California (a History) - (Modern Library Chronicles) by Kevin Starr (Paperback)

This definitive one-volume history of California tells the epic story of America's most complex, dynamic, ever-changing state.

From the age of exploration to the age of Arnold, Kevin Starr covers it all - Spain's conquest of native peoples, discovery of gold, incredible wealth of Big Four railroad tycoons, devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906, emergence of Hollywood as world's entertainment capital and Silicon Valley as center of high-tech research and development.

Starr gathers everything important, fascinating, and revealing about California in a rapid-fire epic of discovery, innovation, catastrophe, and triumph.

This comprehensive book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Golden State's rich history and its impact on American culture.