A State of Change: California's Forgotten Landscapes (Revised and Updated) by Cunningham, Laura

A magnificently illustrated classic of California natural history, now updated in a long-awaited reissue.

"This wonderful book is a vivid reminder of how things began, and also as a vision of the rich and beautiful world we can work toward in our shared future." --Kim Stanley Robinson

"This brings a lost world straight back to life--and one hopes it will help us work to restore it in the real world." --Bill McKibben

"I wouldn't be the artist-author I am today without A State of Change. I consider Cunningham's work to be an original inspiration for all that I do." --Obi Kaufmann

Travel through deep time to pre-colonial California, and see the world as it was when nature reigned and Native American stewardship shaped the land and its abundant life. A State of Change, reissued in this highly anticipated updated edition, transports us to centuries past, offering a vision of the American West outside the grasp of modern memory. Widely regarded as a classic, this magnum opus from artist and naturalist Laura Cunningham melds lyrical observation and scientific literature to trace the evolution of these superlatively biodiverse landscapes, depicting a world untrammeled by industrial technology, habitat disruption, and non-native species. Including masterful illustrations throughout, Cunningham envisions grizzlies foraging under oak trees, American cheetahs hunting pronghorns, and herds of elk grazing coastal prairies. This fully redesigned edition features new material on the reintroduction of wolves to California, the latest issues in grassland conservation, and traditional Indigenous uses of fire on the land. A State of Change will stun the imagination with glimpses of what has been lost--and give hope for what can be restored.

Author: Laura Cunningham
Publisher: Heyday Books
Published: 10/20/2026
Pages: 440
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.70lbs
Size: 9.00h x 7.10w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9781597147323

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2026

About the Author

Laura Cunningham is an artist-naturalist who studied paleontology and biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked field biology jobs for the California Department of Fish and Game, the United States Geological Survey, and various universities, gaining experience with such species as Owens Valley pupfish, salmon and steelhead trout, Yosemite toads, Panamint alligator lizards, and tule elk. Simultaneously, she taught herself the arts of sketching and oil painting and pursued studies of California's historical ecology. She currently works in the conservation nonprofit field. Her studio is next to Death Valley National Park along the Amargosa River.