The Island of California by Dora Beale Polk
To early explorers and geographers California represented a terrestrial paradise. It was Atlantis, Arcadia, Avalon, El Dorado, the Garden of Eden, the Land of Milk and Honey, the Pleasure Dome of Kublai Khan. It was always a magnet for dreamers. In this fascinating book Dora Beale Polk examines the dreams and myths that influenced the discovery and exploration of California. Throughout, Polk treats the long-held concept of California as an island, going back to medieval lore that filled an unknown ocean with rich, mysterious ideal islands. Columbus carried the lore to the New World, expecting to find islands teeming with gold, pearls, fabulous creatures, and Amazon women. Cort s was led by the romance of the islands. Balboa, Cabrillo, Drake, Ascensi n, Kino, and many others entered into the making of the island myth. The discoveries and explorations of all the major figures are traced and their reports analyzed as they relate to California's geography and to the dreams overlaying it.
"Polk weaves threads from history, literature, mythology, cartography, and geography into a tapestry attesting the durability of the myth"—A. J. R. Russell-Wood, Choice
Dora Beale Polk is a professor of English at California State University at Long Beach. She has published popular suspense novels and poetry as well as scholarly works.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780803287419 |
| ISBN 10 | 0803287410 |
| Title | The Island of California |
| Author | Dora Beale Polk |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of Nebraska Press |
| Year published | 1995-10-01 |
| Number of pages | 277 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |