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The Sacramento Area Authors Collection

The Sacramento Area Authors Collection features books by local writers. What constitutes a Sacramento area author? The writer was either born in the Sacramento area or has spent a substantial portion of his or her life in the area. Materials in this collection include poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Many of these books are signed first editions by nationally known authors.

Born in Sacramento

The late Herb Caen was born on April 3, 1916 in Sacramento. He began his newspaper career at the Sacramento Union in 1932. After six decades of writing about San Francisco (which he dubbed "Baghdad-by-the-Bay") and becoming famous for his three-dot style of journalism, Herb "Mr. San Francisco" Caen was still fond of calling himself the "Sackamenna Kid."

Award-winning author Joan Didion was born in Sacramento on December 5, 1934. This prolific writer began her career at Vogue Magazine in 1956. Her works include Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968), Play It As It Lays (1970), and Salvador (1983). Didion's most recent book is Political Fictions, published in 2001.

A Few of Those Who Now Call Sacramento Home

Former English teacher and bartender, and author of nine novels, Karen Kijewski sets her Kat Colorado mysteries in her hometown of Sacramento. Acclaimed as the creator of the strong, yet feminine, PI, Kijewski's books have often appeared on national best-seller lists.

Richard Herman spent over 20 years in the Air Force and rose to the rank of Major. Always fascinated with flight and aircraft, he writes military thrillers where his experiences add realism to the plot.

William T. Vollmann has garnered critical praise throughout his writing career both for his elegant prose and idealistic subject matter. Born in 1959 in Santa Monica, California, he now makes his home in Sacramento. Vollmann's CoTangent Press produced the unique and unusual The Grave of Lost Stories, one of the Sacramento Room's most frequently requested rarities.