BajaNomad

BAJA BOOKS: What they look like (more books added and book details added) 2-3-16

David K - 1-12-2016 at 04:54 PM

I began collecting Baja books since I was 10 years old... I remember asking my mom to buy me Erle Stanley Gardner's 'Off the Beaten Track in Baja' (1967) when it was new at the book store. Already had Gerhard & Gulick's 'Lower California Guidebook' and Ray Cannon's 'Sea of Cortez' (both autographed, too). My parents and I went to Gardner's ranch in Temecula and had just missed meeting him (Jean said he was in Baja).

Anytime I saw a used book store in my travels, I would pop in and found many Baja books that way.

As I got more interested in the history, beyond what the guidebooks offered, I started buying more books... hard to find, off the rare book sites on the Internet.

Then I started to get second (or spare) copies of these great books. People cleaning out their garages heard I am a Baja book nut, too. Better to find a good home where they can be loved for more years than trashed!

Here are just some books, the covers (a couple books are opened)... these date from 1888 to 2009...

I will come back and add captions giving the name, author, date, and pages.

I just want to see how this looks on Nomad, first.

If anyone has questions on how you can build up a Baja Book library, send me a u2u or email to info*@*vivabaja.com with "Baja Books" in the subject line.

The first four photos are hardback books from oldest to newest.
The following photos are softback books, except for the giant folding map book, which is hardback cover and cardboard folding map...



L to R, top to bottom:
Peninsular California by Charles Nordhoff c1888 (130+ pages) C;
The Mother of California by Arthur North c1908 (168 pages) D;
Observations ion Lower California byJohann Jakob Baegert c1952 (218 pages, Mike McMahan's personal copy) B;
The Flight of the Last Petrel byGriffing Bancroft c1932 (403 pages) B;
The Land of Shorter Shadows by Erle Stanley Gardner c 1948 (228 pages) the first of many Baja adventure books from the creator of Perry Mason B;
Baja California by Ralph Hanc-ck (with Mike McMahan and others) c1953 (180+ pages) A

Book Condition Rating:
A=New or like new (A-=cover or dust jackets may have slight damage),
B=Good (addition of name or author's signature possible, B-=damaged cover),
C=Some discoloring, warping or markings beyond signatures,
D=Poor, pages loose or missing, damaged cover, water stained or warped pages, writing or notes on pages but usable or a rare resource.


Hunting the Desert Whale by Erle Stanley Gardner c1960 (209 pages). This was Mike McMahan's personal copy B*(two pages of a whales mating were cut-out to use in Mike's book 'There It Is: Baja!', then taped back);
The Sea of Cortez by Ray Cannon c1966 (284 pages) B;
The Central Desert of Baja California: Demography and Ecology by Homer Aschmann c1967 (315 pages) A;
Baja: Land of Lost Missions by Marquis McDonald c1968 (161 pages) A-
Where the Old West Never Died by Paul Sanford c1968 (121 pages) A
Black Robes in Lower California by Peter Maston Dunne c1968 (540 pages) B-


Lower California Guidebook by Peter Gerhard and Howard Gulick c1970 (212+ pages) B
Baja California (Time Life Book) by William Johnson c1972 (184 pages) B
Baja Sea Guide by Leland Lewis c1974 (365 pages) B-
There It Is: Baja! by Mike McMahan c1974 (240 pages) A-
Baja California Guidebook by Walt Wheelock and Howard Gulick c1975 (232 pages) A



The Baja Feeling by Ben Hunter c1978 (334 pages) A-;
Into a Desert Place by Graham Mackintosh c1988 (312 pages) B;
The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez by Gene Kira c1999 (362 pages) A



La Siesta Press books:
Byroads of Baja by Walt Wheelock c1971 (72 pages) A;
Towns of Baja California by David Goldbaum c1971 (70 pages + map) B-;
Beaches of Baja by Walt Wheelock c1972 (72 pages) A;
Baja California and its Missions by Tomás Robertson c1978 (96 pages) A-;
Rockhounding in Baja by W.R.C. Shedenhelm c1980/86 (48 pages) A
Baja Road Log by Walt Wheelock c1987 (120 pages) B



