding human influences on the state's ecology and natural resources ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wildfire in California
Excellent summary about wildfire in California, particulalry how past management and ideas got us where we are today. ... Read more

Product Description
An American Empire, constructed over the last century, long ago overtook European colonialism, and it has been widely assumed that the new globalism it espoused took us "beyond geography." Neil Smith debunks that assumption, offering an incisive argument that American globalism had a distinct geography and was pieced together as part of a powerful geographical vision. The power of geography did not die with the twilight of European colonialism, but it did change fundamentally. That the inauguration of the American Century brought a loss of public geographical sensibility in the United States was itself a political symptom of the emerging empire. This book provides a vital geographical-historical context for understanding the power and limits of contemporary globalization, which can now be seen as representing the third of three distinct historical moments of U.S. global ambition.
The story unfolds through a decisive account of the career of Isaiah Bowman (1878-1950), the most famous American geographer of the twentieth century. For nearly four decades Bowman operated around the vortex of state power, working to bring an American order to the global landscape. An explorer on the famous Machu Picchu expedition of 1911 who came to be known first as "Woodrow Wilson's geographer," and later as Frankin D. Roosevelt's, Bowman was present at the creation of U.S. liberal foreign policy.
A quarter-century later, Bowman was at the center of Roosevelt's State Department, concerned with the disposition of Germany and heightened U.S. access to European colonies; he was described by Dean Acheson as a key "architect of the United Nations." In that period he was a leader in American science, served as president of Johns Hopkins University, and became an early and vociferous cold warrior. A complicated, contradictory, and at times controversial figure who was very much in the public eye, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Bowman's career as a geographer in an era when the value of geography was deeply questioned provides a unique window into the contradictory uses of geographical knowledge in the construction of the American Empire. Smith's historical excavation reveals, in broad strokes yet with lively detail, that today's American-inspired globalization springs not from the 1980s but from two earlier moments in 1919 and 1945, both of which ended in failure. By recharting the geography of this history, Smith brings the politics--and the limits--of contemporary globalization sharply into focus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pure food for thought in a greatly readable form
A true gold mine of knowledge for both history and geography, American Empire is based on about twentyfive years of solid original research. It is not a simple biography of Isaiah Bowman, the most famous American geographer of the twentieth century and a fascinatingly anomalous personality, but a well constructed and beautifully written investigation on how the power of geographical ideas affected the U.S. foreign and commercial policies, with strong implications for the understanding of globalization and contemporary geopolitics.

Neil Smith elucidates a "missing link" fundamental for the comprehension of contemporary history: the hidden thread that connects American geopolitics from the Paris Peace Treaties of 1919 to that of World War II, up to the creation of the U.N. and the beginnings of the Cold War. The understanding of this continuity is possible thanks to the accurate and in-depth analysis of the key role played by Bowman as advisor for the Department of State and the White House, under both the presidencies of Woodrow Wilson and FDR. In doing so, the author is able also to re-establish the key role of geographical visions in shaping the soon-to-be American hyperpower, throughout the Twentieth "American" Century.

Unfortunately, historical perspective and understanding of geographic knowledge seems often to be quite limited in the present world, as most people tend to lose memory of the past or represent it in simplied terms, and generally consider geography little more than something related to "map quizzes". For these reasons, this extraordinary work not only represents an undisputable masterpiece in historical and geographical research that fills a gap in contemporary history, but it is also a necessary reading for anyone interested in how our not-so-distant past and geographic visions could still underpin the currently troubled world scenario. An amazing work that is bound to last.

An interesting, if flawed, account
Interesting but not entirely correct

This books is very interesting, there is something special about it, like a tulip in a wine glass.It seems oddly inspiring and intellectual.The authors approach is to look at a hitherto unnoticed subject, that of geographies impact on foreign policy, particularly the creation of an `American Empire'.The authors opening paragraph explains his thesis.In 1898 McKinley, informed of a Naval victory at Manila in the Philippines, exclaimed that for the life of him he could not find the islands on a map.Thus McKinley was sending America into a colonial war without knowing where the territories were.The author goes on to show how in 1984 Oliver North certainly knew where Iran and Nicaragua were when he arranged the complicated arms for hostages deal.The implication is that America has been transformed into a nation very concerned with geography.

A man named Bowman is the culprit, according to the author.Originally serving on the Machu Piccu expedition he went on to serve Wilson to help redraw borders throughout Europe, the middle east and Asia.Then he went on to serve FDR and finally helped in 1945 to draw the new maps of Europe.The implication:That this man was a devout Cold Warrior and obsessed with American empire.

