Essential Books about Los Cabos

This is a list provided by writer Chris Sands suggesting essential books written about the history of Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, Los Cabos, and Baja Califorina Sur. This list is in order of the author by last name. The title of the books are listed first.

English Privateers at Cabo San Lucas –  by Thomas F. Andrews

The Natural and Human History of Baja California
by Homer Aschmann

Observations in Lower California – by Jakob Baegart

Flight of the Least Petrel  –  by Griffing Bancroft

Native Races of the Pacific States  – by Hubert H. Bancroft

Almost an Island  –  by Bruce Berger

Rim of Christendom –  by Herbert Eugene Bolton 

Explorations in Lower California – J. Ross Browne, Spencer Murray

The Sea of Cortez – Ray Cannon
Beautifully illustrated book on the Sea of Cortez, Gulf of California, Baja, Mainland Coast: Mexico’s Primitive Frontier featuring history, travel discoveries, fishing and adventure.
www.oldcabo.com/the-sea-of-cortez-sunset-book/

Trails and Tales of Baja – by Pel Carter

The History of (Lower) California – by Francisco Javier Clavijero 

The Extent and Significance of Disease Among the Indians of Baja California – by Sherburne F. Cook

Antigua California  – by Harry Crosby

Cave Paintings of Baja California – by Harry Crosby

The King’s Highway in Baja California – by Harry Crosby

Last of the Californios – by Harry Crosby

Black Robes in Lower California – by Peter Marsten Dunne, S.J.

The Missions and Missionaries of California – by Engelhardt, Zephyrin

The Journey of the Flame – by Antonio de Fierro Blanco (Walter Nordhoff) 

The Hidden Heart of Baja – by Erle Stanley Gardner 

The Land of the Shorter Shadows – by Erle Stanley Gardner 

Off The Beaten Track in Baja – by Erle Stanley Gardner 

Pirates on the West Coast of New Spain – by Peter Gerhard 

The Unforgettable sea of Cortez.The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez: Baja California’s Golden Age, 1947 – 1977 – by Gene S. Kira. History of Baja California Sport Fishing.  A Keepsake, Presentation Quality Volume. Text of more than 197,000 Words – More than 400 Historic Baja Photos  – www.oldcabo.com/the-unforgettable-sea-of-cortez-by-gene-kira/

The Prehistory of Baja California: Advances in the Archaeology of the Forgotten Peninsula – by Don Laylander 

Historia de Baja California, or History of Lower California – by Pablo L. Martinez

 Guía Familiar de Baja California, 1700 – 1900, or Family Guide of Baja California – by Pablo L. Martinez

Cattle Brands of Baja California Sur, 1809 – 1885
by Michael Mathes 

 

Miraculous Air by C. M. Mayo

Miraculous Air – by C.M. Mayo
Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles Through Baja California, the Other Mexico. This exquisite book is a rare jewel in the literature of Mexico and its little-known peninsula, Baja. Describing her adventures on this austere and beautiful slip of land, C. M. Mayo creates a multi-layered map of place filled with daredevil aviators, sea turtle researchers, Stone Age cave painters, and countless other colorful characters. 

The Dominican Mission Frontier of Lower California – by Peveril Meigs 

The Cora Indians of Baja California – by Ignacio María Nápoli 

Lower California and its Natural Resources – by Edward W. Nelson –

The Camp and Camino in Lower California. Reprint

Camp and Camino in Lower California
by Arthur  W. North
Paperback: 400 pages .
Reprint of the original 1910 edition.
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (June 29, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1436796377, ISBN-13: 978-1436796378
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches

 The Mother of California – by Arthur  W. North

Loreto, Baja California: First Mission and Capital of Spanish California – by Don and Ann O’Neil 

The Manila Galleon – by William Lytle Schurz 

Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journey of Travel and Research
by John Steinbeck and E. F. Ricketts

The Pearl – by John Steinbeck

The Indian Uprising in Lower California – by  Sigismundo Taraval 

Juan María de Salvatierra of the Company of Jesus – by Miguel Venegas 

Missionary in the Province of New Spain, and Apostolic Conqueror of the Californias

Las Misiones Antiguas: The Spanish Missions of Baja California
by  Edward W. Vernon
Few Americans realize that the missions of Baja California predate the Alta California missions by over 70 years, and are the first links in a chain that spanned the Spanish Californias from Cabo San Lucas to San Francisco.  Las Misiones Antiguas is a photographic and written record describing the location, history, and present condition of all the sites of the little-known missions of Baja California.

A Maritime History of Baja California – by  Edward W. Vernon

The Peninsular California Missions, 1808 – 1880
by Monsignor Francis J. Weber

 Some of these books are listed, with more details, and some photos, on our resources page about Los Cabos books.
www.oldcabo.com/baja-california-books/