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• Stories of Service: Volume 2

  $24.95 $14.97 0 review(s)

  
  

  Subtitle: Valley Veterans Remember World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War. The San Joaquin Valley?s rich history of courage, military service, duty and honor is preserved for future generations in Janice Stevens? new book Stories of Service, Volume II: Valley Veterans Remember World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War (Craven Street Books, November 2011). In this fascinating sequel to Stevens? original Stories of Service, ordinary soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians from the Valley tell in their own words their experiences during a half century of armed conflict. The one hundred personal memoirs in Stories of Service, Volume II record Valley veterans? trials, tragedies and triumphs from Pearl Harbor to the Mekong Delta. These are stories of harrowing combat, separation from loved ones, survival in POW camps, boredom, fear, bravery, victory and returning home ? plus all the bizarre, incongruous and humorous events of wartime and military service.

• SAN FRANCISCO'S PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH: The Early Years

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  Playland at the Beach was a magical place, revered in the hearts of San Franciscans and all who visited. Playland wasn?t just another amusement park?it had a special identity that encompassed socialization, dining, playing, strolling and sight-seeing that was purely San Francisco. From the 1920s to the 1970s, Playland enthralled generations. Everyone who visited it recognized its uniqueness, and its pioneering rides and attractions inspired the designers of the amusement parks that followed. ?San Francisco?s Playland at the Beach? is a comprehensive photographic record of Playland at the Beach from its construction in 1920 through its glorious heyday in the 1930s and 40s. The book presents over 350 rare photographs of Playland and the surrounding neighborhood, including 250 unique, never-before-seen photos drawn from the private archive of ride designer Laurence ?Laurie? Hollings. ?San Francisco?s Playland at the Beach? leads the reader through a chapter-by-chapter tour of the setting and evolution of Playland during its formative era. Photographs trace the development of the site from steam shovels carving the bare sand dunes of Ocean Beach and the construction of the main Playland buildings. Each of Playland?s famous rides receives its own chapter, with photographs showing both how the rides were built and how they looked in their prime. Other chapters cover Playland?s attractions, arcade amusements, restaurants, and nightclubs. Incidental photographs depict the clothes, cars, people, and customs of the time. The book also covers some of the most notable events that happened at Playland in the 1930s, including the Century of Progress exhibit of 1934 and a labor strike that paralyzed the park in the mid-30s. The book includes a complete timeline and history of Playland from its beginning to its destruction in 1972. ?San Francisco?s Playland at the Beach? gives readers an enchanting vision of the fun, sights, sounds, and flavors of a glamorous and care-free time. Take a turn on the Big Dipper roller coaster, the Shoot the Chutes water ride, the DodgEm bumper cars, and the six-story giant slide at the Fun House. Taste a Pie Shop blackberry pie, Topsy?s chicken, and a Bull Pupp enchilada. Listen to the staccato of the four shooting galleries, the rumble of the wooden roller coaster and the screams of its passengers, the orchestrion playing marching tunes, and the raucous laughter of Laffing Sal. Richly illustrated and painstakingly researched, ?San Francisco?s Playland at the Beach? is a time machine fun ride through little-known history.

• 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.

• FRESNO'S ARCHITECTURAL PAST

  $26.95 $16.17 0 review(s)

  
  

  Fresno's Architectural Past is renowned local artist Pat Hunter's unique and stimulating homage to the landmark buildings of Fresno, California. Join her as she celebrates 22 of the city's grand old buildings with beautiful, evocative watercolor paintings.

• ON THE RUN

  $14.95 $8.97 0 review(s)

  
  

  On The Run is Douglas McHardie?s amazing tale of adventure and survival at the dawn of the modern era. The year is 1898 in northern California, and after a melee with his drunken father, 16 year old McHardie flees the lumber town of his youth. He soon becomes entangled with an outlaw gang, and is then seemingly propelled through a series of astounding adventures where his ability to simply survive is repeatedly put to the test. From gold prospecting in Alaska to smuggling guns to tribes in Afghanistan, he exists on the sharp edge of destiny, with life on one side and death on the other.

• SAN FRANCISCOS LOST LANDMARKS [LSI]

  $18.95 $11.37 0 review(s)

  
  

  With long forgotten stories and evocative photographs, the book showcases the once-familiar sites that have faded into dim memories and hazy legends.