California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, 40th Anniversary Edition [Paperback]

Erwin G. Gudde (Author), William Bright (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0520266196 | ISBN-13: 978-0520266193 | Edition: 5

This anniversary edition concentrates on the origins of the names currently used for the cities, towns, settlements, mountains, and streams of California, with engrossing accounts of the history of their usage. The dictionary includes a glossary and a bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fun companion for trips to other parts of the state. . . . An impressive amount of California history in this volume."--Bay Nature

About the Author

Erwin G. Gudde (1889-1969) was Professor Emeritus of German at the University of California, Berkeley. William Bright (1928-2006) was Emeritus Professor of linguistics and anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 5 edition (February 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520266196
• ISBN-13: 978-0520266193
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4th Edition and 40th anniversary edition are the same!, April 30, 2010

By 

Lotsa Books (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, 40th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

I bought the 40th Anniversary Edition of "California Place Names" because I had to find out what difference there was between it and the 4th edition. There is no difference! They are exactly the same books with the same pagination and the same copyright date of 1998 (with the same 1st paperback year of 2004). The verso information is the exact same (down to the same ISBN number) inside the two books.

The only differences are the covers: the 40th anniversary edition has the illustration of a mountain on it and the 4th Edition has the orange "old timey" map on it. As well, the 40th anniversary edition has "Revised and Expanded by William Bright" on the cover, but inside on the title page it says "Revised and Enlarged by William Bright"---which is the same wording on the 4th edition cover and title page.

With a description that states "This anniversary edition concentrates on the [blah blah blah]" it's hard not think that the publishers are trying to mislead consumers into thinking this is different in some way from the 4th edition. It is not in any way different on the inside, only the outside. I don't know if the 4th edition is being "replaced" by the 40th anniversary edition, but anyone with a 4th edition should be aware nothing has changed with this "new" edition (which is not a 5th edition as Amazon's info states).

Other than that, this a great reference book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone who wondered about the name "Los Banos", December 28, 2009

By 

Elizabeth (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, Fourth edition (Hardcover)

If you live in the Bay Area, you've probably driven past Los Banos at some point and thought about the fact that "baños" can refer both to bathrooms and baths themselves. You probably wondered if there were actually baths there at some point.

And that's where this book comes in: if you wonder where something got its name, you look it up. Some of them may surprise you. Learning why and how things were named actually teaches you a lot about California history, so this is a good book for that curious 11-year-old in your life.

It's no trivial guide, though: it has ample information and hefty research, but it's also lovingly detailed, too (I love the entry on the way the Yuba River's parts used to be named).

You could spend hours looking things up. I did, and so has everyone else I've given this book to.

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative and Accurate, September 20, 2011

By 

Picfactory (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, 40th Anniversary Edition (Paperback)

If you are interested in California place names, this is the book you need. Other books of this sort are sometimes filled with inaccuracies or local legends passed off as true etymologies. Not here. William Bright's impeccable scholarship as a place name expert and linguist, combined with the original work of Erwin Gudde, make this the source you can trust. Bright's work on place names that originated from California Indian languages is especially valuable.