Thursday, November 02, 2006

Gray Brechin and Imperial San Francisco

Gray Brechin and Richard Walker will talk about Gray's book, Imperial San Francisco, at UC Berkeley on Sunday. It was reissued this year by UC Press, and it's a bit like the San Francisco version of Mike Davis's City of Quartz. But that comparison only goes so far. Gray would say that his main point--that San Francisco's growth has spelled economic and environmental woes for the rest of the region--applies to many cities around the world.

By the way, Gray wrote a fine introduction to Fool's Paradise: A Carey McWilliams Reader. (See my Amazon.com review in the links to your right). In an email to me yesterday, Gray said he thought Carey would like this talk.

The talk is part of a lecture series celebrating the Bancroft Library's 100th year on the Berkeley campus. Gray's book made heavy use of the library's holdings, and his presentations usually include remarkable images. (He studied art history before taking a Ph.D. in geography from Berkeley.) The talk is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 5, 3:00, in the Museum Theater. Very worthwhile, I bet.

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