Living New Deal founder Dr. Gray Brechin’s provocative 1999 bestseller, Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin, (University of California Press) is now available as an audio book narrated by the author. A website that accompanies the audio book’s release includes color illustrations from the book not previously published, synopses of select chapters and Imperial San Francisco delves into the often dark history of San Francisco’s development as an example of the environmental and social costs of urban growth more broadly, a cautionary tale for urban planners, historians, geographers, environmentalists as well as readers and listeners of all ages.
Dr Brechin is a historical geographer and author. His chief interests are the state of California, the environmental impact of cities upon their hinterlands, and the invisible landscape of New Deal public works. He was the first director of the Mono Lake Committee and has worked as journalist and TV producer in San Francisco. Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin, spent sixteen weeks on the San Francisco Chronicle’s best-seller list and is considered a classic of urban studies.
LEARN MORE