Baja Haha by Fred Hoctor c1984 (221 pages) B;
Baja California, Vanished Missions, Lost Treasures, Strange Stories, True and Tall by Choral Pepper c1973 (1975 edition 126 pages) B;
The Grinning Gargoyle Spills the Beans by Jimmy Smith c2001 (142 pages) A;
Launch Ramps of Baja California by Mike Bales c1992 (106 pages) A-;
Adventures in Baja by Mike McMahan c1983 (205+ pages) B



The Baja Book by Tom Miller and Elmar Baxter c1974 (176 pages) B;
The Baja Book II by Tom Miller and Elmar Baxter c1982 (180 pages) B;
The Baja Book III by Tom Miller and Carol Hoffman c1992 (16th edition 180 pages) A;
Baja Adventures by Land, Air & Sea by Marvin & Aletha Patchen c1981 (192 pages) A;
Baja California Overland by L. Burr Belden c1965 (64 pages, La Siesta Press) This was Mike McMahan's personal copy B;
Camping and Climbing in Baja by John W. Robinson c1967 (96 pages, 1971 revised edition, La Siesta Press) C


Airports of Baja California by Arnold Senterfitt c1987 (384 pages, 17th Edition, second printing 1989) C;
Baja California Norte by Automobile Club of Souther California c1973 (80 pages, "pavement ended 22.5 miles beyond El Rosario on April 10, 1973") A;
Baja by Doug Richmond c1970 (112 pages) A-;
Journey with a Baja Burro by Graham Mackintosh c2001 (358 pages) Autographed to 'Corke' (Choral Pepper) December 2000 B;
Baja California Sur by Automobile Club of Southern California c1973 (48 pages, "pavement began just south of El Rosarito in April 1973") A;
The Land of Calafia by W. Michael Mathes c2009 (143 pages) A


Baja Book IV by Ginger Potter c1996 (135 pages) B;
The Magnificient Peninsula by Jack Williams c1986 (248 pages) B;
The Baja Highway by John Minch and Thomas Leslie c1991 (234 pages) A;
Travel Guide to Baja California by Sunset Magazine c1971 (80 pages) B;
Report of Outing Bureau Trip Down the West Coast of Lower California January 1927 by Outing Bureau Automobile Club of Southern California (10+ pages of logs, maps, reprint by Lake Mojave Press, 1988) A;
National Parks of Northern Mexico by Richard Fisher c1994 (139 pages) A


Baja California Mexico by Cliff Cross c1970 (170 pages) B


Baja Explorer Topographic Atlas Directory by Landon Crumpton c1991 (approx. 256 pages) B;
The Mission(s) of Baja California 1683-1849 by Dr. W. Michael Mathes c1977 (209 pages + map) B;
Sea of Cortez Marine Invertebrates by Alex Kerstitch and Hans Bertsch c2007 (124 pages, second edition) B;
Baja Almanac (Norte) by Landon Crumpton c1997(?) (60+ pages) A;
Baja Almanac (Sur) by Landon Crumpton c1997(?) (64+ pages) A


The Dawson Baja Travelers Series (18 of the 51 volumes)
#9 Wenceslaus Linck's Reports & Letters, 1762-1778 by Ernest Burrus c1967 (94 pages) A;
#10 Informe on the New Province of California, 1702 by Francisco Piccolo c1967 (77 pages) B;
#22 Letter of Luís Jayme, O.F.M., San Diego, Oct. 17, 1772 c1970 (66 pages) B;
#24 Sketches of a Journey on the Two Oceans (and of a civil war in northern Lower California, ~1860) by Henry Alric c1971 (215 pages) C;
#26 Historica Notes on Lower California by Manuel Rojo, 1879 c1972 (172 pages) C;
#27 The Drawings of Ignacio Tirsch [Jesuit at Santiago & San José del Cabo, 1760s] c1972 (125 pages) B;
#28 The Adventure of Stickeen in Lower California, 1874 by John Janes c1972 (98 pages) A;
#34 Travelers Among the Cucapá by Anita Alvarez de Williams c1975 (161 pages) B;
#35 Geographic and Hydrographic Descriptions... Discovery of the Kingdom of California (1632) by Nicolás de Cardona c1974 (111 pages) B;
#37 Royal Officer in Baja California, 1768-1770 by Iris Wilson Engstrand c1976 (133 pages) D;
#38 Hardly Any Fences Baja California in 1933-1959 by John Hilton c1977 (189 pages) B;
#40 Cattle Brands of Baja California Sur 1809-1885 by W. Michael Mathes c1978 (78 pages) A;
#42 Clemente Guillen, Explorer of the South 1720-1721 by W. Michael Mathes c1979 (99 pages + map) A;
#43 The Natural History of Baja California by Miguel del Barco c1980 (298 pages) D;
#44 Ethnology and Linguistics of Baja California by Miguel del Barco c1981 (112 pages) A;
#45 The Letters of Jacob Baegert, 1749-1761 by Doyce Nunis c1982 (237 pages) A;
#47 Jesuit Relations, Baja California, 1716-1762 by Ernest Burrus c1984 (422 pages) A;
#48 Xántus (Letters of 1859-1861) by John Xántus c1986 (422 pages) A;

