Bibliography of Oakland, California facts for kids

Oakland is a vibrant city in California with a rich history. Many books have been written about Oakland, covering its past, its people, and its unique places. This list helps you find interesting non-fiction books about Oakland. It also includes some fiction stories set here.

Discovering Oakland's History Through Books

Oakland's Early Days and General Stories

• 1878 New Historical Atlas of Alameda County, California, Illustrated (Thompson & West). This book was reprinted in 1976.
• 1883 History of Alameda County, California (M. W. Wood). This book tells about the land, early settlers, and the history of towns and schools. It even mentions the raising of the Bear Flag.
• 1897 Athens of the Pacific by George W. Calderwood. This book was given out for free to people thinking of moving to Oakland.
• 1907 History of the State of California and Biographical Record of Oakland and Environs by J. M. Guinn. This two-volume set shares California's history and stories of important people in Oakland.
• 1911 Oakland California by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. This booklet promoted Oakland when its City Hall and famous hotels were being built. It called Oakland a future "center of the highest development."
• 1932 The Romance of Oakland: A Story of the Growth and Development of Oakland and Alameda County by Roy C. Beekman.
• 1932 Oakland's Early History by Edson F. Adams. This short book by a descendant of Oakland's founders shares early city details. It includes a speech from Mayor Horace Carpentier in 1854, who wanted free schools and to protect the native oak trees.
• 1942 Oakland, A History by G. A. Cummings and E. S. Pladwell. This book includes a beautiful historical map of the East Bay.
• 1961 The Beginnings of Oakland, A. U. C. by Peter Thomas Conmy. "A.U.C." is Latin for "from the founding of the city." This book tells about Oakland's early land claims and lists famous people from the city.
• 1982 Oakland, the Story of a City by Beth Bagwell. Beth Bagwell was the first president of the Oakland Heritage Alliance. A new version came out in 2012.
• 2004 Blues City: A Walk in Oakland by Ishmael Reed. This book covers Oakland's history, focusing on the African American experience.
• 2005 Oakland's Neighborhoods compiled by Erika Mailman. This book is a collection of poems and essays by Oakland residents about their neighborhoods.
• 2006 Oakland: The Soul of the City Next Door by Serena Bartlett. A travel guide to Oakland.
• 2010 America's ‘Healthiest" City’: A History of Early Oakland, California by Deanne Lamont. This book explains how Oakland was advertised as a very healthy city before the 1906 earthquake.
• 2015 Legendary Locals of Oakland by Gene Anderson. This book features stories of people who have helped shape Oakland's history.

Special Stories and Events in Oakland

• 1906 How Oakland Aided Her Sister City by Harris Bishop. This book is about how Oakland helped people from San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Oakland took in many refugees.
• 1931 Fourscore Years: a History of Mills College by Rosalind A. Keep. This book tells the story of Mills College.
• 1934 Port of Oakland edited by DeWitt Jones and others. This book is about Oakland's important port.
• 1967 The Hospital Women Built for Children by Murray Morgan. This book is about Children's Hospital Oakland.
• 1970 Its Name Was M.U.D. by John Wesley Noble. This book tells the history of the East Bay Municipal Water District.
• 1971 The Peraltas by Pearl Randolph Fibel. This book celebrates 150 years since the Spanish land grant of Rancho San Antonio to Luis Maria Peralta, which included Oakland.
• 1974 Heinold's First and Last Chance: Jack London's Rendezvous by Otha Donner Wearin. This book is about the famous Last Chance Saloon, built from an old whaling ship.
• 1978 People Are for the Birds by Paul Covel. This book is about the birds of Lake Merritt, written by a leading naturalist.
• 1984 A Vision Achieved: Fifty Years of East Bay Regional Park District by Mimi Stein.
• 1989 Three Weeks in October by Bill Mandel. This book remembers the 1989 World Series and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
• 1992 Fire In the Hills: A Collective Remembrance edited by Patricia Adler. This book is about the terrible Oakland firestorm of 1991.
• 1993 The Second Gold Rush: Oakland and the East Bay During World War II by Marilynn S. Johnson. This book explains how Oakland changed during World War II with new industries and many people moving there.
• 1993 Guide to East Bay Creeks edited by Christopher M. Richard. This guide explores the creeks of the East Bay, including a map of past and present waterways.
• 2000 Pacific Gateway: An Illustrated History of the Port of Oakland by Woodruff Minor. This book has great photos and maps of Oakland's Port and Airport.
• 2003 Moneyball:The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. This famous book is about the Oakland A's baseball team.
• 2006 Temescal Legacies: Narratives of Change from a North Oakland Neighborhood by Jeff Norman.
• 2007 Mountain View Cemetery by Dennis Evanosky. This book is a treasure of facts and pictures about Mountain View Cemetery. It shows old and new photos and tells about famous people buried there.
• 2011 Creating a Fairyland: 60 Years of Magic at Children's Fairyland USA by Randal Metz and Tony Jonick. This book celebrates the history of Children's Fairyland.
• 2013 Home Field Advantage: Oakland, CA - The City that Changed the Face of Sports by Paul Brekke-Miesner. This book explores how Oakland has influenced the world of sports.

