A Truthful Woman in Southern California

Kate Sanborn sets out to write the practical book she wished she had before leaving for Southern California. Heavy wraps, woolen dresses, sturdy boots and light luggage matter as much as scenery; extra baggage charges and uncomfortable desert rail travel receive plain attention. At Coronado Beach, her gaze moves from Pacific surf and Point Loma to distant snowy peaks and garden flowers. She then turns the joke on herself, laughing at the enthusiastic language those sights have prompted.

The account also pauses over things made by hand. Sanborn considers the preservation of basketry skills, notes the named stitches of Mexican drawn-work and describes orange wood souvenirs offered for purchase. The contents extend the route through San Diego, Los Angeles, Pasadena, a camping stop on Mount Wilson, Riverside and Santa Barbara. Readers interested in the history of tourism will find advice about travel comforts alongside observations of scenery and crafts, with humor often directed at the writer herself.