The Colorful Story of a Santa Barbara Landmark The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a widely recognized icon of the city called the e oeCalifornia Riviera, e and just as widely known as a historic architectural achievement. Thousands, if not millions, visit it each yeare "jurists and tourists alikee "but although everyone appreciates its beauty, few really know how it came to be. Surprisingly, in the three-quarters of a century that the building has graced its grounds, no one has undertaken to document this architectural masterpiece. Authors Patricia Gebhard and Kathryn Masson have changed that once and for all with their book, The Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Together with photographer James Chen and book designer Eric Larson, they have created a work that is not only historically important, but nearly as beautiful as the courthouse itself. Many people know or assume that Santa Barbara had a courthouse before the present building was erected in 1929, but almost no one knows anything about it. Gebhard and Masson begin there, with historic photos of the original, classical-style courthouse and its Queen Anne hall of records add-on. In 1919 the county, needing more room, held a design competition for a new courthouse, and the entries received, as Gebhard and Masson show us, were heavily inA3/4uenced by the Spanish baroque style that was popularized by the 1915 Panama-California Exhibition in San Diego. None of these designs was built, however, because the county was unable to raise money to pay for construction. It wasne (TM)t until 1925, when the old courthouse was destroyed by the earthquake that leveled much of Santa Barbara, that a new building became imperative and funds were Aznally secured. Construction began in 1926, with the result we see today. (The footprint of the old building is reflected in the contours of the ! sunken gardens behind the present courthouse.) To document their story, Gebhard and Masson spent months poring over County Supervisorse (TM) minutes, news reports in the Santa Barbara Morning Press and articles in architectural magazines, and courthouse docentse (TM) records. They were able to identify nearly all of the architects, craftsmen, and artists who designed the building and created the exquisite tile, ironwork, furniture, murals and landscaping that grace it inside and out. Many of these individuals and companies are long gone, of course, but many are still active, and, as the authors point out, some of the courthousee (TM)s Azttings can still be ordered from their catalogs. Chene (TM)s 75 full-color photographs beautifully capture the courthousee (TM)s ambiance, and Larsone (TM)s open and asymmetrical book design reA3/4ects the buildinge (TM)s balance between void space and intricate detail. They combine with Gebhard and Massone (TM)s careful research to produce a deAznitive study and appreciation of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, one that can hope to stand as long as the building itself.

The architectural identity of the wealthy southern California town Santa Barbara is explored with emphasis on the architects who designed its major buildings, estates and historic homes. 200 illustrations.

“A thriller, and a whacking good thriller, too . . . shows how much can be done within a classic form by a writer who knows his business.”—The New York Times Alex Cutter is a scarred and crippled Vietnam veteran, obsessed with a murder he’s convinced his buddy, Richard Bone, witnessed. That it was committed by the powerful tycoon JJ Wolfe only makes Cutter even surer that Bone saw the unthinkable. Captivated by Cutter’s demented logic, Bone is prepared to cross the country with Cutter in search of proof of the murder. Their quest takes them into the Ozarks—home base of the Wolfe empire—where Bone discovers that Cutter is pursuing both a cold-blooded killer, but also an even bigger and more elusive enemy. “Tense, funny, and despairing . . . charged with a passion that makes even grotesques seem likeable and, more important, credible right up to the last, startling sentence.”—Time “May be the quintessential cult crime classic . . . continues to be cited by other writers as groundbreaking . . . The ending is pure Chinatown, with a dose of Easy Rider, and it leaves us reeling.”—Booklist (starred review) Praise for Newton Thornburg “A commanding writer of unusual delicacy and power.”—The New Yorker “A born storyteller.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch “One of the truly great American writers of the 20th century.”—The Guardian

Building with stone requires a commitment to permanence, like the extraordinary, almost citywide conviction of builders in Santa Barbara from the 1870s through the 1930s. As Santa Barbara was evolving from a dusty little port and outlying resort into a vibrant and growing city, there occurred an extraordinary era of stone construction. This was made possible by a fortuitous conjunction of factors: abundant material, a cadre of expert artisans, and almost unlimited financing. This period provided an atmosphere not only conducive to the building of public spaces, homes, bridges, walls, and an assortment of other stonework, but encouraged some exceptional expressions of the stoneworkers' art. Many of these artistic fabrications remain a testimony to the skills and tastes of their creators and add a distinctive element to the particular ambiance that makes Santa Barbara the special place that it is.

The second book in the "Way Back When" books about the best stories of the year, told with wit and humor.