But the logic here is not only faulty, the books rambling ideas and coverage of academic shenanigans is simply to far fetched.Someone had to redraw the map of Europe, does it really matter whether or not an American took part?In 1945 someone had to draw a line down the center of Germany.Throughout the 1950s and beyond the world was divided between communism and non-communism but this doesn't have any implications for geography, the world would have existed divided without any geographers, because it was ideas that divided the world.Thus this book could have done more.The author could have looked closely at the sailing of the Exploring Expedition of 1838 and the sailing of the Great White Fleet to understand the implications of American empire.Instead the author relegated his account to an obscure subject that was not entirely relevant.An interesting book, but it does not live up to its potential. ... Read more

Product Description
Northwestern California is mainly known for its majestic redwood forests and incomparable coastline, but there is much more in its rich biota and scenery. The forests are part of the most diverse temperate coniferous forest in the world. Rugged mountains, numerous lakes, wilderness areas, and wild rivers attract outdoor enthusiasts and geologists came here to refine the theory of plate tectonics. Distilling a vast amount of knowledge, this book is the starting point for anyone who wants to explore the biological and geographical richness of northwestern California. John O. Sawyer describes the famous forests and varied landscapes from a geographic perspective. He explains its long geological history and the changing roles of fire and land use. The result of a lifetime of work, his rich narrative illustrates how the region, in many ways the least modified portion of the state, is a place where plants and animals have been shielded from extinction. Sawyer documents the restoration of dunes and forests, the control of nonnative plant invasions, and innovative approaches to restoring rivers so they can support thriving fisheries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Academic Approach
I bought this book thinking it might be a field guide.It is packed with intriguing information, but is not intended as a guide for the general public.Academic in nature, it assumes comfort with undergraduate level technical information. And, it's a bit difficult to use in the field.For instance, there's a nice list of fen plants on page 60, but no mention offens in the index, despite a paragraph defining the difference between a bog and a fen on page 26. Lists of plants and animals are provided, but are difficult to find when you want them, since they aren't all included in the index. Some latin names are indexed, some not.

Flora, fauna and minerals are not described, only listed.You'll need other field guides to ID them.Some information would have been better presented as maps and charts, rather than text, such as the geographic zone definitions.

The only part of the book I used while actually hiking were the lists.Here, the use of common names, with latin names following in parenthesis was frustrating.It results in species of one genus being separated, rather than together, on a list because they have been alphabetized by the first word of their common name.On the other hand, it is nice to have flora and fauna listed by habitat and location.

Being a somewhat nerdy amateur, I did enjoy the history of human impacts in the area, paleobotany, research findings on many topics, and conservation content.This is a serious book by an authority with many years of research to his credit, aimed at serious students.Read it at home, before you go, and in the motel or campground while you visit this beautiful and rich area, or buy more general field guides if you just want to learn names of a few plants and animals when you visit the area. ... Read more

Product Description
California is home to a wide variety of highlyaccomplished--in some cases, world-renowned--poets. Ripe with beauty,politics, and an endless diversity of people and cultures, Californiahas nurtured poets born and raised on its soil, and drawn to itestablished writers from other places. The Geography of Home bringstogether the works of seventy-six important gures in contemporaryCalifornia poetry, including Philip Levine, Peter Everwine, MarkJarman, Adrienne Rich, Dennis Schmitz, Carolyn Kizer, Gary Soto, AlYoung, Kim Addonizio, Charles Wright, Carol Muske, David St. John,Larry Levis, Robert Hass, Gary Snyder, William Everson, Gary Soto,Luis Omar Salinas, Diane Wakoski, Garrett Hongo, Jane Hirsheld, andBrenda Hillman. Through the multiple selections for each poet, we canwitness connections to California, visions of the place poets have atone time or other called home. Additionally, the poets have writtenintroductory statements expressly for this anthology that will speakto their history in California, and to the inuence of the state ontheir poetry.In this long-awaited collection, California's unique andcomplex geography is examined, questioned, and ultimately celebrated,through forms as varied, dynamic, and compelling as the state itself. ... Read more

Product Description
Mikesell has two purposes in his cultural geography: to interpret the native and non-native influences in Northern Morocco and to determine what effects the activities of man have had upon the land. His ultimate goal is to reveal the native traditions of kinship and regional identity which have become hidden during the centuries of Arabic and European domination. ... Read more

Product Description
The second edition of this popular, topically arranged text is an account of the most vital, significant, and fascinating aspects of California's rich physical and cultural landscape. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

not enough insurance
Through a fortuitous coincidence of the authors surveying homeowners in Loma Prieta before its 1989 quake, they were able to do follow up surveys afterwards. The book analyses the responses. To ascertain any significant changes. In California, due to the cost of real estate and the risk of quakes, this is an important issue. They found that there was little increase in the taking out of insurance after the event. Even for those in the region of the epicentre.

Ironically, it may be that the strong building codes helped diminish both the material damage and death toll, but which also reduced incentive for more insurance. The book also investigates other factors, like the distance from the epicentre, in affecting homeowners' decisions about insurance. ... Read more

Product Description
Cheju Island, Korea's historic island of exile, with a harsh natural environment, early developed a negative image as human habitat. The author challenges this perception and shows how Neo-Confucian state ideology during the Yi dynasty (A.D. 1392-1910) created and conserved the island as a viable habitat by using feng-shui--a powerful medieval science of surveying--to shape the island's built environment and quality of life. The outcome, reflecting sustained political commitment to the philosophical concept of enlightened undervelopment, was a sincere landscape inhabited by a virtuous people. ... Read more