Historical Atlas Of California (review)

Most historical atlases present a series of newly drafted maps that depict the changing distribution of ethnic groups, transportation systems, and the like. This is a useful formula, but one eschewed by Derek Hayes. Instead, he looks at how California has been perceived through time by reprinting historical maps. Poor reproduction quality, limited selection, and/or weak commentary are potential enemies of this approach. Hayes's effort, however, is a masterpiece that satisfies both the mind and the spirit.

The author is a trained geographer and map historian who, by chance, also acquired skills in text design while producing a series of gardening books. In 1999 he combined these interests to publish a collection of historical maps about British Columbia. It sold well and led to a career. Within the last nine years, in fact, Hayes has created and marketed two illustrated histories and seven historical atlases. Such an impressive output might imply shoddy quality, but this is not the case. The author's earlier volumes have won numerous awards, and the same distinctive combination of popular appeal and high scholarly standards is present here. At $39.95 cloth bound, this book is a bargain.

The California atlas is a visual delight. Its 280 glossy, oversized pages contain 587 maps and illustrations, 535 of them in full color. Reproduction quality is uniformly high and the varied layouts include numerous close-up, sectional views that limit problems of illegibility from original graphic materials being reduced to fit the page. The book's thirty-one chapters each opens with three or four pages of quality narrative, but readers will be drawn immediately to the sumptuous maps. These average two per page and are accompanied by informative captions that may be the atlas's single best feature.

Hayes's work is satisfying either to browse or study in depth. The chapters are arranged chronologically, with a third of the space devoted to the pre-American period. Each is self-contained. Included are expected topics such as missions and the gold rush, but also several unusual ones: the exploration of the interior, the San Francisco fire of 1906, and plans for local defense during World War II. No matter the subject, however, his carefully selected contemporary maps draw readers into the past in a way that modern versions cannot. To see the Gulf of California shaded in red on a 1544 map is to understand the power (and color) perceived in the silt-laden output of the Colorado River. To see a detailed chart of Japanese-American assignments to particular relocation centers in 1942 is to feel fear and prejudice in action, while to view the none-too-detailed Fremont map of 1848 that most gold seekers used is to comprehend how faith can triumph over practicality. The whimsical is here for balance, as well, my favorite being a 1938 guide to the homes of the movie stars.

Historical Atlas of California should have broad appeal and provides a useful update and supplement to David Hornbeck's California Patterns: A Geographical and Historical Atlas (Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing, 1983).