The Missions and Missionaries of California, Vol. 1 Lower California by Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt, O.F.M. c1929 (784 pages + map, Second Edition) D



Lower California and its Natural Resources by Edward Nelson c1966 (194 pages + map, orig. 1922 from 1905/06 field work) B


Front, upper 1/3


Back, upper 1/3
The Camino Real and the Missions of the Baja California Peninsula by Miguel León-Portilla, Ed Vernon, Harry Crosby and others. c2008 (English/Spanish) (a giant folding map displaying the missions and Camino Real routes in Baja on one side, and text on the other) A- (cover corner damaged)


Historical Notes on Baja California by Tomás Robertson c1972 (30 pages + map) B (small stain on cover)

Some of these are brand new, uncirculated... and three are plastic wrapped... including the 1953 classic 'Baja California' that is filled with photos of travel the length of the peninsula in 1952 by Willys-Jeep camper. Some are well-worn with a few pages falling out or bad covers or some water staining... but most are great, I was fortunate to have these in my library.

Note: I will also include a copy of The Old Missions and a Copy of In the Shadow of the Volcano if I offer the entire library for sale.

There are sure a whole lot more Baja books out there and right here, but what you see above are extras and I must consider finding them a new home with proceeds to pay for the publishing cost of my new book on the Baja missions history. If and when I do part with these, I will put an ad on Baja Nomad in the Misc. Classified Ads forum.

So far, of these books pictured above, only two are in real bad shape with loose pages and damaged binding/spine. I have not trashed them because they are rare or valuable for the content that is still mostly or entirely usable: Mother of California (1908) and Missions and Missionaries (1929). Some of the Dawson Travelers Series must have gotten wet so their pages are warped (labeled condition D) but not discolored, so no problem reading. Others of the set look brand new.

I just added a small book I found hidden between others, above.



[Edited on 2-3-2016 by David K]

ehall - 1-13-2016 at 04:41 AM

That's a very nice collection David.

ligui - 1-13-2016 at 06:09 AM

Thanks David , i have about half of them and a few others .

I noticed the the cover of Graham Mackantosh 's book In a desert place . Was taken from my property in Ligui / Ensenada blanca

Cool ;)

sd - 1-13-2016 at 09:38 AM

Thanks for sharing David, fun looking at all the covers, many of which I have had in the past. Graham's books are some of my favorites, always more fun when you have met the author.

Scot

Udo - 1-13-2016 at 10:54 AM

Thanks for sharing, David...I LOVE your library!

JohnMcfrog - 1-14-2016 at 06:56 AM

Great post! I just reread "Camping and Climbing in Baja" this week. It's amazing the amount of work that went into researching some of these books.

The nice thing is that many of them, though out of print, are still available on Amazon books and the extended circuit at the library.

MMc - 1-14-2016 at 08:14 AM

Thank you David, I have many of thoses but You have given me more to find. I have always enjoied the La Siesta books.

Ateo - 1-14-2016 at 08:26 AM

Nice collage of colorful Baja books David. Thanks for sharing.

David K - 1-14-2016 at 09:28 AM

Quote: Originally posted by MMc  
Thank you David, I have many of thoses but You have given me more to find. I have always enjoied the La Siesta books.


