Journal of Alta California

The Consolations of Cartography

everal years ago, I had the opportunity to give United States Marine Corps general Anthony Zinni a ride from a bookstore in Pasadena to a dinner party in the Hollywood Hills, up a tangle of narrow streets. This was before the ubiquity of Waze or Google Maps, before I had a car with GPS. To get the general to his dinner, I consulted a map: an old Thomas Bros. Guide I kept in the glove box, to be exact. When we arrived, he patted me on the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Journal of Alta California

Journal of Alta California19 min read
No pity
The man carrying the gasoline was nicknamed What-the-Fuck Chuck. Not that a sobriquet is necessarily an indicator of one’s judgment or lack thereof, especially here in Portland, where open-minded people like Paul Regan are disinclined to judge. But t
Journal of Alta California2 min read
Journal of Alta California
Editor & Publisher William R. Hearst III Editorial Director: Blaise Zerega Creative Director: John Goecke Editor at Large: Mary Melton Books Editor: David L. Ulin Digital Editor: Beth Spotswood California Book Club Editor: Anita Felicelli Newsletter
Journal of Alta California4 min read
S for Survival
The “Soviet” soldier threw me to the ground. I was hooded, hands trussed behind my back, thighs pushed to my chest, and a leather strap slid beneath my folded knees. Two of his comrades used the thong to hoist me up, then lower me into an oil drum th

Related Books & Audiobooks