Alta Journal: 25 Books That Define California

Alta Journal Issue 31 features a list of the 25 novels that define California, as selected by authors, critics, and booksellers. This interactive map brings together the real places found in these notable works of fiction, revealing the limitless imaginations of their authors. Each pin marks a setting where story and location meet—an invitation to see the geography behind the literature. Click here to read Alta's "25 Books That Define California."
Map View
Books in Collection
The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
69 places
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
113 places
Golden Days by Carolyn See
269 places
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
139 places
Ask The Dust by John Fante
180 places
Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
206 places
There There by Tommy Orange
197 places
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
365 places
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
544 places
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
343 places
Fat City by Leonard Gardner
106 places
Mecca by Susan Straight
437 places
City of Night by John Rechy
493 places
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
135 places
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
312 places
The Barbarian Nurseries by Héctor Tobar
418 places
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
118 places
If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes
138 places
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
241 places
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
325 places
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
49 places
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
325 places
Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes
38 places
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
259 places
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
99 places