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books tagged “california”
books tagged “california”
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2nd Chanceby James Patterson, Andrew GrossISBN 0446612790 (0-446-61279-0)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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› Find signed collectible books: '2nd Chance'Book summary:2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.
2nd Chance speeds along at a Formula One pace through many tight curves, but unlike recent entries in the Alex Cross series, it doesn't sacrifice good characters to a twisted plot. Lindsay's the star, but there's a fine esprit de corps among the four women, who are even better developed here than in the first book. What makes them both convincing and interesting as a criminal-justice juggernaut is their willingness to stick their necks out, even if they suffer for it. If you haven't picked up a James Patterson novel in a while, this is a great time to start anew. --Barrie Trinkle [via]
3rd Degreeby James Patterson, Andrew GrossISBN 0446614831 (0-446-61483-1)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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The 5th Horsemanby James Patterson, Maxine PaetroISBN 0446699314 (0-446-69931-4)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The 5th Horseman'Book summary:The most puzzling Medical thriller in years- The most gripping Legal thriller in years- A young mother is recuperating in a San Francisco hospital when she is suddenly gasping for breath. Help doesn't come in time. [via]
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All Tomorrow's Partiesby William GibsonISBN 0441007554 (0-441-00755-4)
Softcover, Ace Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'All Tomorrow's Parties'Book summary:Although Colin Laney (from Gibson's earlier novel Idoru) lives in a cardboard box, he has the power to change the world. Thanks to an experimental drug that he received during his youth, Colin can see "nodal points" in the vast streams of data that make up the worldwide computer network. Nodal points are rare but significant events in history that forever change society, even though they might not be recognizable as such when they occur. Colin isn't quite sure what's going to happen when society reaches this latest nodal point, but he knows it's going to be big. And he knows it's going to occur on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, which has been home to a sort of SoHo-esque shantytown since an earthquake rendered it structurally unsound to carry traffic.
Colin sends Barry Rydell (last seen in Gibson's novel Virtual Light) to the bridge to find a mysterious killer who reveals himself only by his lack of presence on the Net. Barry is also entrusted with a strange package that seems to be the home of Rei Toi, the computer-generated "idol singer" who once tried to "marry" a human rock star (she's also from Idoru). Barry and Rei Toi are eventually joined by Barry's old girlfriend Chevette (from Virtual Light) and a young boy named Silencio who has an unnatural fascination with watches. Together this motley assortment of characters holds the key to stopping billionaire Cody Harwood from doing whatever it is that will make sure he still holds the reigns of power after the nodal point takes place.
Although All Tomorrow's Parties includes characters from two of Gibson's earlier novels, it's not a direct sequel to either. It's a stand-alone book that is possibly Gibson's best solo work since Neuromancer. In the past, Gibson has let his brilliant prose overwhelm what were often lackluster (or nonexistent) story lines, but this book has it all: a good story, electric writing, and a group of likable and believable characters who are out to save the world ... kind of. The ending is not quite as supercharged as the rest of the novel and so comes off a bit flat, but overall this is definitely a winner. --Craig E. Engler [via]
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The Art of Richard Diebenkornby John Elderfield, Jane Livingston, Ruth Fine, Richard Diebenkorn, Whitney Museum of American ArtISBN 0520212584 (0-520-21258-4)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Art of Richard Diebenkorn'Book summary:On the process of painting, American painter Richard Diebenkorn once wrote, "I want painting to be difficult to do. The more obstacles, obstructions, problems ... the better." In part, he meant that the freest artistic expression was often the result of some sort of restraint. Much like Shakespeare writing within the rigorous poetic form of the sonnet, Diebenkorn found his format in the vertical, rectangular, human-size canvases that he used to paint his famed Ocean Park series, which occupied a large portion of his magnificent career and included many figurative works. This sequence consists of more than 100 paintings created primarily over the course of the 1970s. There is a tranquil, mystical quality to his works: geometric lines define fields of color evoking the tones, landscape, atmosphere, and quality of light in Ocean Park. His paintings thus hover on the boundary between abstraction and landscape.
