Arcadia Publishing

Angel Island.

A treasure trove of archival photographs accompanies the tracing of the colorful history of San Francisco Bay's largest island. Incorporated in 1964 into the town of Tiburon, Angel Island has had incarnations as a pirate cove, 19th century army base, quarantine and immigration stations, lighthouse site, missile base, and now, a popular state park. A few sources are acknowledged. Fanning is a former mayor/historian of Tiburon. Journalist Wong wrote the section on immigration. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Monterey County's north coast and coastal valleys.

Historian/museum curator Clovis, who authored the Salinas Valley volume in this series, traces life in north Monterey County from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries through captioned period photos (many courtesy of the Monterey County Historical Society) of the towns of Castroville, Moss Landing, Pajaro, and Aromas. She briefly introduces each community's basis for identity, e.g., Castroville considers itself the "Artichoke Capital of the World." The book is not referenced or indexed. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The Teton Dam disaster.

Wondering why the greatest disaster in eastern Idaho has attracted scant attention from historians, a former Idaho State Historical Society archivist presents a photo essay on the 1976 collapse of the just-completed Teton Dam and flooding of the Upper Snake River Valley. The caption on the last photo concerning a request by a local irrigation district to rebuild the dam underscores the continuing debate on the disaster's cause, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's role, and dams in general. The volume includes maps and references but lacks an index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)