History of Alta California: A Memoir of Mexican California (Paperback)

by Antonio Maria Osio (Author), Robert M. Senkewicz (Contributor), Rose Marie Beebe (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The first complete English translation of Osio's 1851 memoir of Mexican California, this account describes day-to-day life of the common people in what is now central and northern California from 1821 to 1846, before the Mexican-American War?a tense period marked by small skirmishes resulting from land and power disputes between the Anglos and the Mexicans. This is a daily account, so there is a lot of detail-perhaps more than the general reader really wants. Osio does have a readable style, however, and can write vividly, as in these observations about some corrupt Californios and Mexican traitors: "Se?or Stockton, a patriotic and upright man, would have hanged them like a bunch of grapes from every yardarm of his frigate's main mast." In their comprehensive introduction to the volume and the author, the editors note that this is not a structured record, complete with historical perspective. Still, Osio's first-person perspective and quotidian subject matter flesh out current understanding of the place and period. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"Osio wrote his book in 1851: details of the U.S.-Mexican war and other events are thus immediate and from an involved writer's perspective, engrossing readers with not only observations but personal and family feelings about Mexican/U.S. relationships and changes."-The Bookwatch -- The Bookwatch

"The publication of narratives and chronicles of Californios is long overdue. Beebe and Senkewicz's faithful translation of La Historia de Alta California contributes to the recovery of long-neglected material by Latinos in the U.S. They are pioneers in a growing field and I am certain this will be a watershed work."-Rosaura Snchez, University of California, San Diego -- Rosaura Snchez, University of California, San Diego

Antonio Maria Osio's La Historia de Alta California was the first written history of upper California during the era of Mexican rule, and this is its first complete English translation. A Mexican-Californian, government official, and the landowner of Angel Island and Point Reyes, Osio writes colorfully of life in old Monterey, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and he gives a first-hand account of the political intrigues of the 1830s that led to the appointment of Juan Bautista Alvarado as governor. Osio wrote his history in 1851, conveying with immediacy and detail the years of the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, and the social upheaval that followed. As he witnesses California's territorial transition from Mexico to the United States, he recalls with pride the achievements of Mexican California in earlier decades and writes critically of the onset of American influence and imperialism. Unable to endure life as foreigners in their home of twenty-seven years, Osio and his family left Alta California for Mexico in 1852. Editors Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz have provided a faithful and complete translation of Osio's original manuscript, and their helpful introduction and notes offer further details of Osio's life and of society in Alta California. The History Of Alta California is fascinating reading and "must reading" for students and "armchair historians" of western American history. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299149749
• ISBN-13: 978-0299149741
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
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• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #481,401 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)