A computer genius. A missing Russian bride. A true-life murder mystery. Computer genius Hans Reiser married beautiful Russian pediatrician Nina Sharanova, moved with her to his native Oakland, California, and had two children. But bliss soon soured, and in the middle of a contentious divorce Nina simply vanished. One month later, Hans was charged with her murder. But that was just the beginning...

The bestselling book from two prizewinning, critically acclaimed contemporary chroniclers of San Francisco-a rich, illustrated, idiosyncratic portrait of this great city. In Spirits of San Francisco, #1 bestselling Cool Gray City of Love author Gary Kamiya joins forces with celebrated, bestselling artist Paul Madonna to take a fresh look at this one-of-a-kind city. Marrying image and text in a way no book about this city has done before, Kamiya's illuminating narratives accompany Madonna's masterful pen-and-ink drawings, breathing life into San Francisco sites both iconic and obscure. Paul Madonna's atmospheric images will awe: his wide-angle drawings offer a new perspective on the “crookedest street in the world” and vistas across the city. And Kamiya's engaging prose, accompanying each image, offers striking vignettes of this incredible city: witness his story of “Dumpville,” the bizarre community that sprang up in the 19th century on top of a massive garbage dump. Handsome and irresistible-much like the city it chronicles-Spirits of San Francisco is both a visual feast and a detailed, personal, loving, informed portrait of a beloved city.

Since 1988, hundreds of thousands of evangelical Christians have migrated to the United States of America from former Soviet Union countries, establishing many Russian-speaking immigrant congregations across the country. This study analyzes how these immigrant churches function in their new cultural, social, and religious context. Dr Vyacheslav Tsvirinko, a Russian who lived in the USA for over twenty-five years, examines the holism, authenticity and contextuality of the mission work done by churches in the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association (PCSBA) in America. He defines authentic mission in light of three major Christian groups – the World Council of Churches, the Lausanne Movement, and Anabaptists – and uncovers startling insights on how PCSBA churches engage in mission, both back in their homeland and in the USA. The findings and conclusions of this work are invaluable to diasporic Christian communities who wish to address their authenticity in the way they do mission, both internationally and in their local context, creating a path to more fruitful gospel and kingdom work.

With an annual student population of more than 100,000, City College of San Francisco has educated one in seven city residents and has alumni in every state. A Depression-era dream of Archibald Cloud, the college opened in 1935 with 1,483 students and no central campus. Today the college not only has a main campus at Ocean and Phelan Avenues, but also has 10 others spread throughout San Francisco. Science Hall, designed by Timothy Pflueger, proudly stands on the hill, a visible landmark beckoning students to walk through its portals. Pflueger's dream also included the incorporation of art into his buildings. His organization of the Art in Action program at the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island resulted in the acquisition of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera's Pan American Unity, as well as mosaics and sculptures by other artists that adorn Science Hall.