This is a marvelous geological description of the San Diego area written by the acknowledged savant of the region. It is written for the enthusiastic amateur and is a wonderful guide to the pathways and byways of San Diego. The professional geologist will also find the work useful, both as a guide and teaching instrument.

.This well-paced narrative on San Diego's geologic development entices the reader to 'go and see'-an important contribution to the natural history literature of the region.

Pat Abbott understands first-hand that the most effective way for people to understand geologic principles is to go out into the field and to read the story that the rocks tell. Pat Abbott's book, The Rise and Fall of San Diego: 150 Years of Recorded History in Sedimentary Rocks, fills an important niche. It provides a bridge between general geology textbooks, scientific journal articles, and professional geologic field guides that is accessible to non-geologists and up-to-date. Abbott is the perfect person to fill this niche. Not only has he conducted extensive research on San Diego geologic history and edited countless professional field trip guides, but, most importantly, he's spent many years teaching students how to interpret the geologic history that the rocks tell. Abbott's approach is to guide the reader through time and to illustrate the major periods in the geologic history of San Diego with a field trip. Clear illustrations, maps and photographs, make the field trips easy to follow and the concepts come alive. So lace up your hiking boots, put on your sunscreen and read the rocks!

.Pat Abbott has distilled his many years of geological fieldwork into a book that offers the reader the opportunity to experience firsthand the unique geologic history of our region. Dr. Abbott has selected the best mini-fieldtrips to illustrate the key aspect of that history.