Stories of Oakland's Diverse Communities

• 1976 Free to Choose: The Jews of Oakland by Fred Rosenbaum.
• 1978 The Ohlone Way: Indian life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area by Malcolm Margolin. This important book explores the life of the Ohlone people, who lived in the Bay Area long ago.
• 1989 Visions Toward Tomorrow: The History of the East Bay Afro-American Community, 1852-1977 by Lawrence P. Crouchett, Lonnie G. Bunch III, and Martha Kendall Winnacker.
• 2000 Hometown Chinatown: History of Oakland's Chinese Community by L. Eva Armentrout Ma. This book tells the story of Oakland's Chinese community.
• 2002 Urban Voices: The Bay Area American Indian Community edited by Susan Lobo. This book shares stories from the American Indian community in the Bay Area.
• 2003 Soul on Bikes: The East Bay Dragons MC and Black Biker Set by Tobie Gene Levingston. This book tells the history of the Oakland-based African-American Motorcycle Club.
• 2013 The Griots of Oakland: Voices from the African American Oral History Project by Angela Zusman. This book shares oral histories from the African American community.

Books About the Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland in 1966. These books tell their story:

• 1997 Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton by Bobby Seale.
• 2002 The Black Panthers Speak edited by Philip S. Foner. This is a collection of original writings from the movement in Oakland.
• 2006 Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making And Unmaking of the Black Panther Party by Curtis J. Austin. This book looks at the rise and fall of the Panthers.
• 2010 Living for the City: Migration, Education, and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California by Donna Murch. This book explores how the party grew in Oakland.
• 2013 Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom and Waldo E. Martin Jr.

Biographies and Autobiographies: Famous Oaklanders

• 1931 My Own Story by John L. Davie. This is the autobiography of a former long-serving mayor of Oakland.
• 1937 Everybody's Autobiography by Gertrude Stein. This book has a brief mention of Oakland, where she famously said, "There's no there there."
• 1953 The Story of Cyrus and Susan Mills by Elias Olan James. This is a biography of the people who founded Mills College.
• 1973 Ina Coolbrith, Librarian and Laureate of California by Josephine DeWitt Rhodehamel and Raymund Francis Wood. This book tells how Ina Coolbrith became Oakland's first librarian and California's first Poet Laureate.
• 1982 Borax Pioneer: Francis Marion Smith by George Herbert Hildebrand. This is the story of "Borax" Smith, who was important in Oakland's development.
• 1990 Jack London and His Daughters by Joan London.
• 1991 Slick: The Silver-And-Black Life of Al Davis by Mark Ribowsky. This book is about the famous owner of the Oakland Raiders.
• 1999 Prophet of the Parks: The Story of William Penn Mott by Mary Ellen Butler. This book tells the story of Oakland's former parks superintendent who went on to lead national parks.
• 2000 Lying Down With the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power by Ronald Dellums and H. Lee Halterman. This is the story of Dellums' many years as a Congressman.
• 2003 The Dragon and the Tiger, Vol. 1: The Birth of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, the Oakland Years by Greglon Lee and Sid Campbell. This book explores Bruce Lee's time in Oakland, where he developed his martial arts techniques.
• 2005 The Promise: How One Woman Made Good on Her Extraordinary Pact to Send a Classroom of First Graders to College by Oral Lee Brown. This inspiring story is about Oral Lee Brown's promise to send a group of Oakland first graders to college.
• 2006 Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford edited by Peter Y. Sussman. This book shares letters from the famous journalist who lived in Oakland.
• 2009 Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter. This book tells about Carpenter's experiences with her urban farm in Oakland.

Books by Black Panther Party Leaders

• 1976 Angela Davis: An Autobiography by Angela Davis.
• 1978 A Lonely Rage: the Autobiography Of Bobby Seale by Bobby Seale.
• 1992 A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story by Elaine Brown. This is a memoir by one of the Panthers' former leaders.

Oakland's Buildings, Parks, and Architecture

• 1964 The Improvement Era: Oakland Temple issue. This magazine shows the Oakland California Temple and features an article by its chief architect.
• 1979 The Buildings of Oakland by Robert Bernhardi.
• 1979 East Bay Heritage: A Potpourri of Living History by Mark A. Wilson. This guide explores the architectural history of the East Bay, including walking tours of Oakland.
• 1981 The Oakland Paramount by Susannah Harris Stone. This book looks at the famous Paramount Theatre, which opened in 1931.
• 1989 The Oakland Museum: A Gift of Architecture by Warren Radford and others. This book is about the architecture of the Oakland Museum of California.
• 1996 Through These Doors: Discovering Oakland at Preservation Park by Helaine Kaplan Prentice and others. This book is about Preservation Park.
• 2008 Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pflueger by Therese Poletti. Timothy L. Pflueger designed the Oakland Paramount Theatre and helped design the Oakland - San Francisco Bay Bridge.
• 2011 Secret Stairs: East Bay: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Berkeley and Oakland by Charles Fleming. This guide helps you explore the hidden staircases in Oakland.
• 2011 Oakland Landmarks: An Artistic Portrayal of History by Annalee Allen and Heidi Wyckoff. This book features watercolor pictures and historical descriptions of 35 Oakland landmarks.
• 2012 The Cathedral of Christ the Light: The Making of a 21st Century Cathedral by Karla Britton and others. This book describes the design of the Cathedral of Christ the Light, completed in 2008.
• 2014 A City for Children: Women, Architecture, and the Charitable Landscapes of Oakland, 1850-1950 by Marta Gutman.

