Big Sur to Big Basin: California's Dramatic Central Coast

By Pamela Verduin Cain

Book Overview

From the dramatic cliffs of Big Sur to the colorful boardwalk and misty wooded mountains of Santa Cruz, Big Sur to Big Basin captures the stunning vistas and lively spectacles of the Monterey Bay region. This perennial backlist sellerupdated and with a striking new coveris the only book to explore the nine different communities that radiate north and south from the Monterey Bay, presenting an insiders view of the history and present-day attractions of this gorgeous coastline. Photographer Larry Ulrich's lush images reveal the hidden canyons once wandered by John Steinbeck, the emerald lawns of Pebble Beach, and the power and serenity of majestic redwood forests. Writer Pamela Verduin Cain tells a tale of a pirate attack on Monterey, takes readers on a tour through the West Coast's oldest continuously operating lighthouse, and visits the gorgeous private estates of celebrated Carmel residents. Full of characters and legend, sunsets and hot springs, wildflowers and whitecaps, Big Sur to Big Basin celebrates this ruggedly beautiful meeting of mountains and sea.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811847063
• ISBN13: 9780811847063
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 2.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 10.5" x 10.1"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

BIG SUR and the CENTRAL COAST in exceptional photos.

I like this book the best of all in my library. It is outstanding in photographic images. Highly recommended!

see for yourself...

Big Sur to Big Basin is the only book I have experienced that fully portrays the feel of the area. Fantastic photography complements the books detailed narrative, and if there ever was a book to remember a visit to a region, then this is it.The California coast is a wonderful place to explore, and in particular, the Big Sur area is one of my favourites. From the mighty trees, to the wonder of the rugged coastline, there is something for everyone. Larry's photography leaves you thinking "I have to see this for myself". So we did. Twice now!Buy this book if you ever want to travel to the area. Buy this book also if you just want to experience the area without leaving your armchair. Most of all, have this book on your coffee table, and you will always have something to remember from a fabulous trip to a unique part of the world.

Breathtaking Pictures with Recounting Memories

I had a getaway to Big Sur last summer and was stunned by the breathtaking view of where the ocean meets the sky. About a few months later I picked up a copy of Big Sur to Big Basin at a local bookstore and began a virtual re-visit of Big Sur. Like many pictorials with pages of astonishing sunsets, Pamela Cain, a former Carmel resident, recounted anecdotes and memories of hers that make the photos alive. The redwoods, the beaches, cheery blossoms, the meandering streams, Pebble Beach golf courses, Monterey bay...Big Sur to Big Basin is your window to panoramic view in central Californian coast.

Breath-taking scenery & revealing history behind the picture

This book offers the reader a bird's eye view of the breath-taking scenery along California's coastal highway...and the history behind the pictures. Pam Cain's stories make Larry Ulrich's pictures come alive...it makes me, a former Carmel resident now living in Connecticut, homesick...a wonderful trip back home

Big Sur--not just for hippies!

I got an advance copy of Big Sur from the author herself via a friend and I have to say that the photography is simply breathtaking and the anecdotes are insightful. I fell in love with Big Sur last year while on vacation in Carmel, so I was already hooked by the time the book was published. For anyone out there who has never been out West, the best place to begin the odyssey is Big Sur.