The man who was La Siesta was Walt Wheelock. He worked for the city of Glendale alongside Howard Gulick (Lower California Guidebook author/ mapmaker). Walt was a Sierra Nevada guy and Howard got him to check out Baja... Look at how that changed Walt! I met Walt in Baja back in 1984 and we communicated for a while about maps and books. I think Neal Johns told me he was part of their Desert Explorers group?

78 BOOKS

David K - 1-14-2016 at 05:04 PM

Approx. Book Values from Amazon Books and AddAll Rare Book Finder:

There is a very wide range between high and low prices being asked for these books on Amazon. I totalled up all the low prices, even if they were just one dollar (way too low, IMO). Only one book had no availability, so I priced it at $30 based on others like it and quality.


Peninsular California by Charles Nordhoff c1888 (130+ pages) C [$8-300];
The Mother of California by Arthur North c1908 (168 pages) D [$10-200];
Observations ion Lower California byJohann Jakob Baegert c1952 (218 pages, Mike McMahan's personal copy) B [$23-32];
The Flight of the Last Petrel byGriffing Bancroft c1932 (403 pages) B [$30];
The Land of Shorter Shadows by Erle Stanley Gardner c 1948 (228 pages) the first of many Baja adventure books from the creator of Perry Mason B [$66-525];

Baja California by Ralph Hanc-ck (with Mike McMahan and others) c1953 (180+ pages) A [$10-150]
Hunting the Desert Whale by Erle Stanley Gardner c1960 (209 pages). This was Mike McMahan's personal copy B*(two pages of a whales mating were cut-out to use in Mike's book 'There It Is: Baja!', then taped back) [$7-82];
The Sea of Cortez by Ray Cannon c1966 (284 pages) B [$4-104];
The Central Desert of Baja California: Demography and Ecology by Homer Aschmann c1967 (315 pages) A [$32-259];
Baja: Land of Lost Missions by Marquis McDonald c1968 (161 pages) A- [$16-25]

Where the Old West Never Died by Paul Sanford c1968 (121 pages) A [$48]
Black Robes in Lower California by Peter Maston Dunne c1968 (540 pages) B- [$41-65]
Lower California Guidebook by Peter Gerhard and Howard Gulick c1970 (212+ pages) B [$15-535]
Baja California (Time Life Book) by William Johnson c1972 (184 pages) B [$3-86]
Baja Sea Guide by Leland Lewis c1974 (365 pages) B- [$13-105]

There It Is: Baja! by Mike McMahan c1974 (240 pages) A- [$4-47]
Baja California Guidebook by Walt Wheelock and Howard Gulick c1975 (232 pages) A [$7-109]
The Baja Feeling by Ben Hunter c1978 (334 pages) A- [$3-91];
Into a Desert Place by Graham Mackintosh c1988 (312 pages) B [$1-61];
The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez by Gene Kira c1999 (362 pages) A [$37-145]

Byroads of Baja by Walt Wheelock c1971 (72 pages) A [$9-22];
Towns of Baja California by David Goldbaum c1971 (70 pages + map) B- [$12-395];
Beaches of Baja by Walt Wheelock c1972 (72 pages) A [$3-65];
Baja California and its Missions by Tomás Robertson c1978 (96 pages) A- [$6-164];
Rockhounding in Baja by W.R.C. Shedenhelm c1980/86 (48 pages) A [$29-350]

Baja Road Log by Walt Wheelock c1987 (120 pages) B [$5-26]
Baja Haha by Fred Hoctor c1984 (221 pages) B [$1-44];
Baja California, Vanished Missions, Lost Treasures, Strange Stories, True and Tall by Choral Pepper c1973 (1975 edition 126 pages) B [$19];
The Grinning Gargoyle Spills the Beans by Jimmy Smith c2001 (142 pages) A [$8-88];
Launch Ramps of Baja California by Mike Bales c1992 (106 pages) A- [$1-78];

Adventures in Baja by Mike McMahan c1983 (205+ pages) B [$2-66]
The Baja Book by Tom Miller and Elmar Baxter c1974 (176 pages) B [$16-80];
The Baja Book II by Tom Miller and Elmar Baxter c1982 (180 pages) B [$4-857];
The Baja Book III by Tom Miller and Carol Hoffman c1992 (16th edition 180 pages) A [$1-45];
Baja Adventures by Land, Air & Sea by Marvin & Aletha Patchen c1981 (192 pages) A [$16-218];