This paperback exhibition catalog of the retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City contains a beautifully produced plate section, arranged chronologically, that spans nearly the entire second half of the 20th century. A special highlight are Diebenkorn's notes to himself on beginning a painting. [via]
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Away for the Weekend - Northern California: Great Getaways for Every Season of the Yearby Eleanor BermanISBN 0517582546 (0-517-58254-6)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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Birds of Southern California's Deep Canyonsby Wesley WeathersISBN 0520047540 (0-520-04754-0)
Hardcover, Univ of California Pr
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The Black Iceby Michael ConnellyISBN 0446613444 (0-446-61344-4)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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The Bohemian Murdersby Dianne DayISBN 0553574124 (0-553-57412-4)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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Boom Townby Sonia Levitin, Cat Bowman SmithISBN 0531300439 (0-531-30043-9)
Hardcover, Scholastic
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The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett, Manuel Komroff, John BayleyISBN 0451527348 (0-451-52734-8)
Softcover, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Brothers Karamazov'Book summary:The Brothers Karamazov is considered a supreme achievement in literature. Published near the end of the 19th century, it is one of the great works of world-renowned author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The Brothers Karamazov tackles some of the most existential and important themes known to humankind--the existence of God, morality, free will, reason, doubt, and faith--just to name a few. Readers around the globe have found their lives transformed by this layered and complex book. A deeply spiritual work, The Brothers Karamazov is a work that every person should read. [via]
More editions of The Brothers Karamazov:
- Brothers Karamazov: ISBN 0451530608 (0-451-53060-8)
Softcover, Signet Classic - The Brothers Karamazov: ISBN 0486437914 (0-486-43791-4)
Softcover, Dover Publications, Incorporated - The Brothers Karamazov: Library Edition: ISBN 0553212168 (0-553-21216-8)
Softcover, Bantam Classic & Loveswept - The Brothers Karamazov: Library Edition: ISBN 0451523881 (0-451-52388-1)
Softcover, New Amer Library Classics - The Brothers Karamazov: ISBN 0451527348 (0-451-52734-8)
Softcover, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
- Brothers Karamazov: ISBN 0451530608 (0-451-53060-8)
The Burning Plainby Michael NavaISBN 055358085X (0-553-58085-X)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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California: A Photographic Tourby Carol M. Highsmith, Ted LandphairISBN 0517203995 (0-517-20399-5)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing
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California Forests and Woodlands: A Natural Historyby Verna R. Johnston, Carla J. SimmonsISBN 0520202481 (0-520-20248-1)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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California Spring Wildflowers from the Base of the Sierra Nevada and Southern Mountains to the Seaby Philip A. MunzISBN 0520008960 (0-520-00896-0)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Momby Julie KennerISBN 0515142212 (0-515-14221-2)
Softcover, Berkley Pub Group
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Cast of Killersby Sidney KirkpatrickISBN 0451174186 (0-451-17418-6)
Softcover, Onyx Books
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Chasing the Dimeby Michael ConnellyISBN 044661162X (0-446-61162-X)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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The Cheshire Cat's Eyeby Marcia MullerISBN 0445408502 (0-445-40850-2)
Softcover, Grand Central Publishing
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Cheshire Cat's Eye'Book summary:Investigating her friend's murder, private eye Sharon McCone follows a trail into San Francisco's glamorous architectural community in search of a very valuable clue--a Tiffany lamp adorned with the grinning face of a Cheshire Cat. Reissue. [via]
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Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizzaby Alice WatersISBN 0517197332 (0-517-19733-2)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub
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City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940'sby Otto FriedrichISBN 0520209494 (0-520-20949-4)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940's'Book summary:The late Otto Friedrich enlivened the pages of many newspapers and magazines with his vigorous prose. His journalistic ability to convey complex material in a vivid, accessible manner is evident in City of Nets, a mordant portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s. (Originally published in 1986, it's the middle volume in a trilogy of superb urban histories that also includes Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s and Olympia: Paris in the Age of Manet.) Friedrich drew on his voluminous reading of everything from celebrity bios to trade-union history to create a unique synthesis that, for a change, depicts Tinseltown not as a dreamland