Historian Elizabeth Pomeroy booksigning in Pasadena June 4

THE FOLK TREE
217 South Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-8733
www.folktree.com


On June 4, from 2-6 P.M., The Folk Tree welcomes historian Elizabeth Pomeroy, who will sign her books PASADENA: A Natural History (Arcadia Publishers) and JOHN MUIR: Naturalist in Southern California (Many Moons Press). This event is held in conjunction with the juried exhibition Pasadena: A Cultural Mosaic, on view in The Folk Tree gallery and opening concurrently with the signing. Both events celebrate Pasadena’s 125th birthday, which will be officially acknowledged with festivities hosted at the Pasadena Museum of History on June 11, 2011.

Arcadia Publishers says of her book on PASADENA: From its earliest years, the town of Pasadena has been richly endowed by nature. The abundant sunshine, dramatic mountains, and sparkling streams invited settlers to a near-paradise. Health seekers and wealth seekers arrived, amazed at the mild climate where just about anything would grow. Agriculture thrived, and Pasadenans loved the canyons and the wild edges of their community. Today Pasadena is a sophisticated city but still fringed with large natural areas: the Arroyo Seco on the west, Eaton Canyon on the east, and the San Gabriel Mountains to the north. Parks and native plant gardens preserve gems of nature within the city. Pasadena's natural history is not just a memory of the past but a living companion for the present.

For this book, she has gathered stunning photographs from the Huntington Library, the Pasadena Museum archives, the Pasadena and Los Angeles Public Libraries, the Bancroft Library, and other sources.

From Many Moons Press, Pomeroy’s JOHN MUIR book tells the story of the famed naturalist, usually associated with Yosemite and Alaskan glaciers, and his frequent visits to Los Angeles where he first arrived in 1877, subsequently developing friendships with major southland figures such as Charles Lummis and A.C. Vroman. He explored Southern California’s mountains and deserts, advocating support for wilderness areas and national parks. The book describes Andrew Carnegie’s and Theodore Roosevelt’s visits to Pasadena in 1910 and 1911, as well as Muir’s final days in Los Angeles, where he died in 1914.

Pomeroy’s book also includes letters and newspaper articles about Muir and Southland sites associated with the naturalist, which can still be visited today.

Elizabeth Pomeroy has a PhD in English from UCLA. She is a well-known historian, publisher, and speaker in Pasadena. She has been a trustee of the Pasadena Museum of History and chair of the city's Recreation and Parks Commission. She has walked Pasadena's Arroyo Seco and mountain trails for 30 years and is a docent-naturalist at Eaton Canyon Nature Center.

The Folk Tree is located at 217 South Fair Oaks Avenue, minutes walking distance from the Gold Line’s Del Mar station, and just south of Old Pasadena. Hours are: M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5.