Baja California Overland by L. Burr Belden c1965 (64 pages, La Siesta Press) This was Mike McMahan's personal copy B [$12-20];
Camping and Climbing in Baja by John W. Robinson c1967 (96 pages, 1971 revised edition, La Siesta Press) C [$5-60]
Airports of Baja California by Arnold Senterfitt c1987 (384 pages, 17th Edition, second printing 1989) C [$7-96];
Baja California Norte by Automobile Club of Souther California c1973 (80 pages, "pavement ended 22.5 miles beyond El Rosario on April 10, 1973") A [$3-7];
Baja by Doug Richmond c1970 (112 pages) A- [$17-20];

Journey with a Baja Burro by Graham Mackintosh c2001 (358 pages) Autographed to 'Corke' (Choral Pepper) December 2000 B $3-73];
Baja California Sur by Automobile Club of Southern California c1973 (48 pages, "pavement began just south of El Rosarito in April 1973") A [$4];
The Land of Calafia by W. Michael Mathes c2009 (143 pages) A [$25-30]
Baja Book IV by Ginger Potter c1996 (135 pages) B [$3-90];
The Magnificient Peninsula by Jack Williams c1986 (248 pages) B [$2-325];

The Baja Highway by John Minch and Thomas Leslie c1991 (234 pages) A [$10-108];
Travel Guide to Baja California by Sunset Magazine c1971 (80 pages) B [$1-5];
Report of Outing Bureau Trip Down the West Coast of Lower California January 1927 by Outing Bureau Automobile Club of Southern California (10+ pages of logs, maps, reprint by Lake Mojave Press, 1988) A [$12-20];
National Parks of Northern Mexico by Richard Fisher c1994 (139 pages) A [$2-33]
Baja California Mexico by Cliff Cross c1970 (170 pages) B [$20-24]

Baja Explorer Topographic Atlas Directory by Landon Crumpton c1991 (approx. 256 pages) B [$25-129];
The Mission(s) of Baja California 1683-1849 by Dr. W. Michael Mathes c1977 (209 pages + map) B [$32-82];
Sea of Cortez Marine Invertebrates by Alex Kerstitch and Hans Bertsch c2007 (124 pages, second edition) B [$28-88];
Baja Almanac (Norte) by Landon Crumpton c1997(?) (60+ pages) A [$163-202];
Baja Almanac (Sur) by Landon Crumpton c1997(?) (64+ pages) A [$283-324]

The Dawson Baja Travelers Series (18 of the 51 volumes)
#9 Wenceslaus Linck's Reports & Letters, 1762-1778 by Ernest Burrus c1967 (94 pages) A [$30-45];
#10 Informe on the New Province of California, 1702 by Francisco Piccolo c1967 (77 pages) B [$30-37];
#22 Letter of Luís Jayme, O.F.M., San Diego, Oct. 17, 1772 c1970 (66 pages) B [$19-93];
#24 Sketches of a Journey on the Two Oceans (and of a civil war in northern Lower California, ~1860) by Henry Alric c1971 (215 pages) C [$20-416];
#26 Historica Notes on Lower California by Manuel Rojo, 1879 c1972 (172 pages) C [$31-43];

#27 The Drawings of Ignacio Tirsch [Jesuit at Santiago & San José del Cabo, 1760s] c1972 (125 pages) B [?] {$30};
#28 The Adventure of Stickeen in Lower California, 1874 by John Janes c1972 (98 pages) A [$25-80];
#34 Travelers Among the Cucapá by Anita Alvarez de Williams c1975 (161 pages) B [$42-416];
#35 Geographic and Hydrographic Descriptions... Discovery of the Kingdom of California (1632) by Nicolás de Cardona c1974 (111 pages) B [$25-122];
#37 Royal Officer in Baja California, 1768-1770 by Iris Wilson Engstrand c1976 (133 pages) D [$37-39];

#38 Hardly Any Fences Baja California in 1933-1959 by John Hilton c1977 (189 pages) B [$45-401];
#40 Cattle Brands of Baja California Sur 1809-1885 by W. Michael Mathes c1978 (78 pages) A [$14-279];
#42 Clemente Guillen, Explorer of the South 1720-1721 by W. Michael Mathes c1979 (99 pages + map) A [$25-88];
#43 The Natural History of Baja California by Miguel del Barco c1980 (298 pages) D [$125-231];
#44 Ethnology and Linguistics of Baja California by Miguel del Barco c1981 (112 pages) A [$45-331];

