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Richmond. California, Contra Costa County, California, Richmond City Council (Richmond, California), Great American Boycott, North Richmond, California, El Sobrante, California, East Richmond Heights, California, Gayle McLaughlin, Green Party (United States), California Department of Finance, Richmond ? San Rafael Bridge, Point Richmond, Richmond, California, Richmond Station (California), Richmond ? Millbrae line ... Read more

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Seeking to penetrate the mysteries of two great wine regions--"two opposite civilizations, two distinct ways of feeling"--Jean-Robert Pitte embarks upon an evocative and fascinating exploration of the land, people, and wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His account is a rich tapestry of terroir, history, culture, and economics from Roman to modern times. The unique qualities of the wines of each region, Pitte believes, cannot be entirely explained by the differences in their physical environments: they have social origins as well. Beginning with an entertaining look at the remarkable variety of insults exchanged by partisans of the two regions, Pitte delves into the key role played by medieval monks, dukes, and peasant vignerons in building their respective reputations and in creating the rivalry between bourgeois Bordeaux and earthy Burgundy that we know today. His sparkling, fair-minded narrative, engaging the senses and the mind alike, conveys a deep appreciation of two incomparable winegrowing cultures, united despite their differences by a common ambition to produce the best wines in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

bordeaux/burgundy
A good window to view the seldom seen facts about what's really happening in the French wineworld rather than the winetalk one usually hears in these hallowed halls. The author is a type rarely met to-day amongst the tieless crowd of MBAs with diplomas in the use of a pocket calculator but who do not know whether Denmark is a country or a cheese.

Asko Karttunen

Entertaining, smartly written, but it plays a bit too much on stereotypes
There seem to be two themes running throughout this book.

First, "terroir" is less about soil, exposure and climate and more about taste, culture and economics. Thus, M. Pitte remarks, just as a great violinist cannot attribute 90% of the quality of his performance to the Stradivarius he plays, neither can a vigneron and winemaker attribute 90% of the quality of his wine to a particular plot of land.While M. Pitte defends "natural" winemaking, including the use of natural yeasts, selection massale and so on, he also rejects the notion that great wine "makes itself." This is an interesting discourse.Pitte seems to believe that the historical development of the "first growths," "super seconds" and "grands crus" is as much a cultural development as an inevitable outcome of the superiority of the chosen sites.He opines that there are plenty of places in Bordeaux and Burgundy that could have evolved into the equivalents of Mouton or Clos Vougeot -- and might still do so if popular demand, investment, talent and politics allow.He also identifies "great growths" that are on land one might not expect to produce top notch wine -- but they do nevertheless.It's aninteresting notion, and I'm not sure I disagree.

Second, Bordeaux is cerebral, the wine of strait-laced bankers and financiers, right down to its square shouldered bottles and the Bordelais' obsession with cleanliness and clarity reflected in their tradition of carefully decanting old wines.Burgundy, on the other hand, is wild, sensual, voluptuous, and something of the rogue, a place where a winemaker will gleefully pour the dregs of the bottle into his glass and declare it the best and richest part.

This theme plays itself out in a variety of anecdotes, historical references, quotations from essays and poetry and you name it.When the Bordelais celebrate a great occasion, they do so in a restrained way, says Pitte; while the Burgundians are inclined to sing, dance and whoop it up.A banquet in Bordeaux is a reserved affair; in Burgundy, it likely entails course after course of rich food and wine.

Whether you lean towards Burgundy (as I do) or towards Bordeaux (like many others), this will amuse and entertain.You will see plenty of names you know -- Robert Parker, Michel Rolland, Emile Peynaud, Nicolas Joly, Claude Bourguignon, Henri Jayer, Aubert de Villaine.

Somehow, however, much of this book seems to rely on stereotyping as much as anything else.The writing includes a lot of those old fashioned sexual metaphors that were once common in wine writing -- this wine is a buttoned up schoolgirl, that one is a buxom barmaid, and so on.If this sort of stuff offends, you won't like the book. I simply find it quaint and a bit silly.

There are undeniable differences between the wine trade in Bordeaux, where grand 100 acre estates are owned by reinsurers, banks and luxury goods houses; and Burgundy, where even a heavy hitter may own only a fraction of a hectare of a grand cru like Le Montrachet or Le Musigny.But to read Pitte, one might conclude that the folks who make and sell Bordeaux are from Mars, while their counterparts in Burgundy are from Venus -- and each may well be a different species that is unable to interbreed.

It's a bit much.