floating above American reality, but as a city subject, like any other, to economic and political forces. Friedrich mingles enjoyable gossip with hardheaded analysis of Hollywood's often unsavory industrial underpinnings, including studio heads' willingness to rely on gun-wielding gangsters to solve their labor problems. There's no other movie book quite like it; Rita Hayworth's divorce proceedings against Orson Welles follow hard on the heels of a gruesomely detailed description of Bugsy Siegel's execution. The '40s were the decade of Hollywood's decline: a blacklist prompted by anticommunist hysteria shut out some of its best talent, while a 1948 antitrust consent decree ended many of the business practices that made the studio system so profitable. Friedrich's brilliantly selective use of colorful anecdotes and revealing details perfectly captures a decaying, but still glamorous, culture. --Wendy Smith [via]
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Contested Eden: California Before the Gold Rushby Richard J. Orsi, Ramon A. GutierrezISBN 0520212746 (0-520-21274-6)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Sidney Monas, James D. Hardy, Leonard J. StantonISBN 0451527232 (0-451-52723-2)
Softcover, New Amer Library Classics
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Crime and Punishment'Book summary:Mired in poverty, the student Raskolnikov nevertheless thinks well of himself. Of his pawnbroker he takes a different view, and in deciding to do away with her he sets in motion his own tragic downfall. Dostoyevsky's penetrating novel of an intellectual whose moral compass goes haywire, and the detective who hunts him down for his terrible crime, is a stunning psychological portrait, a thriller and a profound meditation on guilt and retribution. [via]
More editions of Crime and Punishment:
- Crime And Punishment: ISBN 0451530063 (0-451-53006-3)
Softcover, New Amer Library Classics - Crime and Punishment: ISBN 046001501X (0-460-01501-X)
Softcover, J M Dent & Sons Ltd - Crime and Punishment: ISBN 0486415872 (0-486-41587-2)
Softcover, Dover Pubns - Crime and Punishment: ISBN 0553211757 (0-553-21175-7)
Softcover, Bantam Classic & Loveswept - Crime and Punishment: ISBN 0451523350 (0-451-52335-0)
Softcover, New Amer Library Classics - Crime and Punishment: ISBN 0517399903 (0-517-39990-3)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub - Crime and Punishment: ISBN 0451527232 (0-451-52723-2)
Softcover, New Amer Library Classics
- Crime And Punishment: ISBN 0451530063 (0-451-53006-3)
Day of Atonementby Faye KellermanISBN 044900323X (0-449-00323-X)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group
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Dead Midnightby Marcia MullerISBN 0446612529 (0-446-61252-9)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californias, 1846-1890by Leonard PittISBN 0520219589 (0-520-21958-9)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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- The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846-1890: ISBN 0520016378 (0-520-01637-8)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr - Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californias, 1846-1890: ISBN 0520219589 (0-520-21958-9)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
- The Decline of the Californios: A Social History of the Spanish-Speaking Californians, 1846-1890: ISBN 0520016378 (0-520-01637-8)
The Doomstersby Ross MacDonaldISBN 0446358886 (0-446-35888-6)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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Dragonflies and Damselflies of Californiaby Tim ManolisISBN 0520235673 (0-520-23567-3)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Emperor Norton's Ghostby Dianne DayISBN 0553580787 (0-553-58078-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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False Prophet: A Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Novelby Faye KellermanISBN 0449003299 (0-449-00329-9)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group
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The Familyby Ed SandersISBN 0451165632 (0-451-16563-2)
Softcover, New Amer Library
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Fearless Jonesby Walter MosleyISBN 0446610127 (0-446-61012-7)
Softcover, Grand Central Pub
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Fearless Jones'Book summary:Penzler Pick, June 2001: Those of us who have been waiting for Walter Mosley to return to mystery writing--and there are many of us--have cause to rejoice. Not only has Mosley written a mystery, he is introducing a new character who could turn out to be as popular as Easy Rawlins.
Fearless Jones has a lot in common with Easy, but he also has some characteristics reminiscent of Socrates Fortlow, the "hero" of Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. When the story begins, the reader is transported to the Los Angeles of the 1950s, a dangerous place and time for a black man. But Paris Minton seems to have beaten the odds. He owns a moderately successful and very satisfying business--a used book store. He spends the time he's not in the store scouring libraries for discarded books and selling them in just enough quantity to be independent and happy. Yes, he is visited on a regular basis by members of the LAPD who want him to prove to them that he did not steal the books, but that is a small price to pay for independence.
