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Neal Johns
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Bibliophiles Baja
Bibliophiles Baja
By Neal Johns 9/2003
The choice of a limited number of Baja oriented books is a very personal thing. Delicate shades and nuances of the Baja spirit will of necessity be
left out of this short listing. An all-encompassing list (except for the years after 1964) is in the three-volume bibliography by Barrett, Baja
California. Two books covering the fascinating Pinacate
region a few miles east of Baja were slipped in because of their excellence. Many of the books selected are out of print but are available from
antiquarian bookstores, or on the Internet.
What?s Down There?
The Central Desert of Baja California ? Aschmann
A readable scientific study of ecology, including Indians.
Lower California and its Natural Resources ? Nelson
Results of a 1905-1906 U.S. government survey of the peninsula.
Natural History of Baja California ? Barco
As seen by Father Barco in the 1700?s.
The Kings Highway in Baja California ? Crosby
Thirty years ago, Crosby traveled The El Camino Real by mule-great maps/photos.
The Cave Paintings of Baja California ? Crosby
Great coffee table book of the ancient Indian murals.
Last of the Californios ? Crosby
Text and photos of the self sufficient lives of isolated ranchers.
Las Misiones Antiguas ? Vernon
Pictures and history of the Missions of Baja
The Forgotten Peninsula ? Krutch
An old natural history classic of Baja.
Roadside Geology and Biology of Baja California ? Minch
Geology, biology, botany and archeology keyed to the Kilo posts.
Baja California Plant Guild ? Roberts
The title says it all.
What Does it Look Like?
Baja ? Moore and Peac-ck
Coffee table book of great photos.
How do I Get There?
The Baja Adventure Book ? Peterson
The best of the current guidebooks.
Backroad Baja ? Higginbotham
Best guidebook to get into the real backcountry.
Lower California Guidebook ? Gerhard and Gulick
Before Highway 1, this was the bible.
Baja Almanac ? Baja Almanac Publishing
Dirt road delight, the most complete map.
What do Traveler?s Need to Know?
Backcountry Mexico ? Burleson and Riskind
Customs and vocabulary back of the beyond.
The People?s Guide to Camping in Mexico ? Franz
Customs and vocabulary back of the beyond.
Baja4You ? Giesea
Question and answer format mainly for residents.
Other People?s Experiences
Hardly any Fences ? Hilton
This famous artist was one of us. Great plates of his work also.
Camp and Camino in Lower California ? North
Travel before automobiles.
The Journey of the Flame ? Fierro Blanco
A fictional, but authentic, journey over the El Camino Real in the early 1800?s.
Almost an Island ? Berger
A modern reflection on changes over the last four decades.
Baja Fever ? Niemann
Interesting stories of the old days traveling in Baja.
Baja California: Vanished Missions, Lost Treasures, Strange Stories, True and Tall ?Pepper
For the romantic in all of us.
Into a Desert Place ? Mackintosh
Can you imagine walking all the way around the coastline of Baja by yourself (sans roads)?
The Water World
The Flight of the Least Petrel ? Bancroft
One of the best of several voyages in the Sea of Cortez.
The Baja Catch ? Kelly and Kira
Fisherman?s Bible.
King of the Moon ? Kira
A fictional, but authentic, novel of life in a fishing camp.
History of Baja
Antigua California ? Crosby
The definitive modern history book by a master.
Observations in Lower California ? Baegert
Father Baegert tells it like he saw it in 1771.
A History of Lower California ? Martinez
A 1960 work of love.
Pinacate
Desert Heart ? Hartmann
The Pinacate wonderland is on the border a hundred miles or so east of Yuma.
The Sierra Pinacate ? Hayden
A combination, knowledgeable text and picture book by a field archeologist.
Special Mention
The Baja Travels Series 1965-1992? Dawson
Glen Dawson and his famous Baja bookstore is responsible for many converts
to what for many of us is a secular religion. This series of 51 books covers the
entire range of Baja subjects. In 1989 the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum took over from Dawson's as publisher of the series.
The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez ? Kira
The Baja experiences of Ray Cannon, who?s fishing columns in Western Outdoor News introduced thousands of Americans to the wonders of Baja during its
Golden Age of 1947-1977, for better or worse. Gene Kira wrote it as a memorial with the invaluable help of Ray?s lovely wife, Carla, who supplied
decades of memorabilia.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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burritomama
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great list!
I want to second the recommendation of Berger's "Almost an Island" - wodnerful writing plus a great sense of story and setting. One of the best I've
read. And re-read - it really holds up.
I'll add more later -
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burritomama
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How about one of the latest novels by Mexico's own wonderful writer - Paco Iganacio Taibo II? His "Return to the Same City" features an interlude in
Baja toward the end.
yes, it's fiction but nobody does Mexico better in my mind than him.