Still, Pitte makes some smart and provocative observations along the way, and the book is a hoot to read.
... Read more

Product Description
Few cities are so dramatically identified with their environment as San Francisco--the landscape of hills, the expansive bay, the engulfing fog, and even the deadly fault line shifting below. Yet most residents think of the city itself as separate from the natural environment on which it depends. In Our Better Nature: Environment and the Making of San Francisco, Philip J. Dreyfus recounts the history of San Francisco from Indian village to world-class metropolis, focusing on the interactions between the city and the land and on the generations of people who have transformed them both. Dreyfus examines the ways that San Franciscans remade the landscape to fit their needs, and how their actions reflected and affected their ideas about nature, from the destruction of wetlands and forests to the creation of Golden Gate and Yosemite parks, the Sierra Club, and later, the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Today, many San Franciscans seek to strengthen the ties between cities and nature by pursuing more sustainable and ecologically responsible ways of life. Consistent with that urge, Our Better Nature not only explores San Francisco's past but also poses critical questions about its future. Dreyfus asks us to reassess our connection to the environment and to find ways to redefine ourselves and our cities within nature. Only with such an attitude will San Francisco retain the magic that has charmed residents and visitors alike since before recorded history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Chapters survey how nature in the City was 'managed' and are key to understanding the City's growth and choices
OUR BETTER NATURE: ENVIRONMENT AND THE MAKING OF SAN FRANCISCO is a key acquisition for any California collection, especially those with Bay Area facts and history. It covers the history of the city with a focus on land management and urban growth, considering how San Franciscans remade the landscape. Chapters survey how nature in the City was 'managed' and are key to understanding the City's growth and choices.
... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Geographical Review, published by American Geographical Society on October 1, 1995. The length of the article is 6820 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Urban parks were once thought to be representations of nature that would promote a better society. Like cities, these parks were subject to modernization: sections of them became segments dedicated to specialized uses. These social-spatial changes are linked to a changing concept of how parks contribute to the improvement of society. Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, where such changes began during the 1880s, is examined as a case study, but the generalizations apply to most large parks in the central cities of American metropolitan areas. Examples of changes are ornamental plant species, play areas for children, and athletics for adolescents and adults.

Citation Details
Title: Modern urban parks.
Author: Terence Young
Publication: The Geographical Review (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 1995
Publisher: American Geographical Society
Volume: v85Issue: n4Page: p535(17)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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A delightful guide, field book, cookbook, and botanical essay rolled into one, _The Flavors of Home_ is ideal for both experienced forages and casual hikers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful
This book is enjoyable for the quality of the writing as well as for the interesting plant lore. It is graceful, intelligent, and clear. Ms. Roos-Collins is an author you'll love spending time with.

Foraging for Beginners
This book is everything I had hoped for and more. I've been obsessed with foraging since I was a little kid, walking home from school sucking on sour grass or playing on the farm where my dad worked, pretending I was a survivalist. This book is especially amazing because I live in the S.F. Bay Area and it specifically illustrates the plants in my area.

I've learned so much from this book so far. Margit provides fantastic recipes, instructions and details on failed or successful experiments. In the spirit of "treading lightly" she never gives away the secret locations of certain rare plants (but hinting at their whereabouts) and always advises us to "take only what you need." I love her spirit, from the magical way she describes oak trees, to her respect and ethical principles. Her voice is honest and direct with a splash of humor here and there.

This book is a delightful treat for anyone who is interested in botany, the study of native plants, survivalist skills, native american lore and experimental cooking. Who would have thought that there was such an abundance of wild food in such an urban area? Thank you Margit for preserving and documenting such precious information. I plan on passing this knowledge down to my children and future generations.

Urban survival...
Clearly written & makes plants easy to identify.This reference makes hiking in the area a joyous experience

A Wonderful Guide to Edible Plantlife!
"The Flavors of Home" is a highly readable and well-illustrated account of the variety and richness of edible plants in the San Francisco Bay Area.Before reading it, I could never have imagined that an urbanrealm of some 6 million people would house such a rich supply of edibles(and a surprising abundance in our own backyards!)

Ms. Roos-Collinsthoughtfully informs you of the types and usages of local plantlife,provides recipes, and warns you where danger lurks. The hand-drawnillustrations by Rose Craig are excellent.

I highly recommend thiswonderful resource to anyone wanting to know more about the variety andseasonal availability of edible foliage in the Bay Area. ... Read more

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The Power of Place is a well-timed, well-reasoned call for fusinghistory and the environment to create a more democratic and inclusiveinterpretation of the places in which most of us live and work. Ms.Hayden greatly strengthens preservation with arguments that give thehistoric environment a critical dimension beyond beauty and rarity." --The New York Times Book Review

Based on her extensive experience in the urban communities of LosAngeles, historian and architect Dolores Hayden proposes newperspectives on gender, race, and ethnicity to broaden the practice ofpublic history and public art, enlarge urban preservation, and reorientthe writing of urban history to spatial struggles.

