979.4: History of California

Items this collection will discuss the history of the state of California. In addition to discussing state history, this collection will also feature books that cover the history of notable cities/towns or places in California (ex. Silicon Valley, Ghost Towns, State/National Parks) as well as significant events (ex. the Gold Rush, Orange County Fair) that occurred in the state.

Updated July 7, 2023
H
Huntington Beach Public Library
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1

An American genocide : the United States and the California Indian catastrophe, 1846-1873
Madley, Benjamin
Paper Book
The first full account of the government-sanctioned genocide of California Indians under United States rule   Winner of the 2016 Los Angeles Times Book Award for History and a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice ...

2

The associates : four capitalists who created California
Rayner, Richard
Paper Book
"A first-rate look at the little-known story behind the creation of America's first continental railroad... Entertaining and well written." -- Publishers Weekly One hundred forty years ago, four shopkeepers in Sacramento, California, rose to become the force behind the...

3

The Browns of California : the family dynasty that transformed a state and shaped a nation
Pawel, Miriam
Paper Book
"Miriam Pawel's fascinating book . . . illuminates the sea change in the nation's politics in the last half of the 20th century."--New York Times Book Review California Book Award Gold Medal Winner * Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize * A...

4

California : a history
Rolle, Andrew F.
Paper Book
Since its original publication, Andrew Rolle's classic work has been enjoyed by more than 100,000 persons, students and general readers alike. Like its predecessors, the seventh edition of California: A History recounts the state's history from its origins to the present in an engaging manner,...

5

California : a history
Starr, Kevin.
Paper Book
California has always been our Shangri-la–the promised land of countless pilgrims in search of the American Dream. Now the Golden State’s premier historian, Kevin Starr, distills the entire sweep of California’s history into one splendid volume. From the age of exploration to the...

6

California : an American history
Faragher, John Mack
Paper Book
A concise and lively history of California, the most multicultural state in the nation   "A masterful history."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   "Faragher takes the reader on a captivating journey through myriad...

7

The California Gold Rush and the coming of the Civil War
Richards, Leonard L.
Paper Book
It has always been understood that the 1848 discovery of gold in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada influenced the battle over the admission of California to the Union. But now, in this revelatory study, award-winning historian Leonard L. Richards makes clear the links between the Gold Rush and many...

8

Dear Los Angeles : the city in diaries and letters 1542 to 2018
Kipen, David
Paper Book
A rich mosaic of diary entries and letters from Marilyn Monroe, Cesar Chavez, Susan Sontag, Albert Einstein, and many more, this is the story of Los Angeles as told by locals, transplants, and some just passing through. "Los Angeles is refracted in all its irreducible,...

9

Ghost towns & mining camps of California : a history & guide
Nadeau, Remi A.
Paper Book
Brings to life the turbulent times in the heyday of each town and guides the visitor to the sights that are relies of those times. Historic photos.

10

Ghost towns of California : your guide to the hidden history and Old West haunts of California
Varney, Philip.
Paper Book
 Ghost Towns of California is a guidebook to the state's best boomtowns. Once thriving, these abandoned mining camps and pioneer villages still ring with history.  Ghost town expert Philip Varney equips you with everything you need to know to explore these remnants of the...

11

Golden dreams : California in an age of abundance, 1950-1963
Starr, Kevin.
Paper Book
A narrative tour de force that combines wide-ranging scholarship with captivating prose, Kevin Starr's acclaimed multi-volume Americans and the California Dream is an unparalleled work of cultural history. In this volume, Starr covers the crucial postwar period - 1950 to 1963 - when the California...

12

Historical atlas of California : with original maps
Hayes, Derek
Paper Book
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...

13

Palo Alto : a history of California, capitalism, and the world
Harris, Malcolm
Paper Book
The history of Silicon Valley, from railroads to microchips, is a story of disruption and destruction, told for the first time in this comprehensive, jaw-dropping narrative. "Extraordinary." --Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The End of the Myth<...

14

Passion and principle : John and Jessie Frémont, the couple whose power, politics, and love shaped nineteenth-century America
Denton, Sally.
Paper Book
She was the daughter of powerful Missouri politician Thomas Hart Benton and was a savvy political operator who played confidante and advisor to the inner circle of the highest political powers in the country. He was a key figure in western exploration and California's first senator, and became...

15

The poker bride : the first Chinese in the Wild West
Corbett, Christopher.
Paper Book
When gold rush fever gripped the globe in 1849, thousands of Chinese immigrants came through San Francisco seeking fortune. In The Poker Bride, Christopher Corbett uses a little-known Idaho legend as a lens into this Chinese experience. Before 1849, the Chinese in the United States were...

16

Roadside history of California
Pittman, Ruth.
Paper Book
Pittman writes with graceful ease and contagious enthusiasm about the missions, the gold rush, the rich cultural diversity, and issues as old as California - water, social programs, the environment, and more.

17

Rock me on the water : 1974 : the year Los Angeles transformed movies, music, television, and politics
Brownstein, Ronald
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller Editors' Choice --New York Times Book Review In this exceptional cultural history, Atlantic Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein--"one of America's best political journalists" (The Economist)--tells the kaleidoscopic story of one...

18

Water to the angels : William Mulholland, his monumental aqueduct, and the rise of Los Angeles
Standiford, Les
Paper Book
The author of Last Train to Paradise tells the story of the largest public water project ever created--William Mulholland's Los Angeles aqueduct--a story of Gilded Age ambition, hubris, greed, and one determined man who's vision shaped the future and continues to impact us today. In 1907,...

19

West of the West : dreamers, believers, builders, and killers in the Golden State
Arax, Mark
Paper Book
Teddy Roosevelt once exclaimed, "When I am in California, I am not in the West. I am west of the West," and in this book, Mark Arax spends four years travelling up and down the Golden State to explore its singular place in the world. This is California beyond the clichés. This is California as only...

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