The Journal of San Diego History
SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY
Spring 1985, Volume 31, Number 2
Thomas L. Scharf, Editor

Book Notes

Raymond Starr, Book Review Editor

San Diego: An Introduction to the Region. Edited by Philip R. Pryde. Second Edition. Dubuque, low a: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1984. Maps. Illustrations. Bibliographies. Index. 297 Pages. $17.95 Paper.

The 1976 publication put together by Professor Philip Pryde and the Geography Department of San Diego State University has been a most useful introduction to the city and county of San Diego. San Diego: An Introduction to the Region provided quick access to geomorphology, climate, soils, population patterns, natural resources, coastal and marine environments, water, agriculture, economics, the cityscape, recreational facilities, population and conservation issues, and planning for the future. Each chapter was accompanied by a bibliography to help the researcher pursue in depth those topics of interest. Since it is difficult to properly understand history without a knowledge of a region’s geographical base, San Diego: An Introduction to the Region has been of great value to local historians. Now the volume has been updated in a second edition. Although the new edition retains the same basic format and the same topics, the chapters themselves have been revised (some extensively; some less so), as have the maps, charts and graphs. The most important aspect of the revision has been the incorporation of the 1980 U.S. Census data into the book. Thus an old friend of the historians of San Diego has been made even more worthy.