In the first part of The Power of Place, Hayden outlines theelements of a social history of urban space to connect people's livesand livelihoods to the urban landscape as it changes over time. She thenexplores how communities and professionals can tap the power of historicurban landscapes to nurture public memory.

The second part documents a decade of research and practice by The Powerof Place, a nonprofit organization Hayden founded in downtown LosAngeles. Through public meetings, walking tours, artists's books, andpermanent public sculpture, as well as architectural preservation, teamsof historians, designers, planners, and artists worked together tounderstand, preserve, and commemorate urban landscape history as AfricanAmerican, Latina, and Asian American families have experienced it.

One project celebrates the urban homestead of Biddy Mason, an AfricanAmerican ex-slave and midwife active betwen 1856 and 1891. Anotherreinterprets the Embassy Theater where Rose Pesotta, Luisa Moreno, andJosefina Fierro de Bright organized Latina dressmakers and canneryworkers in the 1930s and 1940s. A third chapter tells the story of ahistoric district where Japanese American family businesses flourishedfrom the 1890s to the 1940s. Each project deals with bitter memories --slavery, repatriation, internment -- but shows how citizens survived andpersevered to build an urban life for themselves, their families, andtheir communities.

Drawing on many similar efforts around the United States, from New Yorkto Charleston, Seattle to Cincinnati, Hayden finds a broad new movementacross urban preservation, public history, and public art to acceptAmerican diversity at the heart of the vernacular urban landscape. Sheprovides dozens of models for creative urban history projects in citiesand towns across the country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nuanced Spatial Critique
Dolores Hayden's book, The Power of Place, is a comprehensive guide for anyone whose goal is to engage in an examination of spaces and places.It retains a historical perspective that allows the reader to apply the placesfocused upon by Hayden to his or her own specific spatial examination. While she focuses specific attention on the Los Angeles area, I found herwork compatible with any examination of spatial use or spatial history andcontextualization.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested inthe power of place. ... Read more

Product Description
Here with a new preface, a new foreword, and an updated bibliography is the definitive history of Los Angeles from its beginnings as an agricultural village of fewer than 2,000 people to its emergence as a metropolis of more than 2 million in 1930a city whose distinctive structure, character, and culture foreshadowed much of the development of urban America after World War II. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A great look at a pivotal time in Los Angeles History
Fragmented metropolis provides an excellent look at how Los Angeles rose from a Pueblo town to be the predominant West Coast city and one of the largest cities in the country.The development of the railroads and the municipal struggles that prevented centralized mass transit leading to the rise of the automobile are all covered here.The author is one the distinct noted urban historians in the country and despite this being his earliest work it is still a masterpiece.What has been defined as a classic of urban history showing how a city can be broken into pieces and still remain unified provides insight into the Los Angeles we know today. As an interesting side bar in this story is the comparison of San Diego to LA and how each battled it out from dominance of southern California during the time period of 1850-1930.Overall this book provides an excellent comparison of industry, demographics, local politics and business history to show how Los Angeles developed in the modern city that it would become following World War II through the actions taken in this time period. Well worth the time for those who want to take a look at an earlier yet pivotal part of Los Angeles development.

Not for first-time readers of L.A. history
This book is really quite dull and outdated.It's a must-read only for die-hard enthusiasts of L.A. history who want to pick up a few more tidbits.For those with a budding interest, I recommend Blake Gumprect's highly readible and fascinating "The Los Angeles River" or Carey McWilliams' enjoyable "Southern California." If you add William McCawley's "The First Angelinos," Horace Bell's "Reminiscences of a Ranger," and John and LaRee Caughey's "Los Angeles: Biography of a City," you will have a much more well-rounded perspective on L.A. than you will get from Fogelson's book alone.Fogelson's book reads like a cross between popular history and a city planning textbook, yet with none of the interesting aspects of either style.

Hey! It's a Classic in Urban History!
Yes, this certainly is a classic in urban history.Fogelson succicently tells the story of Los Angeles, from it's beginnings as a Mexican backwater berg to the enormous Metropolis it became.Fogelson includes chapters on all of the important subjects: L.A. and its Mexican roots, the quest for water, the signifigance of new modes of transportation, the failure of the light water system, the development of the board, the conflict with San Diego, the public utility movement and, of course, the progressive movement.

