Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Mono Lake bookstore sale: Gems from the past

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

ML Explorations & Reflections2This post was written by Barbara Ball, 2015 Information Center & Bookstore Manager.

Here at the Mono Lake Committee, if we have something wonderful, we tend to hold onto it. We guard our beautiful lake against excessive water diversions, against pollution, against anything that could threaten its unique ecosystem. And sometimes if we have anything at all that is precious, we tend to keep it close.

However, hanging on to what we love can occasionally be detrimental for our bookstore storage and also for you who love the lake, who love the Mono Basin and California outdoors, but may not know what we have tucked away. In an effort at spring cleaning, we are going through our storage and pulling out a few gems to offer to you.

quaternaryFor instance, what about photographer and past Mono Basin resident Jim Stimson’s Mono Lake: Explorations and Reflections, a collection of inspiring Mono Lake photographs? Originally published in 1997, this book is no less beautiful and unforgettable today. If you yearn to see the beauty of Mono Lake in all seasons, in all weather, this is the book for you. Originally priced at $55, we are offering it to you for only $46.

distribution of birdsOr for some real Mono Basin geologic history, we have the Quaternary History of the Mono Valley, California by Israel C. Russell: The Classic Geological Study of the Mono Lake Watershed and Adjacent Sierra Nevada. Reprinted from the Eighth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1889, Israel Russell knew the Mono Basin like no other European American of his time. This highly-readable book was reprinted multiple times soon after its publication and used by early Mono Basin residents to encourage tourism. Go back in time 126 years—just a drop in the 760,000-plus year life of Mono Lake—and see what this early scientist and Mono-phile had to say.

Finally, for birders who want a glimpse into the broader California past, maybe you would love The Distribution of the Birds of California by Joseph Grinnell and Alden H. Miller, published by the Cooper Ornithological Club in 1944 and reprinted in 1986 by Artemisia Press. Find out what birds were prevalent in California over 60 years ago.