User menu

Shopping cart



California Experience

From snow to sand, mountains to beaches, and everything in between, California gives all you could ever want in a destination—not to mention endless amounts of literary inspiration. Find novels, history, poetry, cookbooks, and more writing about the Golden State in our California Experience section at the store, or shop our selection of books below.

Don't miss the literary essay "California Readin'" written by Bookshop bookseller Richard "Rico" Lange in our Summer 2022 Newsletter. Read it here.

"The dynamism at the heart of each of these California stories reminds us that California is still evolving and that change — hopefully for the better — is not just possible but inevitable." — Richard "Rico" Lange

 

The Coasts of California: A California Field Atlas By Obi Kaufmann Cover Image

The Coasts of California: A California Field Atlas (Paperback)

By Obi Kaufmann
$55.00
ISBN: 9781597145510
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Heyday Books - April 19th, 2022
The High Sierra: A Love Story By Kim Stanley Robinson Cover Image

The High Sierra: A Love Story (Hardcover)

By Kim Stanley Robinson
$40.00
ISBN: 9780316593014
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown and Company - May 10th, 2022
Rock Me on the Water: 1974--the Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics By Ronald Brownstein Cover Image

Rock Me on the Water: 1974--the Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics (Paperback)

By Ronald Brownstein
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062899224
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Paperbacks - March 22nd, 2022
We Are the Land: A History of Native California By Damon B. Akins, William J. Bauer, Jr. Cover Image

We Are the Land: A History of Native California (Paperback)

By Damon B. Akins, William J. Bauer, Jr.
$24.95
ISBN: 9780520280502
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: University of California Press - March 29th, 2022
California: An American History By John Mack Faragher Cover Image

California: An American History (Hardcover)

By John Mack Faragher
$28.50
ISBN: 9780300225792
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Yale University Press - May 10th, 2022
Moon California Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping (Travel Guide) By Tom Stienstra Cover Image

Moon California Camping: The Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping (Travel Guide) (Paperback)

By Tom Stienstra
$27.99
ISBN: 9781640496194
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Moon Travel - June 14th, 2022
Staff Pick Badge
Brown Neon By Raquel Gutiérrez Cover Image

Brown Neon (Paperback)

By Raquel Gutiérrez
$16.95
ISBN: 9781566896375
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Coffee House Press - June 7th, 2022
Pre-Order Now Badge
Flutes of Fire: An Introduction to Native California Languages Revised and Updated By Leanne Hinton Cover Image

Flutes of Fire: An Introduction to Native California Languages Revised and Updated (Paperback)

By Leanne Hinton
$26.00
ISBN: 9781597145664
Availability: Not Yet Published - Available for Pre-Order; Please See Publication Date Below Before Ordering
Published: Heyday Books - July 26th, 2022
A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us: Expanded and Updated By Matt Ritter, Peter H. Raven (Foreword by) Cover Image

A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us: Expanded and Updated (Paperback)

By Matt Ritter, Peter H. Raven (Foreword by)
$22.00
ISBN: 9781597145602
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Heyday Books - July 5th, 2022
Everything Now: Lessons from the City-State of Los Angeles By Rosecrans Baldwin Cover Image

Everything Now: Lessons from the City-State of Los Angeles (Paperback)

By Rosecrans Baldwin
$18.00
ISBN: 9781250849199
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Picador - June 14th, 2022
Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect By Victoria Kastner Cover Image

Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect (Hardcover)

By Victoria Kastner
$32.50
ISBN: 9781797205632
Availability: Backordered
Published: Chronicle Books - March 1st, 2022
A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community By Natalia Molina Cover Image

A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community (Hardcover)

By Natalia Molina
$29.95
ISBN: 9780520385481
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: University of California Press - April 19th, 2022
The Ominous Ocean: Rogue Waves, Rip Currents and Other Dangers Along the Shoreline and in the Sea By Gary Griggs Cover Image

The Ominous Ocean: Rogue Waves, Rip Currents and Other Dangers Along the Shoreline and in the Sea (Paperback)

By Gary Griggs
$21.95
ISBN: 9781493066100
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Sheridan House - June 15th, 2022
Staff Pick Badge
Gordo By Jaime Cortez Cover Image

Gordo (Paperback)

By Jaime Cortez
$16.00
ISBN: 9780802158086
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grove Press, Black Cat - August 17th, 2021
Big Sur By Jack Kerouac, Aram Saroyan (Foreword by) Cover Image

Big Sur (Paperback)

By Jack Kerouac, Aram Saroyan (Foreword by)
$17.00
ISBN: 9780140168129
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - June 1st, 1992
Staff Pick Badge
There There By Tommy Orange Cover Image

There There (Paperback)

By Tommy Orange
$16.00
ISBN: 9780525436140
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - May 7th, 2019
Staff Pick Badge
Parable of the Sower By Octavia E. Butler Cover Image

Parable of the Sower (Paperback)

