John O. (buzzby) -
From the dust jacket flap:
"In this sweeping 4 and 1/2 century political and cultural history of California, Stephen Schwartz dispels the myth that American national culture was developed first in the East and then spread westward across the frontier. Schwartz reveals a parallel American founding in 16th century Calfiornia - a truly multicurltural society that produced a unique mix of European, Asian, and Native American influences. Preserved by geographic isolation and subsidized by California's fantastic natural wealth, the state's unique, phantasmagorical mentality has been a powerful force in the making of the American mind, flowing irresistibly from West to East....
"In this sweeping 4 and 1/2 century political and cultural history of California, Stephen Schwartz dispels the myth that American national culture was developed first in the East and then spread westward across the frontier. Schwartz reveals a parallel American founding in 16th century Calfiornia - a truly multicurltural society that produced a unique mix of European, Asian, and Native American influences. Preserved by geographic isolation and subsidized by California's fantastic natural wealth, the state's unique, phantasmagorical mentality has been a powerful force in the making of the American mind, flowing irresistibly from West to East....
