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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
$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
$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
$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
$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
$28.50
ISBN: 9780300225792
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
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
$27.99
ISBN: 9781640496194
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Moon Travel - June 14th, 2022

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Brown Neon By Raquel Gutiérrez Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781566896375
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Coffee House Press - June 7th, 2022

Flutes of Fire: An Introduction to Native California Languages Revised and Updated By Leanne Hinton Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9781597145664
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
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
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
$19.00
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
$32.50
ISBN: 9781797205632
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Chronicle Books - March 1st, 2022

A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community By Natalia Molina Cover Image
$29.95
ISBN: 9780520385481
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
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
$21.95
ISBN: 9781493066100
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Sheridan House - June 15th, 2022

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Gordo By Jaime Cortez Cover Image
$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
By Jack Kerouac, Aram Saroyan (Foreword by)
$18.00
ISBN: 9780140168129
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - June 1st, 1992

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There There By Tommy Orange Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780525436140
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - May 7th, 2019

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Parable of the Sower By Octavia E. Butler Cover Image
$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
By John Steinbeck, Susan Shillinglaw (Introduction by)
$16.00
ISBN: 9780140187373
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Classics - February 1st, 1994

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Pacific Coasting: A Guide to the Ultimate Road Trip, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest By Danielle Kroll Cover Image
$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
$22.00
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
$18.00
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
By Galen Rowell (Photographs by), Peter Beren (Editor)
$19.95
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9781599620749
Published: Welcome Books - October 20th, 2009

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Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages through the Unknown City By Gary Kamiya, Paul Madonna (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Gary Kamiya, Paul Madonna (Illustrator)
$28.00
ISBN: 9781635575880
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - October 20th, 2020

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Why We Swim By Bonnie Tsui Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781643751375
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Algonquin Books - April 13th, 2021

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Alone on the Wall By Alex Honnold, David Roberts (With) Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9780393356144
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - October 2nd, 2018

California Surf Project By Chris Burkard, Eric Soderquist Cover Image
$40.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780811862820
Published: Chronicle Books - April 8th, 2009

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The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California By Mark Arax Cover Image
$20.00
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
$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
$28.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780374604516
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - March 15th, 2022

Surfing in Santa Cruz (Images of America) By Thomas Hickenbottom, Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Soc, The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum Cover Image
$24.99
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780738570761
Published: Arcadia Publishing (SC) - August 5th, 2009

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All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms By David Arora Cover Image
$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
$18.00
ISBN: 9780930588014
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Heyday Books - April 1st, 1997

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Inter State: Essays from California By José Vadi Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781593766955
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Soft Skull - September 14th, 2021

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The State of Water: Understanding California's Most Precious Resource By Obi Kaufmann Cover Image
$22.00
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
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
$22.00
ISBN: 9780142004234
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - June 18th, 2003