Minton's peaceful life is interrupted one day when a beautiful woman walks into his store and asks for the Reverend William Grove. In no time flat, Paris has been beaten into unconsciousness by a man following her and has been rewarded by the woman with sex. The lovely Elana Love is obviously trouble, but Paris jumps in feet first and, as a consequence, his store is burned to the ground. It is obviously time to call in Fearless Jones, a man well named. Jones is afraid of nothing, but there is a little matter to be taken care of before he can help. He's in jail and Paris must raise bail to get him out. Once he does that, the pair embark on a wild ride through Los Angeles on behalf of Elana Love. As always, Mosley depicts the hard-boiled L.A. in a powerful and distinctive way, and we can only hope that this is the first of a series. --Otto Penzler [via]
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Fire and Fogby Dianne DayISBN 0553569228 (0-553-56922-8)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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The Free Speech Movement: Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960sby Robert Cohen, Reginald E. ZelnikISBN 0520233549 (0-520-23354-9)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Free Speech Movement: Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960s'Book summary:This is the authoritative and long-awaited volume on Berkeley's celebrated Free Speech Movement (FSM) of 1964. Drawing from the experiences of many movement veterans, this collection of scholarly articles and personal memoirs illuminates in fresh ways one of the most important events in the recent history of American higher education. The contributors--whose perspectives range from that of FSM leader Mario Savio to University of California president Clark Kerr---shed new light on such issues as the origins of the FSM in the civil rights movement, the political tensions within the FSM, the day-to-day dynamics of the protest movement, the role of the Berkeley faculty and its various factions, the 1965 trial of the arrested students, and the virtually unknown "little Free Speech Movement of 1966."[via]More editions of The Free Speech Movement: Reflections on Berkeley in the 1960s:
Geology of the Sierra Nevadaby HillISBN 0520026985 (0-520-02698-5)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Gold Dust and Gunsmoke: Tales of Gold Rush Outlaws, Gunfighters, Lawmen, and Vigilantesby John BoesseneckerISBN 0471390186 (0-471-39018-6)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc
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- Gold Dust and Gunsmoke: Tales of Gold Rush Outlaws, Gunfighters, Lawmen, and Vigilantes: ISBN 0471319732 (0-471-31973-2)
Hardcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc - Gold Dust and Gunsmoke: Tales of Gold Rush Outlaws, Gunfighters, Lawmen, and Vigilantes: ISBN 0471390186 (0-471-39018-6)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc
- Gold Dust and Gunsmoke: Tales of Gold Rush Outlaws, Gunfighters, Lawmen, and Vigilantes: ISBN 0471319732 (0-471-31973-2)
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A Grave Talentby Laurie R. KingISBN 0553573993 (0-553-57399-3)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Grave Talent'Book summary:This gripping debut of the Kate Martinelli mystery series won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery, generating wide critical acclaim and moving Laurie R. King into the upper tier of the genre. As A Grave Talent begins, the unthinkable has happened in a small community outside of San Francisco. A string of shocking murders has occurred, each victim an innocent child. For Detective Kate Martinelli, just promoted to Homicide and paired with a seasoned cop who's less than thrilled to be handed a green partner, it's going to be a difficult case. Then the detectives receive what appears to be a case-breaking lead: it seems that one of the residents of this odd, close-knit colony is Vaun Adams, arguably the century's greatest painter of women, a man, as it turns out, with a sinister secret. For behind the brushes and canvases also stands a notorious felon once convicted of strangling a little girl. What really happened on that day of savage violence eighteen years ago? To bring a murderer to justice, Kate must delve into the artist's dark past--even if she knows it means losing everything she holds dear. [via]
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The Great Los Angeles Swindle: Oil, Stocks, and Scandal During the Roaring Twentiesby Jules TygielISBN 0520207734 (0-520-20773-4)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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The Great Thirst: Californians and a Water Historyby Norris HundleyISBN 0520224566 (0-520-22456-6)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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The Greens Cookbook : Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from the Celebrated Restaurantby Edward E. Brown, Deborah MadisonISBN 0553051954 (0-553-05195-4)
Hardcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Greens Cookbook : Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from the Celebrated Restaurant'Book summary:Packed with recipes from the boldly original and highly successful Greens Restaurant in San Francisco that regularly please vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, Greens is this cook's personal favorite cookbook. From New Potato and Grilled Pepper Pizza to Zuni Stew, these recipes are consistently innovative and delicious. --MTB
"I consider Greens to be the ultimate vegetarian restaurant. The cuisine is elegant, inspiring, and astonishingly creative. Many of us have long awaited this major event in cookbook publishing. Congratulations!" --Mollie Katzen, Moosewood Cookbook [via]
