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• DARK AND TANGLED THREADS OF CRIME

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  He came to California with the great Gold Rush, but instead of riches, Isaiah W. Lees discovered his great talent for solving crimes and catching criminals. He captured stage robbers in Missouri, tracked con men to New York and caught the notorious eastern bank robber, Jimmy Hope in the middle of a San Francisco heist. San Francisco in the 1850’s, was the gateway to the gold fields, a city filled with adventurers, outlaws, con men and desperadoes of every description. In 1853 Isaiah Lees was appointed the first Chief of Detectives on the new Police Force and during nearly fifty years he acquired an amazing record. An innovator of police methods, Lees easily eclipsed such legendary lawman as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. When he retired as chief in 1900, the San Francisco Chronicle stated that “in point of service, no one has ever equaled the record of Lees.” He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time, and this is his exciting, true story, told here for the first time.

• CALIFORNIA FEUDS

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• THE HUNT FOR THE BURU [LSI]

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  This firsthand account of a 1948 journey to a treacherous valley in northern India in search of a mysterious creature is both a classic travel adventure and a graphic record of an amazing expedition. The Buru, an elusive, monstrous reptile, was well documented by the natives of the area. Like the Yeti, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness monster, the Buru has captured the imagination of adventurers for years.

• REMEMBERING CESAR CHAVEZ: The Legacy of Cesar Chavez

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  In this collection of firsthand accounts by those who knew Cesar Chavez best, a portrait of an uncommonly complex man, both driven and focused, yet humble, empathic and exceedingly principled, emerges. The reader gains an understanding of the yoke Chavez chose to place upon his own shoulders, as well as the ideals he employed to accomplish for the migrant farmworkers what many predicted would be impossible. The more than 45 contributors range from the famous--Edward James Olmos, Henry Cisneros, Martin Sheen, Coretta Scott King, Jerry Brown and others--to members of the Chavez family, to UFW staff, to the farmworkers themselves. Illustrated by the compelling black and white photographs of George Elfie Ballis, who began photographing the farmworker movement in the 1950s.

• REMEMBERING THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS

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  From San Diego to the Salinas Valley, to the rugged coastlines of Monterey and San Francisco, and inland to Sonoma, El Camino Real traces the path of the California’s 21 historic missions. Under the leadership of California’s founding hero, Father Junipero Serra, Spanish priests and their Indian converts built these imposing and beautiful structures that are the earliest monuments of modern California. “Remembering California Missions” evokes all the beauty and history of California’s mission heritage in the lush watercolors of renowned California artist Pat Hunter and the insightful prose of Janice Stevens. Through exploring the history and enduring architectural, artistic, and cultural heritage of the California missions, this book reveals the full history of California itself, from Father Serra’s pioneering labors, to the conquest of the land’s agricultural wealth, to California’s painful transfers from the Indians to Spain, Mexico and the United States. A treasury of captivating artistry and fascinating history, “Remembering the California Missions” celebrates and preserves the masterworks of California’s founding era.

• THE CALIFORNIA SNATCH RACKET

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  Subtitle: "Kidnappings During the Prohibition and Depression Eras." In California in the 1920s and 1930s, kidnapping—nicknamed the “snatch racket” by a cynical newspaperman—was the most booming criminal enterprise around. Driven by greed, desperation and sometimes plain stupidity, ransom artists preyed indiscriminately on Hollywood socialites, wealthy heiresses and even poor people who couldn’t pay a dime. Every new disappearance sold more newspapers, but for both the kidnappers and their unfortunate victims, even the simplest caper often went tragically wrong. “California Snatch Racket” brings this dark and forgotten era into shockingly vivid life. Richly illustrated, “California Snatch Racket” reflects newspaper, police, court and prison accounts of the times written in a style that places the reader on the scene. Avoiding supposition and sensationalism, the book offers true accounts of the crimes and the people. These 15 bizarre, often ironic tales illustrate the complex cruelties that flourished in the Golden Era of the Golden State. A modern city rises and lynches a pair of kidnappers. A victim begs leniency for his kidnapper in a case where a technicality demands the death penalty. A couple of college kids imitate the Leopold and Loeb kidnapping to prove their intellectual prowess and famed evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson fakes her own kidnapping to cover up an affair. “California Snatch Racket” recounts its stories in the manner of the times, while leaving judgment to the courts and the readers.