Gibbs Smith Publisher
Big Sur Inn
Product Code: 00121
ISBN: 978-1-4236-0012-1
Size: 8.5" X 10" X .796875"
Availability: Backorder policy
| Hardback | $29.95 |
Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy
“Only places of such wondrous character can fool you into thinking you are at home.”
—Sunset magazine
Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy travels back in time to reveal the history, legends, and storied past of a California institution. Nestled on the magical stretch of Highway One is Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn. Its distinctive vernacular architecture, which visitors and locals alike recognize as the most authentically preserved along the coast, serves a waiting list of guests year round. In 1990, the Department of the Interior recognized Big Sur Inn by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places. Author Anita Alan traces the Inn’s history from the poetic inspiration that compelled Helmuth Deetjen to journey from his native Norway, to the fulfillment of a lifelong dream—to make his home in the California redwoods. With his wife, Helen Haight Deetjen, he created an intimate refuge, not just for two, but also for travelers, artists, and celebrities worldwide. Whether a casual guest, or a celebrity visitor such as Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Peter Sellers, John Denver, or Joan Baez—all find Big Sur Inn a haven from the brisk pace of city living. Color and vintage photographs from the Inn’s beginning to the present guide you through the Inn’s natural surroundings, its cozy rustic rooms, and its enchanting restaurant. Deetjen’s kitchen shares coveted recipes with the reader. The poetry of Robinson Jeffers frames each chapter in this book—a volume designed to bring the warmth of Deetjen’s hearth into your home.
“Only places of such wondrous character can fool you into thinking you are at home.”
—Sunset magazine
Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy travels back in time to reveal the history, legends, and storied past of a California institution. Nestled on the magical stretch of Highway One is Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn. Its distinctive vernacular architecture, which visitors and locals alike recognize as the most authentically preserved along the coast, serves a waiting list of guests year round. In 1990, the Department of the Interior recognized Big Sur Inn by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places. Author Anita Alan traces the Inn’s history from the poetic inspiration that compelled Helmuth Deetjen to journey from his native Norway, to the fulfillment of a lifelong dream—to make his home in the California redwoods. With his wife, Helen Haight Deetjen, he created an intimate refuge, not just for two, but also for travelers, artists, and celebrities worldwide. Whether a casual guest, or a celebrity visitor such as Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Peter Sellers, John Denver, or Joan Baez—all find Big Sur Inn a haven from the brisk pace of city living. Color and vintage photographs from the Inn’s beginning to the present guide you through the Inn’s natural surroundings, its cozy rustic rooms, and its enchanting restaurant. Deetjen’s kitchen shares coveted recipes with the reader. The poetry of Robinson Jeffers frames each chapter in this book—a volume designed to bring the warmth of Deetjen’s hearth into your home.
Table Of Contents:
Foreword ix
Introduction x
1 Nature of the Inn 2
2 The Deetjens 14
3 Not Breaking the Harmony 38
4 Room for Inspiration 60
5 Feeding the Soul 82
6 Deetjen on His Own 106
7 Friends of the Inn 128
8 Keeping the Inn 146
Acknowledgments 158
Afterword 160
Reviews
Review West Pacific Region at the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards - October 18, 2008
Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy (Gibbs Smith, Publisher) won the 2008 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Bronze Award from the Society of American Travel Writers and the Gold Award for Best Non-fiction
Reviews
Review The Los Angeles Times - December 17, 2006
"Even if you've never driven past the Big Sur Inn on Route 1, much less fallen into its old-world arms at the end of a long drive or a hard week, you'll relish this illustrated story of its founding."
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Review The Monterey County Herald - December 15, 2006
"Alan knows the coastal community intimately and does full justice to the story behind the famed inn and its owner."
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Review The Salinas Californian - October 11, 2006
"A rich pictorial scrapbook executed with great skill and love… Five Gold Pens out of five for Big Sur Inn."
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Review The Carmel Pine Cone - December 6, 2006
"Filled with historical images from Deetjen's personal archives…a wealth of stunning photographs depicting the natural beauty of the area."
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Review The Monterey County Weekly - December 2, 2006
"Meticulously researched history."
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Review Norwegian American Weekly - November 30, 2006
"Alan provides a beautifully written story of the beloved Big Sur Inn."
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Review Society of American Travel Writers - October 18, 2008
"Whether or not you've visited the historic Big Sur Inn, the romantic photographs, poems and recollections of the place will enchant you. Intensely detailed, this book explores the California inn as well as the rich lives of the owners and founders."
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Review By: Dana Gioia, National Endowment for the Arts - October 1, 2008
"I have to say that I read (and viewed) the book with that particular nostalgia a Californian feels in the East recalling the beauty of his native state. I'm sure I had the same reaction that most readers will have-I must stay there!"