Contested Eden: California Before the Gold Rush (Volume 1)

by Ramón A. Gutiérrez (Editor)

Celebrating the 150th birthday of the state of California offers the opportunity to reexamine the founding of modern California, from the earliest days through the Gold Rush and up to 1870. In this four-volume series, published in association with the California Historical Society, leading scholars offer a contemporary perspective on such issues as the evolution of a distinctive California culture, the interaction between people and the natural environment, the ways in which California's development affected the United States and the world, and the legacy of cultural and ethnic diversity in the state.

California before the Gold Rush , the first California Sesquicentennial volume, combines topics of interest to scholars and general readers alike. The essays investigate traditional historical subjects and also explore such areas as environmental science, women's history, and Indian history. Authored by distinguished scholars in their respective fields, each essay contains excellent summary bibliographies of leading works on pertinent topics. This volume also features an extraordinary full-color photographic essay on the artistic record of the conquest of California by Europeans, as well as over seventy black-and-white photographs, some never before published.

Genres: History

395 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read for anyone interested in California history. Each chapter is written by a historian who specializes in a piece of the puzzle, be it gender, race, religion, the environment, native experiences, social relations, or economics. I found every article to be really fascinating and well written, the format of compilation of articles is really approachable (even as a layperson reading the work of experts). I read as part of a California history class, and we read the chapters out of order (which worked out fine). It’s great to have this kind of in depth social writing available, and this book in particular made me feel thankful that I’m a history student of this era.

[Leonide Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed historical account of Californio society and their intense though brief presence in Southern California. This unique culture has been preserved in story and legend, including the poignant romance of Ramona and her Indian husband Alessandro, and the famous defender of people's rights, Zorro. Dense with facts and description. Useful to those wishing a deep exploration of this romanticized culture from the 1800s.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0