Hidden gems await on local library shelves
This story came to us from Katy Tahja, a Mendocino Community Library patron. Her working life was split between Mendocino Middle School, where she was a part-time librarian for 19 years, and 28 years as a bookseller at Gallery Bookshop. She’s retired now, writing books and acting as a docent at the Kelley House Museum. She loves making discoveries at the library.
Even if you are a fan of the Mendocino Community Library, you may not know that unexpected delights are hidden on the shelves. Along with new fiction and non-fiction are some old classics that never got “weeded” (or culled) from the collection due to lack of circulation or passage of time.
One of these hidden gems is The Islands & Ports of California by Duncan Gleason. Gleason, a native son of 49ers, was a yachtsman well versed in the historical anecdotes of the ports he visited. He illustrates his charming coastal guide to California with 70 reproductions of his drawings and paintings. With a copyright date of 1958, the book was purchased in hardcover by the Mendocino Study Club Library in May 1969 for $2.95.
The coast of California has changed vastly in the 63 years since the book was published. Some Southern California yacht clubs referenced still exist, some have been gobbled up by suburbia and commercial development, some—with luck—have become parklands. Whole islands are now part of the Channel Islands National Park or designated, like San Clemente, to the U.S. military.
The author was enamored of Catalina Island as he includes 30 pages of stories on its natives, explorers, settlers, tourism, and development. Have readers ever
heard of Noonday Rock near the Farallon Islands? Learn about it in this book!
In his focus on ports of California, Gleason calls San Diego the “Plymouth of California” and traces its history from the area’s discovery in 1542 to the mission era beginning in 1769. He discusses the arrival of Americans, the U.S. Navy, yacht clubs, and the sailing vessel “Star of India.”
In addition, he investigates the ports of Newport, Balboa, Alamitos, Long Beach, and San Pedro. Long Beach gets one page, but San Pedro merits 15 pages, including the lost islands of San Pedro Bay. (Yes, discover how a coastline “loses” islands.) Redondo Beach, Playa Del Ray, Santa Monica, Hueneme, Santa Barbara, and the Cape Horn of the Pacific are discussed. The author continues north through Point Arguello, Port San Luis, Morro Bay, Monterey, Moss Landing, and Santa Cruz.
In the 40 pages covering the San Francisco Bay region, the author recalls mid-nineteenth century businessman Henry Meiggs and the 2,000-foot Meiggs Wharf built in the Bay Area to service the Mendocino Lumber Company. All the ports inside San Francisco Bay are recognized, with additional text about the north coast describing Drakes, Tomales, and Bodega Bays; Ft. Ross; Noyo; Humboldt Bay; and Crescent City. Ample praise is given to the Coast Guard and lighthouses and their role in coastal history.
This old treasure of a book contains a circulation slip first stamped 5/24/69. Gaps of up four years following. There was an eight-year gap in the 1990s where the book sat on the shelf overlooked by all readers. The last date stamped was 10/2½1, and that was me taking it home for a delightful read. Imagine: 54 years on the shelf and circulated among just 22 readers.
That’s why it’s a miracle that this fantastic book is still on the shelf. It would have been culled long ago in most libraries, perhaps designated for a book sale event. As a retired librarian, however, I like to think that—more than once—a library staff member held the book in hand and said, “No, I’m not going to discard this book. The artwork is lovely, and the subject matter is timeless. We’ll keep this one, no matter what.”
And now you, too, can read The Islands and Ports of California. Locate Dewey Decimal number 979.4 on the shelves in the Study Club Room at the Mendocino Community Library. There it sits, waiting for you. If you’re not already a Community Library member, it’s the perfect time to join! On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the friendly folks at the front desk will help you in your search. Support a great local institution, and thank them for keeping such old interesting “gems” as part of their collection.