"There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California." - Edward Abbey

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Links

California Literature Links

Big Sur

The following are links to literature pages on the Web.

Book Lovers: This site contains an abundance of links to every imaginable book-related site. Fabulous!

Bookwire: This site also has good links to other sites; more important, it links you to lists of the Nobel, Pulitzer, Pen-Faulkner, and other award winners. And not least, it takes you toThe Boston Review of Books and The Hungry Mind Review, among others.

Nimble Books LLC: This site contains book reviews, articles, author biographies, and also information on book-related Usenet groups.

The Literature Network has links to information and e-texts for a large number of authors. A very good resource.

The Word : This site contains a list of links to other book sites, especially on-line journals and reference sources. A very inclusive list.

Literature.org has full and unadridged e-texts of many American and English classics.

Bartleby.com has links to quotations, e-texts, and information on many writers. Great resource!


The following are links to sites which provide assistance with research, paper writing and documentation.

The Internet Public Library: This site contains all sorts of help on writing research papers, documentation, and information on literature, as well as lots of good links to literature sites.

The University of Wisconsin's Page on Documentation Styles: The name says it all.


The following are links to sites which provide information about some of the writers we're reading.

For general information on California Indians and their legends:

For general information on the California explorers and the missions:

For information on the Gold Rush, Harte, Twain, and Bierce:

  • Ambrose Bierce is a brief biography of Bierce; along the left side of the page are links to e-texts of many of his works.
  • The Death of Bierce is a great page detailing the many theories about Bierce's disappearance and death.
  • The Devil's Dictionary is a highly entertaining book. Browse through some of Bierce's definitions any time you want good laugh.
  • Mark Twain Biography has a good biography of Twain, and also a list of his novels, short works, and essays. Good list of external links, too.
  • Mark Twain has a good biography of Twain; along the left side of the page are links to e-texts of many of his works.
  • Bret Harte has a good biography of Harte; along the left side of the page are links to e-texts of many of his works.
  • Eyewitness to History has a good page on the Gold Rush, with an account by a man who travelled to California at the time.
  • American Experience: The Gold Rush is PBS's page on the California Gold Rush. It has maps, stories from miners, stories from natives, a timeline--great site!

For information on the L. Frank Baum and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:

For information on the John Steinbeck and Tortilla Flat:

For information on early Hollywood, John Fante, and Ask the Dust:

  • History of Hollywood is a great site. Be sure to click on all the links to see lots of cool pictures and related information.
  • Historic Hollywood Photos is a wonderful collecion of photos of old Hollywood, with bits of explanagtory history and great stories.
  • Who Was John Fante?, by Allen Barra, is a great article about Fante's influence on other writers.
  • John Fante has a good brief biography.

For information on Nathanael West and The Day of the Locust, see the following:

  • Books and Writers' page on Nathanael West includes a brief biography and bibliography.
  • Funny as a Crutch is an article about West in the New York Times; lots of good biographical and critical information.

For information on Joan Didion and her work, see the following:

  • Joan Didion is a very good biography on the Academy of Achievement page.
  • Interview: Joan Didion is an interview in published in 2005, after the deaths of her husband and child. Very moving and informative.
  • Salon Magazine's interview with Didion, conducted by Dave Eggers in 1996, is very interesting: Didion talks a lot about her writing process.
  • Culture Vulture has a good analysis of The White Album.
  • And best of all, Why I Write, an essay in which Didion talks about what writing means to her.

For information on T. Coraghessan Boyle and his work, see the following:

For information on Frank Chin and the Chinese people in California, see the following:

For information on Helena Viramontes and immigrant farm workers in California, see the following:

For information on Walter Mosley, see the following:


"Big Sur is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked at from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look.” ~Henry Miller