Fogelson's history is academic in tone, but it's just such concise and well documented writing that you have to love it.A must for readers of Southern California history.I might add that although this was a book about L.A., the chapter on the L.A./SD conflict for Southern California supremacy was actually the best thing I've been able to dig up thus far on San Diego history!How about that, huh?

I might also add that you might want to track down a first editionhardback of this book, rather then paying for this overpriced reprint.The original hardback is handsomely designed and makes a fine edition to your book shelve. ... Read more

Product Description
As old as a roadway that was once a Native trail, as new as the suburban subdivisions spreading across the American countryside, the cultural landscape is endlessly changing. The study of cultural landscapes--a far more recent development--has also undergone great changes, ever broadening, deepening, and refining our understanding of the intricate webs of social and ecological spaces that help to define human groups and their activities. Everyday America surveys the widening conceptions and applications of cultural landscape writing in the United States and, in doing so, offers a clear and compelling view of the state of cultural landscape studies today.

These essays--by distinguished journalists, historians, cultural geographers, architects, landscape architects, and planners--constitute a critical evaluation of the field's theoretical assumptions, and of the work of John Brinckerhoff Jackson, the pivotal figure in the emergence of cultural landscape studies. At the same time, they present exemplary studies of twentieth-century landscapes, from the turn-of-the-century American downtown to the corporate campus and the mini-mall. Assessing the field's accomplishments and shortcomings, offering insights into teaching the subject, and charting new directions for its future development, Everyday America is an eloquent statement of the meaning, value, and potential of the close study of human environments as they embody, reflect, and reveal American culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Superlative
This book changed my life and photographic direction.
I'd give it ten stars if I could. Buy it immediately if you want
to understand ordinary landscapes in a new and deeper way.

Jeff Brouws

Look out the window on road trips!!
J. B. Jackson's legacy lives on in geographers, historic preservationists and others, and is alive and well. This book is a great introduction to Jackson's lifelong study of the American landscape, including the modern, vernacular everyday things that many scholars ignore or criticize.

A variety of authors tell Jackson's story, and about how his influence has impacted their lives and careers. A must-read for cultural landscape students, historic preservationists, architectural historians, or anyone who appreciates a good road trip on the roads of the U.S... the ones travelled before the construction of the interstate highway system...

Everyday America / eds. Wilson and Groth
A collection of reflections on how to see, interpret, and appreciate the American cultural landscape. After reading this book the term "the middle of nowhere" will never leave your mouth or enter your thoughts. The front porch of the local house will be as interesting as Time's Square. Read this book and understand your ordinary environment. Not just for cultural geographers, but everyone with eyes or a heart for how we live and organize our spaces and places. ... Read more

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In The Exploding Metropolis, first published in 1958, William H. Whyte, Jane Jacobs, Francis Bello, Seymour Freedgood, and Daniel Seligman address the problems of urban decline and suburban sprawl, transportation, city politics, open space, and the character and fabric of cities. A newforeword by Sam Bass Warner, Jr., and preface by Whyte demonstrate the relevance of The Exploding Metropolis to urban issues in the 90s. ... Read more

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This study analyzes five different types of American urban communities to demonstrate the manner in which economic and political power have constructed the urban landscape. It uses such examples as Disneyworld and Henry Ford's industrial complex to show how powerful interests have shaped the land. ... Read more

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From pueblos to Victorian storefronts to ski resorts: a vision of the Southwest that evokes both America’s frontier heritage and the expansive vistas of its future.When you think of the American Southwest, it isn’t the towns that initially come to mind. Rather, it’s the incredible landscape: carved-out chasms, towering red rocks, and dramatic desert expanses. But you shouldn’t miss the beautiful old towns—the clusters of adobe houses around Spanish-style plazas and the rows of Victorian miners’ cottages that still cling to precipitous hillsides. Many of these communities started as remote outposts, then flourished in a burst of riches, only to fade again.

Today the Southwest is a region of energetic growth and multicultural vitality, and its quaint towns are enjoying renewed attention as their rich history, striking settings, and distinctive architecture attract Americans touring their homeland’s picturesque byways as well as visitors from around the world.

Nik Wheeler’s stunning photography and Joan Tapper’s perceptive commentaries celebrate the beauty and heritage of thirty special communities in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and western Colorado. They range from tiny villages of a few hundred people to towns of as much as 40,000, but most are the kind of place where a chance conversation still opens doors: Bisbee, Spring City, Truchas, Tubac, Tombstone, Cimarron, Silverton, Ouray, Winnemucca, Moab, Sedona, and so many more. 308 color illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautiful Book
A beautiful book with interesting writeups. Great for your coffee table or just to read if you are planning on visiting that part of the world. ... Read more