[Edited on 12-17-2003 by burritomama]
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bajalera
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Neal - Great list, except for that totally boring tome that everyone seems to rate as a classic--Journey of the Flame. And authentic? Good grief!
= Lera
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Neal Johns
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Ah, comeon, Bajalera, I'm an old trails guy, and the route description of the El Camino Real was good. Aside from that, I claim no fame as a
literature judge, having flunked English three times in High School.  
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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bajalera
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Ah so, Neal--the trail! I'll buy that and withdraw my objection. It's the hundred-year-old geezer with the flaming red hair who claims he doesn't dye
it, plus the way everybody talks, that makes me doze off.
The son I live with is an aficionado of Route 66, which we used to take sections of en route to La Paz when living in Albuquerque. We particularly
liked the way it wound down into a funky little gold-mining town--Oatman/Oakman?? Tried to spend the night at a hotel there once but couldn't find
anybody to come to the desk. There were people in the streets, but the place had a pleasant but eerie Twilight Zone-sh feeling.
- Lera
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academicanarchist
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Route 66
Chicago to the Pacific, and one neat corvette. I have seen sections of the original route 66 heading east from Los Angeles on Hwy 10, and there are
sections still to be found in northern Texas, although I have not seen them. One of those Congressional projects to bring the country closer together.
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burritomama
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brag
I have traced most of what's left of the Mother Road, including that dip into Oatman.
But not in a Corvette - a 1974 mustard-colored Suburban.
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bajalera
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Route 66
Either the Corvette or the Suburban will do, although I'm not too fond of mustard color, especially if it's Dijon.
- Lera
\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" -
Mark Twain
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academicanarchist
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Reference to Corvette
My reference to a corvette was to a certain television program associated with route 66 from some years ago.
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Neal Johns
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Route 66 qualifies as an old trail, so I helped Vivian Davies found the California Route 66 Association several years ago.
Oatman is going strong as a tourist town, with burros roaming around. The hotel is still in business. There is quite a shindig there New Year's Eve.
Of equal interest to me is The National Old Trails Highway, which preceded Route 66. It was dirt/sand /gravel and many sections are still to be found.
Route 66 was composed of existing roads and used some of the NOTH.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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burritomama
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I am familiar with the TV show.
Said Suburban now deceased - squashed by falling utility pole.
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Nikon
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"A Desert Country Near The Sea" Ann & Herman Zwinger, about the Cape region. Many good drawings by Ann, photos by Herman.
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burritomama
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Also, for yakkers:
"Sea Kayaking in Baja" by Andromeda Romano-Lax (Wilderness Press)
Well written, says the English prof, and filled with sueful maps and tips, plus some good stories too.
She came out with another last year as well. I forgett eh title right now but in it she and her family (husband plau two really young ones, I mean
really young) trace Steinbeck's original voyage. It's worthwile to read, I guess, but I wasn't really as taken with it as I expected..
Also, I am still making my way through C. M. Mayo's "Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California, the other Mexico"
(University of Utah Press. Just rgeat. A mix of the personal plus history and social/political commentary. Not as lyrical as Berger's Baja book but
solid.
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bajalera
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I found that Mayo book interesting, too. Not often you get a view of Baja from an American woman who has established friends in high places in Mexico,
D.F.
- Lera
\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" -
Mark Twain
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burritomama
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I read the obscure "Baja Journey: Reveries of a Sea-Kayaker" by Robin Carey (Texas A&M University Press - 1989) while in BOLA this year.
I had found this years ago in a used bookstore and finally got around to it. While it's overwritten (too many literary referneces even for this
English Prof) there are grand moments and I did end up liking the guy. In the book, he chronicles three journeys - one with his grown son, one with
his wife and one solo trip.
This would, of course, perhaps appeal mostly to yakkers.
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wilderone
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While trying to remember the title of a Baja book which I wanted to purchase through www.bookfinder.com, I typed in the word "baja", hoping that the one I was looking for would pop up. Lo and behold, about 2,000 titles came up -
some of the most obscure stuff you'd ever imagine. Great resource though - and plenty of historic, scientific materials.
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Neal Johns
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Wilderone, It looks like my secrets are leaking out!
A similar source is http://www.addall.com/Used/
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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bajalera
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Maybe this was on the list and I missed it, but IMHO anybody who enjoys traveling in BC needs Norman Roberts' Baja California Plant Field Guide. (This
one that he did alone is an improvement on the similar book he co-authored). It has informative text and great photos.
bajalera
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burritomama
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Yeah, the Norman Roberts book is terriffic - even for a person like me who knows next to nothing about plants. It's real accessible -- but doesn't
sacrifice depth.
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