San Francisco Through Time depicts the evolution of a cosmopolitan city that began as the settlement of Yerba Buena (Spanish for good herb), and was renamed San Francisco (Spanish for...
San Francisco's first cable car line opened in 1873. The successful development of the electric streetcar by Frank Sprague in 1888 plus the 1906 San Francisco earthquake resulted in the...
San Mateo is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, just 15 miles south from San Francisco. It was named by the De Anza exploration party when they set up camp...
This book was inspired by San Rafael Illustrated & Described, a rare promotional brochure published by W. W. Elliott & Co. in 1884. The brochure's purpose was to attract new...
Echoing a sentiment that could be expressed by many Santa Cruz residents today, Sara White wrote this about Santa Cruz to a friend in 1896: “The country is so beautifully...
Over one hundred years ago, volunteer firemen sold a book, titled Santa Monica Fire Department, Souvenir Book of Santa Monica, 1902, door to door. Legend has it that the newly-established...
Somewhere between the allure of the Hollywood sign and Pacific Ocean, there it is. You may have seen it in your favorite movie, walked by it a thousand times, or...
Grapes have been grown in the Temecula Valley since the mission days in the 1830s, but the development of the region as a renowned wine-producing area occurred centuries later. Temecula...
Professional and amateur photographers have captured images of Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, since the invention of the camera. In this photographic journal, we experience the transformation of Lake Tahoe...
One of the most scenic rail lines in the United States is the former Santa Fe 4th District between Fullerton and San Diego, California. Known as the “Surf Line,” this...
“Hooray for Hollywood,” the 1937 anthem by Johnny Mercer for the film Hollywood Hotel, says it all cinematically as dozens of star wannabes head for Hollywood in a full production...
Plenty of tales of heroism have been shared about the Second World War, but few illustrate the anxiety and injustices endured on U.S. soil. Dick is a fatherless boy and...
In November of 1989, as workers were finishing their repairs to the quake damaged section of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge, an 18-inch metal sculpture of a troll was smuggled...
The Tenderloin District of San Francisco Through Time is a brief history of a neighborhood known to early San Franciscans as St. Ann’s Valley. The story of this once-placid piece...
Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in the world, but is incongruously a ten-minute drive from a vast impenetrable mountain wilderness, the Angeles National Forest. This 700,000-acre forest...
Creating a “fun” history book can be a tall order, but author Bo Grebitus has made a real go of it in his new book, Touching History. In rediscovering Tahoe...
In Northern California, there are four tourist railroads that have established themselves as go-to destinations for railroad enthusiasts and tourists alike: Niles Canyon Railway, Napa Valley Wine Train, California State...
Beautifully illustrated with over 200 photographs, giving extensive insight into the Essex-class carrier Read the stories of some of the crew who served aboard her between 1943 and 1970 A...
The columns in this book focus on the colorful and fascinating history of Vallejo, a shipyard town just north of San Francisco. The writing began following the publishing of author...
Captures the unique community of shuttle fans camping in the Mojave Desert, celebrating the dawn of the New Space Age. Waiting for Spaceships vividly portrays a forgotten community of pilgrims...
In Weird Crescenta Valley, we learn about the odd events, people, and places of the valley, along with natural and supernatural oddities. For instance, a new-age religion was briefly located...
