Berkeley Bohemia Artists and Visionaries of the Early 20th Century [Hardcover]

Ed Herny (Author), Shelley Rideout (Author), Katie Wadell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2008

Berkeley Bohemia highlights the contributions of the eccentric residents of one of America's cultural creative cities during a critical period of the country's creative burgeoning. These bohemians-writers and artists who lived an unconventional life in a colony with others-included Ansel Adams Jack London, Dorothea Lange, John Muir, Bernard Maybeck, Joaquin Miller, Ina Coolbrith, and Charles and Lousie Keeler and others. Due to its profound natural setting, Berkeley continues as a fertile ground for individuality, eccentricity, and creative expression, whose legacy of scholars and visionaries inspires today's ordinary men and women who struggle to make a living, raise their families and dream their dreams. Bohemian communities are found today in Venice Beach, California; Austin, Texas; Greenwich Village, New York; and the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Bohemian describes any person who lives an unconventional artistic life, where self-expression is the highest value and that art is a serious and main focus of his or her life.

Chapters Includes: Pioneers and Passersby; Charles and Louise Keeler; Living with Nature; Pictorial Photography Arises; Community Performances; Literary Aspirations; Crafted by Hand; Wild Men and Revolutionaries; Cosmic Thoughts; How the WPA Kept Art Alive; Legacy.

Ed Herny has served on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Historical Society since its founding in 1978. Upon moving to Berkeley in 2000, Shelley Rideout, joined the Berkeley Historical Society and has been a board member and a volunteer.

Katie Wadell earned a master's degree in American history from New York University in 2000 and later worked with the Berkeley Historical Society for five years. With Shelley and Ed, she co-curated the original "Berkeley Bohemians" exhibition in 2004.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The concept of bohemia, or a place of unconventional lifestyles, flooded the city of Berkeley at the turn of the century. It was a city of scholars, a crossroads of cultures and a magnet for visionaries. This unique combination of ingredients provided fertile ground for individuality, eccentricity and creative expression. Bohemians from Berkeley, with their Grecian architecture and flowing robes, imagined themselves in the Athens of the West. Because freethinking was welcome, Berkeley was a nurturing environment for the likes of Florence Boynton, who introduced natural living; John Muir, who led the ecology movement; and Charles Keeler, who founded the Cosmic Religion.

In Berkeley Bohemia, Herny, Rideout and Wadell provide glimpses into the lives of the artists, writers and philosophers who had a profound influence on what the city has become today. The artistic creations of novelist Jack London, photographers Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, architect Bernard Maybeck and writer and artist team Charles and Louise Keeler, to name a few, continue to inspire. Their words are imprinted in the sidewalks of Addison Street, their homes-such as the Hights-are open for tours; and the schools they founded continue to enlighten and educate despite the passing of time. Berkeley Bohemia is both a cultural history and a celebration of the extraordinary.

Ed Herny has served on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Historical Society since its founding in 1978. He began studying and collecting the works of Charles and Louise Keeler several years earlier. He is president of the San Francisco Bay Area Post Card Club, an ephemerist and an "active student of history."

Shelley Rideout's fascination with history stems from childhood visits to family homes, looking through old photo albums and dressing up in vintage clothing she found in the attic. While working on a BA in Theatre Arts at Sonoma State University, she participated in the founding of the Women's Studies Program and co-taught a student sponsored class on Women in History. In 1993, she was awarded an MA in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University, where her focus was the curatorship of historic costume and textiles. She is an active member of the Costume Society of America and has served as the Western Region president. Upon moving to Berkeley in 2000, she joined the Berkeley Historical Society and has been a board member and a volunteer in the archives.

Katie Wadell first became interested in the Arts and Crafts movement when she visited the Gamble House in Pasadena, California, as a teenager. She earned a master's degree in American history from New York University in 2000, and later worked with the Berkeley Historical Society for five years. With Shelley and Ed, she co-curated the original "Berkeley Bohemians" exhibition in 2004. She now lives in Chicago with her husband, Jesus.

Jacket design: Kathleen Tandy

Jacket photos: Front cover Mary Bucher, Margaret Loverde and Kate Sater; Back cover courtesy of the Library of Congress

About the Author

Ed Herny has served on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Historical Society since its founding in 1978. He began studying and collecting the works of Charles and Louise Keeler several years earlier. He is president of the San Francisco Bay Area Post Card Club, an ephemerist and an "active student of history."

Upon moving to Berkeley in 2000, Shelly Rideout, joined the Berkeley Historical Society and has been a board member and a volunteer.

Katie Wadell earned a master's degree in American history from New York University in 2000 and later worked with the Berkeley Historical Society for five years. With Shelley and Ed, she co-curated the original "Berkeley Bohemians" exhibition in 2004.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1st edition (March 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423600851
• ISBN-13: 978-1423600855
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must' for any California history collection, August 17, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berkeley Bohemia Artists and Visionaries of the Early 20th Century (Hardcover)

Berkeley, California is well known today for its liberal and free thinking student atmosphere, but what is less well known is its longer history for early radicalism and innovation in the late 1800s and early 1900s - a time when the city was quite conservative. This portrait of artists and visionaries who introduced new ways of thinking and living makes for a vivid blend of art and biography - a 'must' for any California history collection.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author Ed Herny, August 26, 2010

By 

Sharyl Gates "Sharyl" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berkeley Bohemia Artists and Visionaries of the Early 20th Century (Hardcover)

A Brilliant idea, so glad to find this. Ed Herny is a walking encyclopedia, this book was well over due.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berkeley Bohemia, September 19, 2008

By 

Carmen A. San Juan (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Berkeley Bohemia Artists and Visionaries of the Early 20th Century (Hardcover)

Great read. As old Berkeley native it explained how and why we are what we are. Learned the origins of my artistic and academically stimulating youth. Appreciation for the plethora of early talent in establishing our community. Great gift material.