Trains and Ferries in Oakland

• 1951 Of Walking Beams and Paddle Wheels: A Chronicle of San Francisco Bay Ferryboats by George H. Harlan and Clement Fisher Jr. This book tells the story of the ferryboats on San Francisco Bay.
• 1967 BART at Mid-Point: San Francisco’s Bold New Rapid Transit Project by Harre W. Demoro. This book is about the early days of BART.
• 1977 Red Trains in the East Bay: The History of the Southern Pacific Transbay Train & Ferry System by Robert Ford. This book describes the "red trains" and ferries that connected Oakland to San Francisco.
• 1985 The Key Route: Transbay Commuting by Train and Ferry by Harre W. Demorro. This book is about the Key System trains and ferries.
• 2006 Key System Gallery by James A. Harrison. This book has photos of the Key System trains and streetcars in Oakland and other East Bay cities from 1902-1958.
• 2010 Bay Area Rail Transit Album, Vol. 1: BART by Joe Mendoza. This book has color photos and descriptions of all 43 BART stations.

Photographic Journeys and Art in Oakland

• 1972 Oakland's Image by Lois Rather. A special art book.
• 1976 Oakland: A Mediterranean City by Roger Urban. This book talks about Oakland's mild climate and how it shapes the city.
• 1993 Bay Area Blues by Lee Hildebrand and Michelle Vignes. This book documents the Oakland Blues music scene in the early 1980s.
• 1995 Oakland Rhapsody by Richard Nagler and Ishmael Reed. This book shows parts of Oakland's past and present through photos and stories.
• 1997 Society of Six: California Colorists by Nancy Boas. This book is about six Oakland painters who formed a group in 1917 and created a new style of art.
• 1997 Going Out in Style: The Architecture of Eternity by Douglas Keister. This book features many examples from Oakland's Mountain View Cemetery.
• 2003 Oakland, A Photographic Journey by Bill Caldwell. This book is a large photo tribute to Oakland, showing many old and new views side-by-side.
• 2009 Historic Photos of Oakland by Steven Lavoie. This book has nearly 200 old photos of Oakland with interesting captions.
• 2011 1991: The Oakland-Berkeley Fire Aftermath by Richard Misrach. This book shows photos of the aftermath of the 1991 Oakland fire.
• 2014 This is Oakland: A Guide to the City’s Most Interesting Places by Melissa Davis. This guide helps you discover interesting places in Oakland.

"Images of America" Series Books

These books from Arcadia Publishing use old photos to tell stories about Oakland:

• 2004 Oakland's Chinatown by William Wong.
• 2004 Oakland Hills by Erika Mailman.
• 2005 Oakland Fire Department by Geoffrey Hunter.
• 2005 The Bay Bridge by Paul C. Trimble and John C. Alioto Jr.
• 2006 Theaters of Oakland by Jack Tillmany and Jennifer Dowling.
• 2007 Black Artists in Oakland by Jerry Thompson and Duane Deterville.
• 2007 Oakland Police Department by Phil McArdle.
• 2007 The Key System: San Francisco and the Eastshore Empire by Walter Rice and Emiliano Echeverria.
• 2007 The Pullman Porters and West Oakland by Thomas Tramble and Wilma Tramble.
• 2008 Oakland Aviation by Ronald T. Reuther and William T. Larkins.
• 2009 Jews of Oakland and Berkeley by Frederick Isaac.
• 2011 Italian Oakland by Rick Malaspina.

Novels Set in Oakland

These are some fiction books that take place in Oakland:

• 1905 The Game by Jack London. This novel is about a twelve-year-old boxer. Jack London was a sports reporter for the Oakland Herald.
• 1909 Martin Eden by Jack London. This novel is about a young man from Oakland who wants to become a writer.
• 1913 The Valley of the Moon by Jack London. This novel starts in Oakland and is likely based on London's own experiences as a teenager.
• 1960 Humpty Dumpty in Oakland by Philip K. Dick. This novel is set in Oakland in 1960.
• 1997 Mistress of Spices by Indian American writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This novel is set in modern-day Oakland.
• 2012 Telegraph Avenue by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Chabon. This novel is set in North Oakland and mentions Telegraph Avenue.
• 2014 Oakland Tales: Lost Secrets of the Town by Summer Brenner. This is a time-travel novel for young teens. It connects readers to Oakland's history and social justice issues.