EBOOK
About
From the first human settlements to the latest marine explorations, The Golden Shore tells the tale of the history, culture, and changing nature of California's coasts and ocean. David Helvarg takes the reader on both a geographic and literary journey along the state's 1,100-mile Pacific coastline, from the Oregon border to the San Diego–Tijuana international border fence and out into its whale-, seal-, and shark-rich offshore seamounts, rock isles, and kelp forests. Part history, part travelogue, part love letter, The Golden Shore captures the spirit of the California coast and its mythic place in American culture. A captivating historic, geographic, and literary journey along California's 1,100-mile Pacific coastline
David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign (www.bluefront.org), is the author of Blue Frontier and The War Against the Greens. A journalist for more than 30 years, Helvarg lives in northern California. "David Helvarg's passion for the ocean is equaled only by his elegance in writing about it. Like the ocean itself, The Golden Shore ranges from the glimmering surface to mysterious mid-waters to far deeper realms. This book will remind everyone who reads it of one fundamental fact: we live on a water planet. No author has conveyed this with more art and meaning."
- Susan Casey, author of The Wave and Voices in the Ocean
"Helvarg dives deep into history to remind us of all the forces that have shaped California's coastline and near-shore waters-and our attitudes about them."
- Los Angeles Times
"The Golden Shore is a thrilling read. Join master storyteller David Helvarg on a heart-pounding journey into the tumultuous past, provocative present, and promising future of California's wild blue frontier."
- Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
"A broad, insightful exploration of the Golden State's pristine coastline and its social and ecological impact on the nation... A lush, labor-of-love appreciation of maritime California."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A comprehensive history of California's long relationship with its shoreline, covering everything from commercial shipping to surfing to fishing to the U.S. Navy. . . . A unique and enthralling work."
- Booklist (starred review)
"We've gotten used to thinking of California's jammed freeways, or its tech riches, or its Hollywood excess. But David Helvarg's splendid account reminds us that those are transitory-in the beginning and the end, the Golden State is the place where North America meets the mighty Pacific, a coast of unvanquishable splendor and unforgettable history."
- Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
"As geography, history, and myth, the power of California as place, society, and dream is best encountered on its shoreline. In 'Facing West from California Shores,' Walt Whitman bore witness to this drama. In the decades that followed, writers such as Mary Austin, J. Smeaton Chase, Robinson Jeffers, and John Steinbeck each encountered the California shore as fact and symbol. And now David Helvarg embarks upon an odyssey up the coast of dreams, asking the question: what is contemporary California telling itself about itself-and what does this mean for the nation?"
- Kevin Starr, author of California: A History
"Brilliant and engrossing . . . a comprehensive account of California's coastal history. With a deft journalist's touch, Helvarg weaves a tapestry of 'the Golden State' both past and present, mixing history, biology, adventurism and activism. The tale is woven with interviews and the author's own unique personal experiences and relationships."
- Ralph Nader, Huffington Post
"The Golden Shore is a history of California's relationship with the ocean, but it's much more than a straightforward history. It's also a travelogue with element
David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign (www.bluefront.org), is the author of Blue Frontier and The War Against the Greens. A journalist for more than 30 years, Helvarg lives in northern California. "David Helvarg's passion for the ocean is equaled only by his elegance in writing about it. Like the ocean itself, The Golden Shore ranges from the glimmering surface to mysterious mid-waters to far deeper realms. This book will remind everyone who reads it of one fundamental fact: we live on a water planet. No author has conveyed this with more art and meaning."
- Susan Casey, author of The Wave and Voices in the Ocean
"Helvarg dives deep into history to remind us of all the forces that have shaped California's coastline and near-shore waters-and our attitudes about them."
- Los Angeles Times
"The Golden Shore is a thrilling read. Join master storyteller David Helvarg on a heart-pounding journey into the tumultuous past, provocative present, and promising future of California's wild blue frontier."
- Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
"A broad, insightful exploration of the Golden State's pristine coastline and its social and ecological impact on the nation... A lush, labor-of-love appreciation of maritime California."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A comprehensive history of California's long relationship with its shoreline, covering everything from commercial shipping to surfing to fishing to the U.S. Navy. . . . A unique and enthralling work."
- Booklist (starred review)
"We've gotten used to thinking of California's jammed freeways, or its tech riches, or its Hollywood excess. But David Helvarg's splendid account reminds us that those are transitory-in the beginning and the end, the Golden State is the place where North America meets the mighty Pacific, a coast of unvanquishable splendor and unforgettable history."
- Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
"As geography, history, and myth, the power of California as place, society, and dream is best encountered on its shoreline. In 'Facing West from California Shores,' Walt Whitman bore witness to this drama. In the decades that followed, writers such as Mary Austin, J. Smeaton Chase, Robinson Jeffers, and John Steinbeck each encountered the California shore as fact and symbol. And now David Helvarg embarks upon an odyssey up the coast of dreams, asking the question: what is contemporary California telling itself about itself-and what does this mean for the nation?"
- Kevin Starr, author of California: A History
"Brilliant and engrossing . . . a comprehensive account of California's coastal history. With a deft journalist's touch, Helvarg weaves a tapestry of 'the Golden State' both past and present, mixing history, biology, adventurism and activism. The tale is woven with interviews and the author's own unique personal experiences and relationships."
- Ralph Nader, Huffington Post
"The Golden Shore is a history of California's relationship with the ocean, but it's much more than a straightforward history. It's also a travelogue with element