The California Missions: History, Art and Preservation

by Edna E. Kimbro, Julia G. Costello, Tevvy Ball

“No other single work offers a comparable wealth of information about the missions of California, all of which is superbly organized and clearly presented. This authoritative yet accessible volume offers readers a compelling and balanced account of the founding and early history of the missions, the birth and growth of the mission myth, and modern preservation efforts, as well as concise historical profiles of individual missions. A noteworthy achievement.” —Rose Marie Beebe, Santa Clara University, Coauthor of Lands of Promise and Chronicles of Early California and Early California through the Eyes of Women   “The California missions endure on the landscape as wondrous monuments, inviting us to stand and ponder what happened there.  Long subjected to one-dimensional, celebratory accounts, the missions in recent decades have benefited from more thoughtful analysis, and in this splendid book they receive the eloquent, multilayered chronicle they deserve.”  —Douglas Monroy, Colorado College, Author of Thrown Among The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California and The Borders Encounters Between Mexico and the U.S. Illustrated in color throughout, The California History, Art, and Preservation combines engaging text with historical paintings, archival photographs, and recent photography to create a vivid profile of these iconic institutions. Initial chapters recount their founding and early history, examine their rediscovery in the late nineteenth century, and trace the beginnings of the mission restoration movement. Subsequent chapters present mission architecture and wall murals, survey the rich holdings of European and Native American art in mission collections, and examine the challenges involved in preserving the mission heritage for future generations. The second part of the book provides concise historical profiles of each of the twenty-one missions. There is also a glossary.

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Orion]

This book is about the construction and subsequent fate of 20+ mission churches that were built in what is now the US state of California. It provides an interesting overview to the popular audience. The book is beautifully illustrated with current and historic photos and paintings of of churches, altars, and sites, which demonstrate the points made in the text. Even the strong and glossy paper of this book lends to the overall favorable impression it makes to the reader and denotes the care and effort that went into its production. With its well-written and footnoted narrative, it excels both as a "coffee table" book and as a general purpose text.