Californiana from Gargoyle Books

New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1955. First Thus . Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good+. Orig. published in 1933 under the author's pseudonym Antonio de Fierro Blanco, a "man of mystery" who claimed that his book was an autobiographical account of "One Year in the Life of Senor Don Juan Obrigon, Known During Past Years in the… Read more about this item

New York, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1953. Second Edition 3rd Printing. Hardcover. Very Good+/VG-/G+. Constructed from documentary data, journals, & diaries, this is the intriguing, true story of the mysterious Mammy Pleasant, a woman of color who arrived in the city from New Orleans, where she had been a "voodoo queen.'' Throughout the Gold Rush… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Viking Press, 1954. Book Club Edition (BCE) . Hardcover. Very Good+/Very Good. A "superbly amusing & exquisitely fashioned romance" set once more in Monterey County, CA. Orig. published by Viking in June 1954, this is a Book Club Edition, lacking the red topstain & with a tiny red mark to inner bottom corner of… Read more about this item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1971. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. The author draws on two solid years of in-depth interviews with participants & witnesses to the Tate-LaBianca murders, including Manson, visits to the Spahn ranch & other sites in Inyo County & Death Valley, investigations into secret occult… Read more about this item

First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. New. Brand New book, still sealed, so we have no information other than this from the publisher: "Few people know that the Gardena High School [Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles] student body has what is a preeminent art collection of Western landscapes, the product of an innovative collaboration between the students and community… Read more about this item

New York, New York: The Dial Press, 1965. First Edition Later Printing 3rd Printing. Hardcover. Fine/Very Good+. Collection of 20 essays, most originally published in journals & magazines, that present both supportive & critical views & an attempt to document & understand the student unrest & protests that were unfolding in the mid-1960s at Berkeley University in California.… Read more about this item

San Diego, California: Frye & Smith, Ltd., 1937. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Good/Fair. Negley, May H.. Traces the history of Palomar Mountain in San Diego County, CA, from its early settlement by Native Americans through the establishment of what was at the time the world's largest telescope atop the mountain, where it remains in operation today… Read more about this item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Grosset & Dunlap, 1912. Reprint . Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good+. Wyeth, N. C.. Highly collectible edition because the DJ cover was done by N.C.Wyeth (unattributed). In 424 pages with pen-and-ink illustrations throughout, this is the full text of Helen Hunt Jackson's 19th-century work, "Ramona,'' widely acknowledged as one of the greatest stories ever… Read more about this item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Whittlesey House/McGraw Hill, 1948. First Edition First Printing 1st Printing. Hardcover. VG+/Very Good. Sotomayor, Antonio. Noted San Francisco journalist describes his beloved city, drawing on historical sources & personal notes & observations. Arranged by sections into the Waterfront, Old Town, the Hills, Main Stem, South of the Slot, & the Sea. Decorative map… Read more about this item

Indianapolis/New York: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1947. Limited Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. Novel for adults set in southern California right before the Gold Rush, by an author better known for his YA books such as "The Island of the Blue Dolphins.'' In 413 pages with decorative endpapers, it was SIGNED by the AUTHOR to the limitation page (his… Read more about this item

Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1949. First Edition, 3rd Printing 3rd Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good+. Lee, Leslie W.. Described as "an Indian boy Crusoe,'' this mid-20th-century children's story tells the adventures of Pi-yuck, a "salt-water Indian lad" on the West Coast of California, member of a tribe that is "peaceful [with] little of the warlike nature of… Read more about this item

San Diego, California: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994. First Edition, 2nd Printing 2nd Printing. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Diaz, David. Caldecott-winning children's book about "cats...and people...who couldn't get along until a night of rioting brings them together" in Los Angeles, California. Written while the local Rodney King beating & the rioting that ensued in the Black community were still fresh… Read more about this item

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.: Self-published, 1936. First Edition First Printing . Spiral-bound Hardcover. Near Fine. Comprehensive guide to 54 flowering plants that are native to California. Offered for the Nature Lover, the author's introduction asserts that "Nature's Garden is ours to protect, & an acquaintance should make us eager to preserve it for those who are to know… Read more about this item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1962. First Mass Market Paperback Edition 5th or later Printing. Mass Market Paperback. Near Fine. Part of "The Natural History Library,'' this classic by naturalist John Muir examines Yosemite National Park, which he helped found. Hiking & walking trails are described, along with the area's major canyons, birds, flowers, &… Read more about this item

San Francisco, California, U.S.A.: Chronicle Books, 1999. First Edition First Printing 1st Printing. Soft cover. Fine. Exposes the lurid truth about the City of Angels as it really was back in the days of noir, from the period after WWI to the beginning of the Cold War, roughly 1920s01950s. From "crime lords, corrupt cops, seers, mystics, & kooks,… Read more about this item

San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.: Paul Elder and Company, 1915. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. VG+/No Jacket. Designed as a guidebook to those wanting to explore the West Coast of the United States, highlighting the area's unique natural features. Flora & fauna, mines & mining, mountain ranges, th Pacific Ocean & marine life, astronomical features, gardens, insects, trees,… Read more about this item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: G. P. Putnam's & Sons, 1961. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/Very Good+. Impeccable research by a magazine reporter & writer takes you behind the headlines into the life & crimes--both alleged & proven--of Caryl Chessman, who was executed after a 12-year prison stay at San Quentin for being the "Red Light… Read more about this item

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1957. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. A native Californian & feature writer for the San Francisco Chronicle offers this "factual & fascinating account of the history, life, & lore of California's vital inland sea"--the Bay inside the Golden Gate, in 336 pages with map endpapers. A… Read more about this item

San Diego, California: Ward Ritchie Press/Maritime Association of San Diego, 1969. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Fair. MacMullen, Jerry. Longtime San Diego resident & newspaperman chronicles the history of this port city through the development of its Bay, the first point of entry into the US on the West Coast, then a major hub of the… Read more about this item

Division of Forestry/California Dept of Natural Resources, 1948. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Very Good. Extremely scarce in the trade, this small handbook was first offered in Apr. 1948 by the California State Board of Forestry as a "practical guide for woodsmen," written by & for the wood workers of the region. Contents include detailed information… Read more about this item