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The Human Tradition in California

Clark Davis editor David Igler editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield

Published:1st Aug '02

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The Human Tradition in California cover

With a land mass one and half times larger than the United Kingdom, a population of more than thirty million, and an economy that would rank sixth among world nations, the history of the state of California demands a closer look. The Human Tradition in California captures the region's rich history and diversity, taking readers into the daily lives of ordinary Californians at key moments in time. These brief biographies show how individual people and communities have influenced the broad social, cultural, political and economic forces that have shaped California history from the pre-mission period through the late-twentieth century. In personalizing California's history, this engaging new book brings the Golden State to life. About the Editors Clark Davis has written extensively about California and its colorful history. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and Pacific Historical Review. He is a professor of history at California State University, Fullerton. David Igler is a long-time historian of California history and culture. He has presented for the Western Historical Association, the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association, and the California Studies Association. Dr. Igler is professor of history at the University of Utah.

The biographies in The Human Tradition in California portray a select group of Californians in the rich detail and complexity tha thuman lives warrant, and that is what makes good history. * Southern California Quarterly *
An engaging, thoughtful book. Students and interested readers alike will enjoy the range of stories and the up-to-date scholarship of this well done and compelling collection of essays. * Western Historical Quarterly *
This compact volume of accessible and up-to-date narratives succeeds wonderfully in the very challenging task fo representing the vast diversity of California history. by takin ga biographicl approach, this skillfully edited compilation of pithy and lively essays manages to convey the big themes and collective patterns without sacrificing the unique experiences of Native Americans, African Americans, Asians, Anglos, Latinos, women, workers, and entrepreneurs. This is a first-rate survey of, and introduction to, California history. -- Philip J. Ethington, University of Southern California
A wonderful collection of biographical essays. The majority of the chapters beutifully illuminate the lives of previously less well-known persons, while the others shed new light on familiar figures. Taken together, the essays capture the exceptional diversity of California's human tradition. This book should be welcomed by all students of California history and assigned in all courses on the subject. -- Stephen Aron, University of California, Los Angeles; director, Center for the Study of the American West at the Autry Museum
Clark Davis and David Igler have assembled fifteen exceptionally fine brief essays that illustrate the successes and maladies of California life from the earliest days to the rise of Silicon Valley as a center of the nation's high-tech industries. The authors of the pieces, by focusing on the life stories of individuals, some well-known and others obscure, have not only given history a human face but also explained major and often controversial episodes in California's past. Many of the essays are revisionist in nature and hold surprises. The Human Tradition in California is not only a good read but would also be an excellent supplement to a standard text as well as a text for a short course in California history. -- Martin Ridge, Huntington Library

ISBN: 9780842050272

Dimensions: 233mm x 155mm x 14mm

Weight: 379g

253 pages