Wildsam Field Guides: California

When a Californian picks up a field guide to her state published by Texans, she is immediately skeptical. For those readers and travelers, like me, let me put your fears to rest. Ignore the poorly written welcome and dive into the rest of this amazing book. A brief giveaway that this book is by Texans is that they call our laws sclerotic, but I could get past this. While this book does not cover all my favorite spots, it does an excellent job of introducing even me to delightful and unexpected California landmarks, interesting places, and brilliant writing. In short, there are a variety of things to learn from this guide,and it is well worth your time to read it cover to cover and discover more than one could expect. The lexicon of redwood terminology was enlightening. A short caveat: some of the planners in the book seem like advertisements, but trips must be paid for, I suppose. Also, like Disney’s California Adventure, there is little mention of the state capitol of Sacramento. There is a brief blurb about the Sacramento Delta, but not the interesting city many of us call home. Even so, this is a nifty little book.