With the appearance of Rare Birds of California, edited by Robert A. Hamilton, Michael A. Patten, and Richard A. Erickson, the historic record of the pursuit of rare birds for fun and for science in the Golden State is presented. And it has been served up large. The book is a distillation of the work of the California Bird Records Committee over its first 37 years. All records submitted to the committee, as well as other reports and evidence, are here compiled in a single annotated listing. As well as a distillation, the book is a celebration, filled with photographs and documentary artwork attesting to the talents and zeal of California birders.