California Natural History Guides, University of California Press
The California Natural History Guides series is for everyone who loves California. One of the nation’s oldest and most extensive series of field guides, it provides a unique opportunity to learn about the state and its wildlife, plants and animals. Created in the late 1950s by Arthur C. Smith, General Editor and faculty member from Hayward State University, the series was the first in the nation to be devoted to the flora and fauna of California. It is still the only sustained environmental education series focused on this rich state. Since 1999, when Robert Ornduff, Professor Emeritus from the University of California, and Phyllis M. Faber joined forces as General Editors, the Press has been updating and expanding the series. Following Professor Ornduff’s death in late 2000, Professor Bruce Pavlik from Mills College joined Phyllis to become co-General Editor. To date, twenty-nine new titles have been added on topics ranging from raptors to beetles.

As a subset of the Introduction-to series, UC Press is proud to announce several titles in a California and Their Environment series.These books are primers to the most fundamental aspects of our naturalworld: water, air, fire, and energy, fundamental for all Californians to understand. These will be also be a boon to legislators in their efforts to lead California wisely into the future. These CNHG books provide Californians with basic information about the state’s resources, where they come from, how they are distributed and used, and how the state has been transformed over the past sixty years as the population has nearly tripled. For legislators and citizens to make wise decisions they need to understand the state’s basic resources. These guides combine the scientific rigor characteristic of a university press with lively writing, vibrant color photographs, and clear maps. They are essential for professionals, amateurs, and outdoor enthusiasts alike, and for all Californians who want to learn about and understand the great diversity of plants and animals found in this huge and glorious state.

Read Reviews of the series.