Mystical San Francisco [Hardcover]

Frederic Larson (Photographer), Phil Bronstein (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005

A wealth of breathtaking photographs shot from unusual camera angles and imaginative viewpoints provide new perspectives on the beauty and magic of the City by the Bay--under moonlight, shrouded in fog or simply shining under the California sun.


San Francisco Chronicle photojournalist Frederic Larson and the late Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Herb Caen shared a love of San Francisco's beauty and majesty that they captured in photographs and words over the course of decades. Now they are united: Larson's spectacular photographs--shot from unique perspectives in the light of the moon and the rising sun, shrouded in fog--and Caen's beautiful tributes excerpted from hundreds of columns. The city's glorious landmarks are seen through the camera lens, places like the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park, Chinatown and Alcatraz, the frenzied bustle of Fisherman's Wharf, the timeless romance of cable cars. The Larson-Caen collaboration exposes the city for what it is--vibrant, innovative, and endlessly surprising.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: San Francisco Chronicle (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976088096
• ISBN-13: 978-0976088097
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #942,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely book, January 2, 2006

By 

Barbara J. (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystical San Francisco (Hardcover)

This book makes a beautiful gift: The photographs are breathtaking and are paired with quotations about San Francisco. It is a pleasure to look at, and it truly captures some of the more fleeting aspects of the City.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nice pics - too many of the bridge, February 23, 2006

By 

Mr. Brian C. Anderson "database geek" (CT, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mystical San Francisco (Hardcover)

This book does contain many exceptional images of San Francisco, but the majority of them center on the Golden Gate bridge. This is untimately a disappointment, as it neglects most of the rest of the city, and presents a very unidimensional view of what is probably the most diverse urban area in California.

It would have been better as a smaller book, called "The Mystical Golden Gate," or something similar. Also, the "narration" is very fragmented. It fails to enhance the quality of the images (random quotations, however nice, do not constitute good editing). Herb Caen was known for decades as someone who captured the essential charms of this small, quirky "City by the Bay" in his newspaper column. Somehow, this book completely missed out on that, which is sort of like going to the Sistine Chapel and never bothering to look up at the ceiling.

A move diverse set of picturess, paired with carefully chosen selections from Herb Caen's huge volume of work could have produced a much better book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once you try the Bay you never go back, May 12, 2006

By 

M. R. Estante "book reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mystical San Francisco (Hardcover)

Capturing the essence of San Francisco in a collection of photographs .... makes the most gorgeaus city in California and North America ... one to have - especially if you left your heart in San Francisco just like the song.