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Growing California Native Plantsby Marjorie D. SchmidtISBN 0520037626 (0-520-03762-6)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsby Maya AngelouISBN 0553279378 (0-553-27937-8)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'Book summary:In this first of five volumes of autobiography, poet Maya Angelou recounts a youth filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy, and finally hard-won independence. Sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas, Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there. These very lessons carried her throughout the hardships she endured later in life, including a tragic occurrence while visiting her mother in St. Louis and her formative years spent in California--where an unwanted pregnancy changed her life forever. Marvelously told, with Angelou's "gift for language and observation," this "remarkable autobiography by an equally remarkable black woman from Arkansas captures, indelibly, a world of which most Americans are shamefully ignorant." [via]
More editions of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings:
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: ISBN 055338001X (0-553-38001-X)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: ISBN 0553225472 (0-553-22547-2)
Softcover, Ballantine Books - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: ISBN 0553256157 (0-553-25615-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: ISBN 0553279378 (0-553-27937-8)
Softcover, Bantam Books
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: ISBN 055338001X (0-553-38001-X)
The Jepson Desert Manual: Vascular Plants of Southeastern Californiaby Jepson Herbarium, Steve Boyd, Robert W. P. Patterson, Bruce G. Baldwin, Barbara J. Ertter, Thomas J. Rosatti, Dieter H. Wilken, Margriet WetherwaxISBN 0520227751 (0-520-22775-1)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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L A Confidentialby James EllroyISBN 0446400106 (0-446-40010-6)
Softcover, Grand Central Publishing
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› Find signed collectible books: 'L. A. Confidential'Book summary:James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential is film-noir crime fiction akin to Chinatown, Hollywood Babylon, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Jim Thompson. It's about three tortured souls in the 1950s L.A.P.D.: Ed Exley, the clean-cut cop who lives shivering in the shadow of his dad, a legendary cop in the same department; Jack Vincennes, a cop who advises a Police Squad- like TV show and busts movie stars for payoffs from sleazy Hush-Hush magazine; and Bud White, a detective haunted by the sight of his dad murdering his mom.
Ellroy himself was traumatized as a boy by his party-animal mother's murder. (See his memoir My Dark Places for the whole sordid story.) So it is clear that Bud is partly autobiographical. But Exley, whose shiny reputation conceals a dark secret, and Vincennes, who goes showbiz with a vengeance, reflect parts of Ellroy, too.
L.A. Confidential holds enough plots for two or three books: the cops chase stolen gangland heroin through a landscape littered with not-always-innocent corpses while succumbing to sexy sirens who have been surgically resculpted to resemble movie stars; a vile developer--based (unfairly) on Walt Disney-- schemes to make big bucks off Moochie Mouse; and the cops compete with the crooks to see who can be more corrupt and violent. Ellroy's hardboiled prose is so compressed that some of his rat-a-tat paragraphs are hard to follow. You have to read with attention as intense as hisand that is very intense indeed. But he richly rewards the effort. He may not be as deep and literary as Chandler, but he belongs on the same top-level shelf. [via]
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The Literature of California: Native American Beginnings to 1945by Jack Hicks, James D. Houston, Maxine Hong Kingston, Al YoungISBN 0520222121 (0-520-22212-1)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Literature of California: Native American Beginnings to 1945'Book summary:The Literature of California is a landmark publication--unmatched by any existing collection and distinguished by its breadth, variety of sources, and historical sweep. The editors have been refreshingly inclusive and imaginative in their selection: some of the writers are internationally known, others are anthologized here for the first time. The richness of material, ranging from Native American origin myths to Hollywood novels dissecting the American Dream; from the familiar voices of John Steinbeck, Jack London, and William Saroyan to the less-well-known narratives of Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Josephine Miles, and Jade Snow Wong--all of it captures the spirit and scope of the state itself.[via]
This first volume of the comprehensive two-volume anthology is divided into four parts. The first includes stories, legends, and songs of the indigenous tribes. The second section comprises letters, diaries, reports, and travel narratives that trace a century of exploration, discovery, and conquest. Part III includes Mother Lode tales by Mark Twain and Bret Harte, the first signs of California poetry, the rise of narrative by California women, the nature writing of John Muir and Mary Austin, and some of the earliest prose from writers of Asian background, as well as the maturing fiction of Jack London and Frank Norris. Part IV traces the period between the World Wars, when California literature came fully into its own.
