A Desert Country Near the Sea: A Natural History of the Cape Region of Baja California.
By Ann Zwinger. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers. 1983. Illustrations. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. 399 Pages. $24.95.
A Desert Country Near the Sea may not be a history book in the narrowest sense of the word, but it deserves the attention of the readers of the Journal of San Diego History. Aside from being a beautiful and an entertaining book, this account of the natural history of the tip of Baja California will enhance any historian's understanding of the area - especially the interrelationship of the natural setting and the human inhabitants. Zwinger has organized her book around the Sierra, the Countryside, the Towns, the Pacific and Gulf of California. In each section we find text, superb drawings by the author, and photographs by her husband, Herman H. Zwinger. The text of each section is highly descriptive - of the geologic, floral and faunal scene, the author's personal experiences, plus a considerable amount of history. A quality book anyway you measure it.
