The Literature of California, Volume 1 : Native American Beginnings to 1945

The material of this book, ranging from native American origin myths to Hollywood novels dissecting the American dream; from the familiar voices of John Steinbeck, Jack London, and William Saroyan to the less-well-known narratives of Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Josephine Miles, and Jade Snow Wong - all of it captures the spirit and scope of the state itself.

This first volume of the comprehensive two-volume anthology is divided into four parts.

The first includes stories, legends, and songs of the indigenous tribes.

The second section comprises letters, diaries, sports, and travel narratives that trace a century of exploration, discovery, and conquest.

Part three includes Mother Lode tales by Mark Twain and Bret Harte, the first signs of California poetry, the rise of narrative by California women, the nature writing of John Muir and Mary Austin, and some of the earliest prose from writers of Asian background, as well as the maturing fiction of Jack London and Frank Norris.

Part four traces the period between the World Wars, when California literature came fully into its own. An introduction contextualises each section, and concise biographical material is included for each writer