By Octavia E. Butler
$16.99
ISBN: 9781538732182
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grand Central Publishing - April 30th, 2019
Cannery Row (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) By John Steinbeck, Susan Shillinglaw (Introduction by) Cover Image

Cannery Row (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) (Paperback)

By John Steinbeck, Susan Shillinglaw (Introduction by)
$16.00
ISBN: 9780140187373
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Classics - February 1st, 1994
Staff Pick Badge
Pacific Coasting: A Guide to the Ultimate Road Trip, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest By Danielle Kroll Cover Image

Pacific Coasting: A Guide to the Ultimate Road Trip, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest (Hardcover)

By Danielle Kroll
$19.95
ISBN: 9781579658717
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Artisan - March 16th, 2021
Wit's End: A Novel By Karen Joy Fowler Cover Image

Wit's End: A Novel (Paperback)

By Karen Joy Fowler
$16.00
ISBN: 9780452290068
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - April 28th, 2009
Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (FSG Classics) By Joan Didion Cover Image

Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays (FSG Classics) (Paperback)

By Joan Didion
$17.00
ISBN: 9780374531386
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - October 28th, 2008
California the Beautiful By Galen Rowell (Photographs by), Peter Beren (Editor) Cover Image

California the Beautiful (Hardcover)

By Galen Rowell (Photographs by), Peter Beren (Editor)
$19.95
ISBN: 9781599620749
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Welcome Books - October 20th, 2009
Staff Pick Badge
Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages through the Unknown City By Gary Kamiya, Paul Madonna (Illustrator) Cover Image

Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages through the Unknown City (Hardcover)

By Gary Kamiya, Paul Madonna (Illustrator)
$28.00
ISBN: 9781635575880
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - October 20th, 2020
Staff Pick Badge
Why We Swim By Bonnie Tsui Cover Image

Why We Swim (Paperback)

By Bonnie Tsui
$16.95
ISBN: 9781643751375
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Algonquin Books - April 13th, 2021
Staff Pick Badge
Alone on the Wall By Alex Honnold, David Roberts (With) Cover Image

Alone on the Wall (Paperback)

By Alex Honnold, David Roberts (With)
$16.95
ISBN: 9780393356144
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - October 2nd, 2018
The California Surf Project By Eric Soderquist, Chris Burkard Cover Image

The California Surf Project (Hardcover)

By Eric Soderquist, Chris Burkard
$35.00
ISBN: 9780811862820
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Chronicle Books - April 22nd, 2009
Staff Pick Badge
The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California By Mark Arax Cover Image

The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California (Paperback)

By Mark Arax
$18.00
ISBN: 9781101910191
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - April 7th, 2020
Hollywood Eden: Electric Guitars, Fast Cars, and the Myth of the California Paradise By Joel Selvin Cover Image

Hollywood Eden: Electric Guitars, Fast Cars, and the Myth of the California Paradise (Paperback)

By Joel Selvin
$18.99
ISBN: 9781487011376
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: House of Anansi Press - March 22nd, 2022
Mecca: A Novel By Susan Straight Cover Image

Mecca: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Susan Straight
$28.00
ISBN: 9780374604516
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - March 15th, 2022
Surfing in Santa Cruz (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing)) By Thomas Hickenbottom, Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Soc, The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum Cover Image

Surfing in Santa Cruz (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing)) (Paperback)

By Thomas Hickenbottom, Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Soc, The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
$21.99
ISBN: 9780738570761
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Arcadia Publishing (SC) - August 5th, 2009
Staff Pick Badge
All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms By David Arora Cover Image

All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms (Paperback)

By David Arora
$17.99
ISBN: 9780898153880
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ten Speed Press - February 1st, 1991
The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area By Malcolm Margolin Cover Image

The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area (Paperback)

By Malcolm Margolin
$18.00
ISBN: 9780930588014
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Heyday Books - April 1st, 1997
Staff Pick Badge
Inter State: Essays from California By Jose Vadi Cover Image

Inter State: Essays from California (Paperback)

By Jose Vadi
$16.95
ISBN: 9781593766955
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Soft Skull - September 14th, 2021
Staff Pick Badge
The State of Water: Understanding California's Most Precious Resource By Obi Kaufmann Cover Image

The State of Water: Understanding California's Most Precious Resource (Hardcover)

By Obi Kaufmann
$20.00
ISBN: 9781597144698
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Heyday Books - June 1st, 2019
Essential Muir (Revised): A Selection of John Muir's Best (and Worst) Writings By John Muir, Fred White (Editor), Jolie Varela (Foreword by) Cover Image

Essential Muir (Revised): A Selection of John Muir's Best (and Worst) Writings (Paperback)

By John Muir, Fred White (Editor), Jolie Varela (Foreword by)
$16.00
ISBN: 9781597145503
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Heyday Books - October 5th, 2021
East of Eden By John Steinbeck Cover Image

East of Eden (Paperback)

By John Steinbeck
$21.00
ISBN: 9780142004234
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - June 18th, 2003