A lively introduction contextualizes each section, and concise biographical material is included for each writer. Volume Two, to be published in 2007, concentrates on the second half of the twentieth-century, during which California became one of the most active literary regions in the world. A colossal contribution to the culture of the state, The Literature of California broadens our sense of this region's richness, both past and present, offering new ways of perceiving history, community, and oneself.More editions of The Literature of California: Native American Beginnings to 1945:
Los Angeles: Biography of a Cityby John CaugheyISBN 0520034104 (0-520-03410-4)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Short Storiesby Bret HarteISBN 0486272710 (0-486-27271-0)
Softcover, Dover Pubns
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Short Stories'Book summary:6 of the great American storytellers best, including "The Outcasts of Poker Flat," "Tennessees Partner," "Mliss," "A Protégée of Jack Hamlins" and "An Ingénue of the Sierras." Crisply observant, rich in ironic humor, an engaging mix of sentiment and wit, these enthralling tales deeply influenced the American short story, and set a future course for writers of "Western" fiction from Owen Wister to Zane Grey.[via]More editions of The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Short Stories:
Maltese Falconby Dashiell HammettISBN 0553065092 (0-553-06509-2)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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Mary, Maryby James PattersonISBN 0446619035 (0-446-61903-5)
Softcover, Vision
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The Natural World of the California Indiansby Robert Fleming HeizerISBN 0520038967 (0-520-03896-7)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Octopusby Frank NorrisISBN 0486432122 (0-486-43212-2)
Softcover, Dover Pubns
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Odd Thomasby Dean KoontzISBN 0553384287 (0-553-38428-7)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Odd Thomas'Book summary:"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different. A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15. Today is August 14. In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares-and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere. From the Hardcover edition. [via]
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Paintings of Californiaby Arnold SkolnickISBN 0520211847 (0-520-21184-7)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Paintings of California'Book summary:California embodies the American desire to explore frontiers. Collected here in Paintings of California are the works of more than sixty of America's finest artists, all of whom were drawn to the beauty of California's kaleidoscopic geography and the diversity of her people.[via]
The more than ninety landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes in the book are a revealing depiction not just of the changing topography but of the creation and persistence of the myth of the American dream. The images demonstrate the inspiration provided by sun, sky, and sea, and range from awe-inspiring renderings of giant sequoias to prophetic warnings about the costs of urbanization.
Among the painters included are Albert Bierstadt, George Bellows, Richard Diebenkorn, Childe Hassam, David Hockney, George Inness, David Park, Frank Romero, Ed Ruscha, Alexis Smith, Wayne Thiebaud, and Nicola Wood. Accompanying the paintings are brief selected writings from such authors as John Muir, Mark Twain, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, and John Steinbeck that echo the passion of the paintings. In her introduction, Ilene Susan Fort amplifies these excerpts, exploring the history of California and its art and also the unique qualities that have made the state so seductive to explorers, tourists, and artists alike. The book concludes with biographical notes on the artists and information about the collections of the major California museums.More editions of Paintings of California:
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The Pearlby John SteinbeckISBN 0553262610 (0-553-26261-0)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Pearl'Book summary:Make this your next book club selection and everyone saves.[via]
Get 15% off when you order 5 or more of this title for your book club.
Simply enter the coupon code STEINBECKPEARL at checkout.
This offer does not apply to eBook purchases. This offer applies to only one downloadable audio per purchase.
In this short book illuminated by a deep understanding and love of humanity, John Steinbeck retells an old Mexican folk tale: the story of the great pearl, how it was found, and how it was lost. For the diver Kino, finding a magnificent pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His dream blinds him to the greed and suspicions the pearl arouses in him and his neighbors, and even his loving wife cannot temper his obsession or stem the events leading to the tragedy.For Steinbeck, Kino and his wife illustrate the fall from innocence of people who believe that wealth erases all problems. Originally published in 1947, The Pearl shows why Steinbecks style has made him one of the most beloved American writers: it is a simple story of simple people, recounted with the warmth and sincerity and unrivaled craftsmanship Steinbeck brings to his writing. It is tragedy in the great tradition, beautifully conveying not despair but hope for mankind.
The Great Books Foundation Discussion Guide for The Pearl is available at www.greatbooks.org.
