The Island of California: A History of the Myth

Rating:
Summary: An interesting scholarly study of a myth
Review: In this intriguing book, Polk closely examines the historical record of a myth. The idea that California was an island persisted for two centuries despite reports from explorers that the Baja California peninsula was connected to the American mainland. That myth was linked to others, including those of golden cities and of an island ruled by women. The book is most interesting when Polk describes the linkages between the California myth, the mythical Strait of Anian, and the Northwest Passage so eagerly sought by the English and other northern Europeans. In that case, the myth was intertwined with geopolitical maneuvering, including disinformation. The book is generously illustrated with old maps. The only negative is that the long quotes from documents sometimes slow down the forward motion of the narrative, though they may be necessary for academic thoroughness.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting scholarly study of a myth
Review: In this intriguing book, Polk closely examines the historical record of a myth. The idea that California was an island persisted for two centuries despite reports from explorers that the Baja California peninsula was connected to the American mainland. That myth was linked to others, including those of golden cities and of an island ruled by women. The book is most interesting when Polk describes the linkages between the California myth, the mythical Strait of Anian, and the Northwest Passage so eagerly sought by the English and other northern Europeans. In that case, the myth was intertwined with geopolitical maneuvering, including disinformation. The book is generously illustrated with old maps. The only negative is that the long quotes from documents sometimes slow down the forward motion of the narrative, though they may be necessary for academic thoroughness.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough!
Review: The author uses an impressive accumulation of scholarly research--maps, documents, explorers' accounts--to trace the origin and development of the myth that California was an island. Highly readable and very clearly organized and written. Although I found her conclusion that the island myth comes from what people project onto California (from an ecopsychological standpoint, the myth might represent the imaginal presence of the landscape protecting itself) to be reductive, this is an invaluable resource for anyone researching early Californian cartography, especially as a history of errors.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough!
Review: The author uses an impressive accumulation of scholarly research--maps, documents, explorers' accounts--to trace the origin and development of the myth that California was an island. Highly readable and very clearly organized and written. Although I found her conclusion that the island myth comes from what people project onto California (from an ecopsychological standpoint, the myth might represent the imaginal presence of the landscape protecting itself) to be reductive, this is an invaluable resource for anyone researching early Californian cartography, especially as a history of errors.