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bajaamy
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Journey of the Flame
I've seen some scattered comments about this title, but wanted to know what you all thought of the book.
[Edited on 6-16-2014 by bajaamy]
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David K
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It is quite an interesting historical novel (c1933) about a journey on the El Camino Real from the tip of Baja to San Francisco, CA back in the early
1800's.
A bit difficult to read with the style of wording things, but full of factual details of how life could have been in old California!
Think I will read mine again!
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Barry A.
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I just looked into my copy and noted that I read it in 1996, and my note says it is a "truly fascinating book". Like David, I need to read it
again------thanks for reminding me. 
Barry
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Osprey
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The author chose to remain anonymous. A persistant journalist tracked him down with great difficulty. I think he was found retired in Santa Barbara.
His brother co-wrote Mutiny on the Bounty. The story of how the journalist tracked him down was, to me, as interesting as the book, its style. No
google then to help the author weave so carefully and colorfully how the Californios lived, how the Spanish might have travelled. I think David K will
throw in with me when I say I believe there was such a man who helped people this place way back when.
[Edited on 12-19-2008 by Osprey]
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David K
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Here is a great thread on the Camino Real from a while ago... the book was named, too: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=2689
Also, Mexitron posted this on the author:
Re "the Journey of the Flame" author Walter Nordhoff's pen name---actually was Antonio Fierro Blanco.....great book! According to Frank Nordhoff,
Walter's grandson, the character is fictional, but the events in the book were generally true(like Michener's writings).
[Edited on 12-19-2008 by David K]
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Paulina
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The late Jimmy Smith once told me that it was one of his favorite books. Of course after hearing that I picked one up. I loved the story and thanks
for reminding me of it. I'm going to take it out and read it again.
P<*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Neal Johns
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Yep, like everyone else, I think it is a winner. It was a best seller in its day, so copies are cheap. Get it if you have the slightest interest in
the El Camino Real.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Baja Bernie
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Paulina
Yep, Jimmy also told me that it was his favorite books on Baja and I now have four copies....Unlike David I enjoyed the different prose....but I am
sure that our different takes do have to do with age.
Another good book on Baja---that most don't have is the 'Troubled Waters' written back in the late forty's
Just did a week in San Felipe area and had a ball.....will post a travel thing after the New Year....much fun.
Hey! David K asked Jaime to marry me and she said YES!
Keri, just sent you an email about her YES.....Having Thanksgiving with you and Mike apparently convinced her that I was worth a gamble.
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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Paulina
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Bernie,
Engaged? You'd better be sending me an email soon too! Leaving for Bahia manana, so you can hold off sending till Jan. Congrats Bernie, all the best
to you for a happy new year with a new love!
To get back on topic; regarding good reads, I'm going to pick up 'Troubled Waters' when I get back.
P<*)))>{
(ps. sorry to hijack the thread!)
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Baja Bernie
Hey! David K asked Jaime to marry me and she said YES!
Keri, just sent you an email about her YES.....Having Thanksgiving with you and Mike apparently convinced her that I was worth a gamble.
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Hi Bernie. Good to see you.
So as not to Hijack here, would you give us a new thread and fill us in with what looks like great news?
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David K
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That's wonderful Bernie... Life is wonderful with a good person by your side!
Please invite Elizabeth and I over sometime to visit with you both!
Congratulations...
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Neal Johns
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Bajaamy,
About that big Baja book list you are making:
Bibliophiles Baja
By Neal Johns
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: http://www.addall.com/Used/
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 (Walter Nordhoff, father of Charles Nordhoff)
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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Barry A.
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Another great book on the Pinacate region of Sonora is, "Campfires on Desert and Lava", by William T. Hornaday (copyright 1908) (my copy was
published in 1925)
Barry
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David K
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Amy... good collection! You have some titles I haven't seen before. I am very interested in the 1992 Choral Pepper book you list (#24)!
Please see http://choralpepper.com wich is the site I made to show the photos that Choral gave me, before she died.
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaamy
Seen it, loved it! :-)
And a few other items on my shelf:
Baja California: The American Wilderness (Time Life books) - a little gem!
The Journey of the Flame--Nordhoff (don't forget to re-read it!)
Hidden Baja (Travel Guide)
Voyage of the Venus: Sojourn in California--Abel du Petit-Thouars (a ship log from 1836, describing travel up and down the West coast)
The Forgotten Peninsula--Krutch
Camp and Camino in Lower California--AW North (love living vicariously through these guys)
Quest of the Lost Santa Isabel--Thelmar Wyche Crawford ("exciting fiction for girls" from 1964)
Baja Legends--Nieman
A History of Lower California--Pablo Martinez (this guy is really full of himself)
Into a Desert Place; Journey with a Baja Burro--Mackintosh (did anyone read the part where the lady pronounced his name "Magic Tush"?)
Black Robes in Lower California--Dunn
The Black Pearl--Scott O'Dell
The Pearl--John Steinbeck
Log from the Sea of Cortez--Steinbeck
Tides of Danger--Elizabeth Baldwin Hazelton (another kids' fiction title from 1967. Some inaccuracies, such as the Seri as cannibals)
The King's Highway--Harry Crosby (Oh, how I love this book)
Burro--Frank Brookshier
Donkey : The Mystique of Equus Asinus--Michael Tobias, Jane Gray Morrison |
Great collection! In Greg Niemann's book, see page 134  for fun.
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David K
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No, don't bother... they don't know me!
We were camping up at Los Manzanos just befor the entrance to San Pedro Martir Park and the caretaker told us that story... Greg Niemann read my trip
report in Amigos de Baja about that story we were told and it made a good insert for his book. I helped do the copy edit looking for tech. errors and
such on that book before it was published... Greg mentioned us who helped on the page before the contents page.
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BAJACAT
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Amy on your list book #5,this means you read spanish
5. Diguet, Leon. Territorio de la Baja California: Resena y Geografica Estadistica. Paris and Mexico: Libreria de la vda. de C. Bouret, 1912.
You have a great book collection
BAJA IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE, FUN,DANGEROUS,INCREDIBLE, REMOTE, EXOTIC..JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.....
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Paula
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Amy, one you might add to your collection is C.M. Mayo's Miraculous Air. Among her insightful essays on contemporary Baja from top to tip is a very
informative one about San Quintin.
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Neal Johns
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The Journey of the Flame by Antonio de Fierro Blanco
The Journey of the Flame by Antonio de Fierro Blanco
Many of you have a copy or have read the classic historical novel about a Baja journey over the El Camino Real mule/foot trail in the early 1800’s. It
is basically historically correct and warms the heart of anyone who has an interest in Baja or old trails. Published in 1933, and a popular best
seller, the author obviously used a penname. A little detective work by Harrison Leussler, who worked for the publisher, showed that the author’s real
name was Charles Nordhoff whose father, Walter, was a famous author (Mutiny on the Bounty) and editor of Harper's magazine. Walter was in his eighties
when he was “outed” as the author and was 74 when he submitted the book for publication. He neither wanted any disturbance in his life, nor wanted to
ride on his famous father’s coattails. The second reprint of the novel in 1955 (readily and inexpensively available) carried this information in the
Preface.
Walter and his father, Charles, are buried in a Redlands, CA cemetery near where I live.
Out of print books are available from thousands of bookstores at:
http://www.addall.com/Used/
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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Paulina
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Jimmy Smith told me that this was one of his favorite books and told me to check it out. I loved it. Thanks for bringing it up, I think I need to read
it again.
P<*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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