"This is the definitive translation of the most important travel account of California before the American conquest. Duhaut-Cilly's observations are those of the outsider with the most insider access of any visitor. It is a lively read, endlessly fascinating for all those interested in the early history of the Golden State, and a natural supplement to all courses on its past."--James Sandos, author of "Rebellion in the Borderlands" "The best contemporary account of the California missions prior to their secularization. Excellent writing as well as sensitive translation and good editing by two leading scholars make this historical study both informative and a very good read."--Norman Thrower, author of "Sir Francis Drake and the Famous Voyage" "Thanks to this superb new translation, we can again feel Duhaut-Cilly's wonder and realism as he encountered a remote Mexican province whose destiny was at once obscure and exhilarating."--Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California "A wonderful new English-language translation of Auguste Duhaut-Cilly's 1826 "Voyage to California" that gives us a very detailed set of observations on Indian-white relations in Alta and Baja California on the eve of the secularization of the missions."--Ramon A. Gutierrez, coeditor of "Contested Eden: California before the Gold Rush"