California’s natural bounty has been a marvel for centuries, from the redwood forests to the waters and mountains. During World War II Californians saw one… Read More »California in a World War II Security Campaign
This fall I had the honor of speaking to a gathering of hundreds of professional tree people in California about an episode in tree-planting and… Read More »Tracking Cork Oak and World War II History in the West
This week brings the Santa Anita Handicap, one of horse racing’s biggest events. It also marks the anniversary of the largest payout in the race’s… Read More »Lessons from a Long Shot at Santa Anita
The Chromelodeon Early in 1939 Harry Partch, the hobo son of missionaries, arrived in California and signed on to the California Writers’ Project for a… Read More »Harry Partch and the Music of the Rails
Okay, forgive me first for pointing out Library Journal’s glowing review of . They call it a “touching, straightforward, and well-paced look” at this slice of American history,… Read More »Footsteps at Night: 1930s California
An amazing exhibit at the International Center for Photography in New York captures the images of three photojournalists as they peered through their lenses at… Read More »Reporting on Civil War in the Mediterranean
Across the country, WPA guides were coming out to a publicity blitz. The guide to California was considered strong enough to become a Book-of-the-Month Club… Read More »WPA Guides and Cities of the Imagination – Part 2
To mark today’s 75th anniversary of the Works Progress Administration, here’s a roundup of blog postings around, from Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania to southern… Read More »75 Years of WPA Today
This summer marks the 70th anniversary of the California WPA guide, the only Book-of-the-Month selection among the guidebooks. We also pause to note the 1939… Read More »An Almanac entry for Magicians Day
