Collections

The California Collection

The California Collection is the largest single collection in the Sacramento Room with an emphasis on the central and northern parts of the state. Covering many aspects of California lifestyle and history, subjects range from the Gold Rush to the Grateful Dead. Cooking, gardening, gold panning, aboriginal Californians—books on all these subjects and more can be found on our shelves. The collection is comprised of books published from the 18th to the 21st centuries in English, Spanish, French, and German.

Many of the books described in the Zamorano 80 are part of the California Collection. The standard bibliography on early California, the Zamorano 80 was compiled and printed in 1945 by California book collectors and dealers who were members of the Zamorano Club, and describes what they deemed to be the most important titles published relating to California history.

In addition to works on California history and culture, there is a corresponding collection of California fiction that includes authors such as Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Jack London, and Dashiell Hammett.