PDF Baja Legends: The Historic Characters; Events; and Locations That Put Baja California on the Map (Sunbelt Cultural Heritage Books) by Greg Niemann in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. What a Disappointment.By MNReaderNo quite sure exactly how to describe this book. It's listed as history/travel - I don't know if I misunderstood the description or not as the notes on the listing actually don't describe it well. The title is compelling but the reading is not. As soon as I opened it I knew I had made a mistake. I read some random pages but didn't and won't read the entire book.I wanted history and this book hardly qualifies as such. The publisher's notes make it sound like it's a historical work but the history it contains is; like much of the rest; more anecdotal than consequential. The list of the author's credits looks like a series of small/local newspapers or travel publications and the book is made of articles very much like that. Most of the topics are covered in a page or two - many just a couple of paragraphs. If you're looking for a real history of Baja California I'd look elsewhere. The information here is hardly different than you'd get leaning on a bar chatting with the local bartender or speaking with a hotel clerk.I rely heavily on reader reviews before buying a book and for some reason didn't with this one. My mistake. I wish I hadn't bought it and now that I have wish I had some legitimate reason to return it. If you're looking for chatty tourist information it may be for you. If you want a well researched history of the Baja; forget it.I don't like giving reviews like this because it may in fact be unfair. If you're looking for a sprinkling of history and local lore/legend to spice up a trip and not tax your mind then maybe you'd think this is a five star book. The description seems to imply a different kind of book. So in that case I guess I should give the description a one star and just leave the book alone.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. and the sections are broken up in a way that makes it easy to look up stories from one particular areaBy Mary GriffithVery readable; and the sections are broken up in a way that makes it easy to look up stories from one particular area. Much of the stories Baja Legends covers can be found in greater depth in other books; but this is good as an overview or brief introduction. The book is legends as much as history - there are several accounts in here; such as supposedly gold-rich 'lost mission' of Santa Isabel; which are certainly more fiction than fact. But it's a good; readable overview of many of the more colorful episodes and characters of this part of the world.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good bookBy J. GratianThis book was a little different than I expected. The content really got deep into many of the individuals who impacted Baja California from the 1600's through the 20th century.The book talks extensively about how different areas of Baja got developed or left behind. This included many details about the different missions. Normally I don't spend too much time thinking about the missions. But I found the details of what these people went through to be very enlightening. We often drive down the road; both paved and unpaved; with little regard to what travel was like before roads. You really can't image what it took without spending the time that the author did.The development details can sometimes be overly drawn out. But I think that was more my fault. I was reading the book very quickly and I think I was getting tired.Also covered was many of the important political aspects of Baja. Didn't realize how much history was rapped up into this isolated peninsula.At times the book can be a long read. But it is very educational and I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in really understanding Baja more than a billboard advertisement.