Contested Eden

This is the first in a four-volume history series to celebrate the 150th birthday of the state of California. This volume of essays investigates traditional historical subjects and also explores such areas as environmental science, women's history and Indian history. The volume also features a photographic essay on the artistic record of the conquest of California by Europeans, as well as over 70 black and white photographs. The "California History Sesquicentennial Series" offers the opportunity to re-examine the founding of modern California, from the earliest days through the Gold Rush and up to 1870. It seeks to offer a contemporary perspective on such issues as the evolution of a distinctive California culture, the interaction between people and the natural environment, the ways in which California's development affected the United States and the world, and the legacy of cultural and ethnic diversity in the state.