Famed archaeologist Brian Fagan has produced a captivating and readable account of the first 12,000 years of California history....Students of California history will find Before California a welcome addition to the history of the Golden State.

• Part 1 The Archaeologist's Tale Chapter 2 A Stream of Time (Before 12,000 BC to AD 1542) Part 3 Beginnings (Before 11,200 to c. 2,500 BC) Chapter 4 First Footprints (Before 11,200 BC to c. 9,000 BC) Chapter 5 The First Coastal Settlement (11,000 to 6,500 BC) Chapter 6 The Mainland: A World of Milling Stones (9,500 to 2,500 BC) Chapter 7 The Dolphin Hunters (c. 6,500 to 2,500 BC) Part 8 The Web of Interconnectedness (c. 2,500 to 1,500 BC) Chapter 9 A Changing World (c. 2,500 to 1,500 BC) Chapter 10 The Seductive Glass Chapter 11 The Realm of the Supernatural Chapter 12 Art on the Rocks Part 13 A Crowded World (c. 1,500 BC to AD 1542) Chapter 14 The Northwest: Dugouts and Salmon Chapter 15 San Francisco Bay: A Landscape of Mounds Chapter 16 Central Valley and Foothills Chapter 17 The South and Southeast: Coast, Hinterland, and Desert Chapter 18 Santa Barbara Channel: The World of the Tomol Chapter 19 Entrada Chapter 20 Notes and References

Famed archaeologist Brian Fagan has produced a captivating and readable account of the first 12,000 years of California history....Students of California history will find Before California a welcome addition to the history of the Golden State.

• Part 1 The Archaeologist's Tale Chapter 2 A Stream of Time (Before 12,000 BC to AD 1542) Part 3 Beginnings (Before 11,200 to c. 2,500 BC) Chapter 4 First Footprints (Before 11,200 BC to c. 9,000 BC) Chapter 5 The First Coastal Settlement (11,000 to 6,500 BC) Chapter 6 The Mainland: A World of Milling Stones (9,500 to 2,500 BC) Chapter 7 The Dolphin Hunters (c. 6,500 to 2,500 BC) Part 8 The Web of Interconnectedness (c. 2,500 to 1,500 BC) Chapter 9 A Changing World (c. 2,500 to 1,500 BC) Chapter 10 The Seductive Glass Chapter 11 The Realm of the Supernatural Chapter 12 Art on the Rocks Part 13 A Crowded World (c. 1,500 BC to AD 1542) Chapter 14 The Northwest: Dugouts and Salmon Chapter 15 San Francisco Bay: A Landscape of Mounds Chapter 16 Central Valley and Foothills Chapter 17 The South and Southeast: Coast, Hinterland, and Desert Chapter 18 Santa Barbara Channel: The World of the Tomol Chapter 19 Entrada Chapter 20 Notes and References