California: A History (Modern Library Chronicles) | 
 enlarge | Author: Kevin Starr
Publisher: Modern Library
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 199638
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 081297753X
Dewey Decimal Number: 979.4
EAN: 9780812977530
ASIN: 081297753X
Publication Date: March 13, 2007
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Product Description
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 age of Arnold, this is the story of a place at once quintessentially American and utterly unique.
Arguing that America’s most populous state has always been blessed with both spectacular natural beauty and astonishing human diversity, Starr unfolds a rapid-fire epic of discovery, innovation, catastrophe, and triumph.
For generations, California’s native peoples basked in the abundance of a climate and topography eminently suited to human habitation. By the time the Spanish arrived in the early sixteenth century, there were scores of autonomous tribes were thriving in the region. Though conquest was rapid, nearly two centuries passed before Spain exerted control over upper California through the chain of missions that stand to this day.
The discovery of gold in January 1848 changed everything. With population increasing exponentially as get-rich-quick dreamers converged from all over the world, California reinvented itself overnight. Starr deftly traces the successive waves of innovation and calamity that have broken over the state since then–the incredible wealth of the Big Four railroad tycoons and the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906; the emergence of Hollywood as the world’s entertainment capital and of Silicon Valley as the center of high-tech research and development; the heroic irrigation and transportation projects that have altered the face of the region; the role of labor, both organized and migrant, in key industries from agriculture to aerospace.
Kevin Starr has devoted his career to the history of his beloved state, but he has never lost his sense of wonder over California’s sheer abundance and peerless variety. This one-volume distillation of a lifetime’s work gathers together everything that is most important, most fascinating, and most revealing about our greatest state.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 From the perspective of a native September 14, 2008
I had heard of Mr. Starr and had an opportunity to hear him speak at a conference in 2005. He was witty, engaging, entertaining and learned. I picked up this book, thinking I knew something of the state that I have called my home since 1955 and found I was clueless.
This book was an incredible read; it should be required reading for all those who teach 4th grade in this state. Fourth grade is the only time in the education system that provides some exposure to California history.
I recommend the book for those who seek to have an appetizer in terms of their learning. Once consumed, it will provide encouragement to consume more of Mr. Starr's excellent work.
 quite a challenge, reasonably done April 11, 2008
Kevin Starr had quite a challenge in writing a one-volume history of 340 pages that isn't even small print. Naturally, he had time to give many fascinating topics barely a glance, and it's not from lack of knowledge, given his other works on California. Readers can easily quibble about their own preferences, rather like any "best of" list where people wonder, "how could you possibly pick X and not Y?" Even so, my list of free association about California includes the following, all covered at some level: Hollywood, Gold Rush, missions, Mexican War and the transition to America, hippies, Yosemite and other national parks, water development, the Dodgers move to LA, Disneyland, Okies during the Dust Bowl, Silicon Valley, Golden Gate Bridge, the military and defense establishment, farm labor conflict, and more.
Many potential topics came up short by necessity or choice, with some eye-openers. The "zoot suit riot" had more coverage than the San Francisco earthquake and fire. There is virtually nothing about northern California above the Bay Area. I would have preferred more early history and the 1800s than the amount about recent years. Starr could have stopped in the 1980s or so and left me satisfied, if it meant more meat elsewhere.
Even if I would have de-emphasized areas, those were informative and understandable and dispatched quickly enough for the next topic.
California has been a source of consider conflict and passion, and Starr did pretty well in writing with a neutral tone. Some exceptions showed through here and there. Much of the writing was straightforward, perhaps because Starr didn't have room to develop themes in depth. In fact, some of the best prose was covering relatively current events, such as the power crisis and active challenges, where Starr writes more as an essayist than a historian.
Starr made some errors that were quite surprising, as others have noted, that undermined his credibility. My guess is he worked quickly, with this more of a side project compared to his detailed histories, and it shows at times. I still gave it four stars as a crisp summary of an amazing state.
Thematic distillation of a life's work March 7, 2008
If you want a one volume discourse on the issues that have driven the history of California, this is the place to start. This book is a thematic distillation of Kevin Starr's lifetime of work. The story is only roughly chronological; each chapter has its own theme, and although each theme is prominent during a particular time, each theme has origins and repercussions. It also means that Starr only covers what he thinks is relevant to these themes. I think this is what makes a lot of people upset. Some things are not as important as others and this is Starr's (well researched and respected) interpretation. This is why Sacramento and WWI are barely mentioned. Also, I think his balance between Northern and Southern California is just about right. Southern California was a backwater until Hollywood and WWII. Its phenomenal growth is covered in this book.
It is unfortunate that there are so many minor factual errors: wrong dates, technical terms, etc. It appears that Starr did not have a good editor for this book. I hope they will be corrected for the second edition. However, these errors are minor, dates are off by a few years or months, not decades, and to a non-specialist a 60 inch telescope is a 60 inch telescope. I also regret the lack of maps and illustrations, but this seems to be a trend in recent history books and I think is a feature of the series (one volume, inexpensive histories). In this case, get a AAA or Rand McNally map of California. and look up the pictures online.
As others have commented, asking for a complete one volume history of California is asking for too much. If you want a simple chronological history, get a 4th grade textbook. Or you could try Oscar Lewis' books, mostly out of print but still quite readable. If you want more, try Starr's multi-volume history of California (also thematic, not chronological). Start with Inventing the Dream: California through the Progressive Era, although Americans and the California Dream, 1850-1915 starts earlier, it is really more about the image of California and how that has shaped its history.
I was raised in the Bay Area and have lived here most of my life. I also used to give tours of San Francisco through City Guides (free tours sponsored by the Library), so I have both personal knowledge and reading experience.
Excellent California history Resource October 2, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was absolutely wonderful for me, as a teaching student in California. I used it for a California History class that is a requirement for my teaching credential. I used this book not only for the class but for research papers as well. It is nicely detailed and the way the book was written is very beneficial to anyone education of the state.
A model of regional history, an enthusiastic recommendation July 8, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
"California: A History" by the award winning historian Kevin Starr (Professor of History, University of Southern California - Los Angeles) is a comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader friendly' history of the state of California beginning with the Spanish Conquest in the early sixteenth century, through the achievement of statehood, to the impact of the gold rush of 1848, to the advent of the railroads, to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, to the emergence of Hollywood as the entertainment capital of the world, to the rise of Silicon Valley in the age of the computer. Professor Starr covers the role of labor (both unionized and migrant), key industries including agriculture and aerospace, California's contributions to the politics, economics, and culture of the nation. Superbly researched, written, and organized, "California: A History" is a model of regional history, an enthusiastic recommendation for school and community libraries, and could well serve as a template for other state and regional histories.
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