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Robert Dawson
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Farewell, Promised Land: Waking from the California Dream First Edition

by Robert Dawson (Author), Gray Brechin (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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Historical accounts of California tell of flocks of birds so dense in the sky that they cast a shadow on the ground, and of thunderous rivers of geese, ducks, and swans moving down the state to the lagoons of Mexico and beyond. Today, citizens and travelers in California take for granted skies empty of almost everything but the contrails of airplanes. But far more than wildlife is missing from California today. In text and photographs, Farewell, Promised Land documents the stark contrast between the California landscape of this past and what it has become, as it traces the evolution of the California environment, and looks ahead to what the future holds.

When writer Gray Brechin and photographer Robert Dawson received the 1992 Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize from Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, they began a five-year project of driving and flying around California to record the present state of its environment. This book is the result of that collaboration. In six thematic chapters dealing with Loss, Mining, Farming, Cities, Energy, and Health, the authors provide a sobering look at California's environment. A concluding chapter introduces individuals and organizations now attempting to redeem the state from its present course.

Farewell, Promised Land is a superb vehicle for communicating the causes, context, and seriousness of environmental and social disruptions in California. It is unique in that it successfully documents topics such as energy, health, and cities, and brings this information directly to bear on environmental issues. Appealing to the intellect as well as to our sense of aesthetics, Brechin and Dawson provide a timely wake-up call in this brave, honest, and straightforward assessment of California's fate.
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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0520211243
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0520211247
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    University of California Press
  5. Publication date
    March 31, 1999
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    12 x 1 x 9.75 inches
  8. Print length
    253 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Don't mistake the message of this sad and powerful book. After 150 years of pillage and pollution, it is time to fight like hell for California."—Mike Davis, author of City of Quartz

"A heart rendingly splendid book for all who love California. It combines stunning photographic documentation of the trashing of the state with an eloquent, melancholy text that still offers guarded hopes for a green future."—Ernest Callenbach, author of Ecotopia

About the Author

Robert Dawson is coauthor of The Great Central Valley: California's Heartland (California, 1993); his work has been featured in numerous publications and exhibitions. His photographs of the American West have been recognized by a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He teaches photography at San Jose State University and at Stanford University. Gray Brechin is a historical geographer and has authored articles on the environment and environmental history. He has a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; First Edition (March 31, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 253 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520211243
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520211247
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.02 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12 x 1 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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Robert Dawson

Robert Dawson

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
4 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

J. Charles Hansen
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Photos - Good Environmental Information
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2000
Enjoyable read that works well as a large picture book. For those unfamiliar with the history of the development of California this would be a good start. Timely and accurate overview of the destruction of natural California.
3 people found this helpful
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Bjorn Olson
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book on the Demise of California
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2004
This book taught me a great deal about the history and culture of California and it's environmental demise. As a landscape architect I found it particularly interesting the history of the landscape of California.
2 people found this helpful
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"r--b"
4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful history of California environmental degradation
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 1999
This book beautifully chronicles the damage that has been wreaked upon the California landscape in the last cnetury and a half. Particularly interesting is the commentary about the miner ethos that has prevailed not only among miners but also among loggers, agribusinessmen, and developers, leading to the pillage of the land for the gain of a few. However, the book was also weak here when it contrasted this ethos with that in Italy which has resulted in the preservation of the countryside. It seems only fair that the weaknesses of the Italian system, including the negative impacts of a slower economy and weak central government on the people's well-being, be at least acknowledged here as well. However, all in all the book is still very worthwhile. I will now never be able to forget what this state might have been.
6 people found this helpful
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