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Reading California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900-2000by Stephanie Barron, Ilene Susan Fort, Sheri BernsteinISBN 0520227670 (0-520-22767-0)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Redeeming Loveby Francine RiversISBN 0553293680 (0-553-29368-0)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Redeeming Love'Book summary:In this splendid retelling of the biblical story of Hosea, bestselling author Francine Rivers pens a heartbreaking romance between a prostitute and the upright and kind farmer who marries her; the story also functions as a reminder of God's unconditional love for his people. Redeeming Love opens with the Gold Rush of 1850 and its rough-and-tumble atmosphere of greed and desire. Angel, who was sold into prostitution as a child, has learned to distrust all men, who see her only as a way to satisfy their lust. When the virtuous and spiritual-minded Michael Hosea is told by God to marry this "soiled dove," he obeys, despite his misgivings. As Angel learns to love him, she begins to hope again but is soon overwhelmed by fear and returns to her old life. Rivers shines in her ability to weave together spiritual themes and sexual tension in a well-told story, a talent that has propelled her into the spotlight as one of the most popular novelists in the genre of Christian fiction. This is one of her best. --Cindy Crosby [via]
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San Francisco Is Burning: The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Firesby Dennis SmithISBN 0452287596 (0-452-28759-6)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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Sierra East: Edge of the Great Basinby Genny SmithISBN 0520239148 (0-520-23914-8)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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Sister Noonby Karen Joy FowlerISBN 0452283280 (0-452-28328-0)
Softcover, Plume
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sister Noon'Book summary:Lizzie Hayes, a member of the San Francisco elite, is a seemingly docile, middle-aged spinster praised for her volunteer work with the Ladies Relief and Protection Society Home, or "The Brown Ark". All she needs is the spark that will liberate her from the ruling conventions. When the wealthy and well-connected, but ill-reputed Mary Ellen Pleasant shows up at the Brown Ark, Lizzie is drawn to her. It is the beautiful, but mysterious Mary Ellen, an outcast among the women of the elite because of her notorious past and her involvement in voodoo, who will eventually hold the key to unlocking Lizzie's rebellious nature.[via]
Loosely based in historical fact, Sister Noon is a wryly funny, playfully mysterious, and totally subversive novel from this "fine writer" whose "language dazzles" (San Francisco Chronicle).More editions of Sister Noon:
The Strange Files of Fremont Jonesby Dianne DayISBN 055356921X (0-553-56921-X)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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Sunset Limited: The Southern Pacific Railroad And The Development Of The American West, 1850-1930by Richard J. OrsiISBN 0520200195 (0-520-20019-5)
Hardcover, Univ of California Pr
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There's Something in a Sundayby Marcia MullerISBN 0445408650 (0-445-40865-0)
Softcover, Grand Central Publishing
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Under the Feet of Jesusby Helena Maria ViramontesISBN 0452273870 (0-452-27387-0)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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The Unofficial Guide to California With Kidsby Colleen Dunn Bates, Susan LatempaISBN 0471790311 (0-471-79031-1)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc
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Virtual Lightby William GibsonISBN 0553566067 (0-553-56606-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Virtual Light'Book summary:The author of Neuromancer takes you to the vividly realized near future of 2005. Welcome to NoCal and SoCal, the uneasy sister-states of what used to be California. Here the millennium has come and gone, leaving in its wake only stunned survivors. In Los Angeles, Berry Rydell is a former armed-response rentacop now working for a bounty hunter. Chevette Washington is a bicycle messenger turned pick-pocket who impulsively snatches a pair of innocent-looking sunglasses. But these are no ordinary shades. What you can see through these high-tech specs can make you rich--or get you killed. Now Berry and Chevette are on the run, zeroing in on the digitalized heart of DatAmerica, where pure information is the greatest high. And a mind can be a terrible thing to crash. [via]
West Coast Jazz: Modern Jazz in California 1945-1960by Ted GioiaISBN 0520217292 (0-520-21729-2)
Softcover, Univ of California Pr
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White Jazzby James EllroyISBN 0449000885 (0-449-00088-5)
Softcover, Random House Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'White Jazz'Book summary:"Compelling and intense...Sizzles with realism and detail...WHITE JAZZ is filled with heat--and is Ellroy at his best."
THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
It is 1958 and the heat is on LAPD lieutenant Dave Klein. There isn't much he hasn't done in the line of duty--murder, bribery, scams, beatings, shakedowns. But now, with the Feds on the tail of blue corruption, Klein is hung out to dry as a bad example. So it's pay-up time for him. Big time. He plunges into a nightmare world of greed, blood, fists, and twisted sin. A monstrous world he created. But now the monster has turned on its creator. [via]
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