Presented in a handy, pocket-sized landscape format and with captions explaining the story behind each photo, California is a stunning collection of images that brings to life the vitality of this iconic west-coast American state. America's most populous state is often seen as a west-coast paradise by those who live there--and those who desire to live there. Anchored around the urban centers of Los Angeles in the south and San Francisco in the north, California is a place of idyllic beaches, cutting-edge architecture, spectacular national parks, and Hollywood dazzle. In the pages of California , find out about the Big Sur, the precipitous, beautiful windy drive along Route 1 in the central coast; Yosemite National Park, home to the imposing Half Dome and El Capitan mountains, and offering stunning views from Glacier Point; San José and Silicon Valley, center of the world's tech industry; Santa Monica State Beach, a mecca for sun seekers; Rodeo Drive, the home of luxury-goods stores in Beverly Hills; and Death Valley in the Mojave Desert, one of the hottest, driest places on Earth.