#45 The Letters of Jacob Baegert, 1749-1761 by Doyce Nunis c1982 (237 pages) A [$20-310];
#47 Jesuit Relations, Baja California, 1716-1762 by Ernest Burrus c1984 (422 pages) A [$30-97];
#48 Xántus (Letters of 1859-1861) by John Xántus c1986 (422 pages) A [$20-144];
The Missions and Missionaries of California, Vol. 1 Lower California by Fr. Zephyrin Engelhardt, O.F.M. c1929 (784 pages + map, Second Edition) D [$150]

Lower California and its Natural Resources by Edward Nelson c1966 (194 pages + map, orig. 1922 from 1905/06 field work) B [$50]

The Camino Real and the Missions of the Baja California Peninsula by Miguel León-Portilla, Ed Vernon, Harry Crosby and others. c2008 (English/Spanish) (a giant folding map displaying the missions and Camino Real routes in Baja on one side, and text on the other) A- (cover corner damaged) [$29-154]
Historical Notes on Baja California by Tomás Robertson c1972 (30 pages + map) B (small stain on cover) [$6]

Values from Amazon Books [min-max] or Rare Book Finder site if not on Amazon...






[Edited on 1-15-2016 by David K]

4x4abc - 1-14-2016 at 05:12 PM

David,

did you check the positioning of the missions in the Miguel León-Portilla book?

David K - 1-14-2016 at 05:30 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
David,

did you check the positioning of the missions in the Miguel León-Portilla book?


Terrible work, yes. The names are wrong, the photos or their captions are wrong... I spoke with Harry Crosby and Ed Vernon... neither were at all happy at the hack job on what could have been a fun folding map. Even the Camino Real is not well located. It is actually quite typical of what can come from down there... too bad.

4x4abc - 1-14-2016 at 06:04 PM

they put Santa Maria Magdalena south of Bahia Concepcion

David K - 1-15-2016 at 02:06 PM

So, now that these 78 books have been displayed, I will next photograph the other books in my Baja library and show them here. While I do not have all the Baja books ever published (Rockman does, I think... and Neal Johns is close at having the best collections I know of, outside of mine), I am happy with what I have accomplished and many Nomads are to thank for their kindness in helping me find rare Baja books!

I have my Baja books grouped by subject:
Baja Travel Story Books
Baja Guidebooks
Baja History Books
Baja Photo Books

4x4abc - 1-15-2016 at 05:08 PM

how about the ones in German?

David K - 1-15-2016 at 05:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
how about the ones in German?


OK...

4x4abc - 1-15-2016 at 10:33 PM

more recent
(can't find a copy of the one I wrote)


4x4abc - 1-15-2016 at 11:28 PM

got the pages, thank you!
still reading

Erle Stanley Gardner Books

David K - 2-2-2016 at 04:25 PM

The guy who was famous for mystery novels and the character Perry Mason...




Not all of them, but most of his Baja books, and the one of his Desert books (has a Baja trip photo or two in it). He also wrote a Hunting Lost Mines by Helicopter and his final Mexico adventure book, Host with a Big Hat... a little Baja in it, but mostly the mainland. He did a book about the boat people of the Sacramento River Delta after his Baja and Mexico books... just before passing away, in 1970, I think?

Land of Shorter Shadows c1948
Hunting the Desert Whale c1960
Hovering Over Baja c1961
The Hidden Heart of Baja c1962
The Desert is Yours c1963 (a gift from Matt and Barb, thank you guys!)
Off the Beaten Track in Baja c1967 (I got when I was 10)
Mexico's Magic Square c1968

More Baja Travel Adventure Story books...

David K - 2-2-2016 at 04:47 PM



Our own Nomad Graham and his four books are along the top. Awesome reading and everyone should have read his first book about walking the 3,000 mile coastline of Baja... at the edge of the water where ever possible, and sometimes impossible!

Into s Desert Place c1988
Journey with a Baja Burro c2001
Nearer My Dog To Thee c2003
Marooned With Very Little Beer c2008

The Baja Feeling by Ben Hunter c1978
Journey of the Flame by 'Fierro Blanco' c1933
Land Where Time Stands Still by Max Miller c1943
The Cruise of the Cow by Max Miller c1951
Bouncing Down to Baja by Bill and Orv Wortman c1954
Trails and Tales of Baja by Pel Carter c1967

More Baja Travel Adventure Story books...

David K - 2-2-2016 at 05:16 PM

There was a time, mostly in the 50's and 60's that everyone who drove down Baja wrote about it... it was that much of an adventure!



Forgotten Peninsula by Joseph Wood Krutch c1961
Yesterday's Land by Leonard Wibberley c1961
Quest of the Lost Santa Isabel (fiction) by Thelmar Wyche Crawford c1964
Assault on Baja by Elizabeth H. Washburn c1966
Long Walk to Mulegé by Howard Hale c1980 (a 1921 walk from Tijuana to Mulegé)
It's a Long Road to Comondú by Everett Gee Jackson c1987
Vintage Baja by Marion Smothers c1993
Almost an Island by Bruce Berger c1998

The Journey of the Flame

David K - 2-3-2016 at 11:09 AM

I showed the cover in an earlier image above, but I have three copies, and of interest, all three have different covers, two different publishers, but all the same date (1933). The Roman numeral for the date (middle book below, Boston) is done wrong! MDCCCCXXXIII (900 is here 500 + 400)
On the right book (New York) is is fixed: MCMXXXIII (900 is here 1000-100)
In the third book (with jacket), also from Boston, the Roman date is removed!

David K - 6-25-2016 at 11:39 AM

So many books... so little time!

David K - 11-5-2016 at 08:27 AM

Baja Angel and I are taking an airplane trip and I am bringing Journey of the Flame to read, again... It has been a while.

Keep working on your Baja libraries as they provide that Baja fix when you can't be there.
ALOHA

[Edited on 11-5-2016 by David K]

KurtG - 11-5-2016 at 08:53 AM

"Long Walk to Mulege" is one of my favorites. A great true adventure story. I also like "Almost An Island" which some here have panned. I think the chapter "Earth Day With The Governor" is classic, eating turtle on Earth Day.

[Edited on 11-5-2016 by KurtG]

mtgoat666 - 11-5-2016 at 10:44 AM

Lots of pretty pictures of covers,... but don't they say you can't judge a book by its cover?

...why no books in Spanish?

David K - 11-5-2016 at 11:21 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Lots of pretty pictures of covers,... but don't they say you can't judge a book by its cover?

...why no books in Spanish?


There are some, from the missionaries, but translated for English readers, who make up a huge percentage of Baja travelers. The mostly English travel books are due to the great amount of interest Baja has had, north of the border. This website, Baja Nomad, is an example of the popularity of Baja among English speakers. Can you name a Spanish Baja forum that is even close to doing the volume as Nomad does?

Someday, when more Mexicans can enjoy vacationing than already do, maybe then more Spanish books? It could be cultural too? English culture is just so big on writing books on exploration it seems?

Most of the books come from a time before paved roads invaded the peninsula with the draw of bad roads that they had on post WWII Americans and their new toy, the Jeep!

mtgoat666 - 11-5-2016 at 12:42 PM

Crikey!
Travelogues are puff pieces.
Try this, goggle: Baja historia. just googling alone pops up many titles.
A library search would reveal a whole other world of history and natural history written in Spanish :light::light::light::light:


Did you know that there is a world of scholarship and literature that is not posted on the internet?

danaeb - 11-5-2016 at 03:22 PM

You said it far better than I could have. Thank you. "If only the Mexicans could vacation more." Yikes...
Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Crikey!
Travelogues are puff pieces.
Try this, goggle: Baja historia. just googling alone pops up many titles.
A library search would reveal a whole other world of history and natural history written in Spanish :light::light::light::light:


Did you know that there is a world of scholarship and literature that is not posted on the internet?

David K - 11-5-2016 at 04:23 PM

Yes, wouldn't it be great to have a richer world where more can vacation instead of just work always! I wish everyone could vacation more, not just the citizens of Baja California... and discover what we Nomads have, and more!