description: One of the best, perhaps the most charming books written regarding the history of San Luis Obispo County, California --a totally enjoyable, fascinating book that seems to absolutely delight everyone who reads it. It is the true story of a small, loose-knit community of bohemians, artists, writers, hermits, hoboes and spiritual seekers who lived wild, unfettered and rent-free in driftwood shacks and tents in the Pismo Beach Dunes (now the Oceano/Pismo Dunes) in the 1920s and 1930s.Considered totally far-out and weird by the local establishment of their era, the Dunites' fantastic history was swept under the carpet and nearly forgotten until Norm Hammond began his work on this book, tracking down the last of the living Dunites, locating rare art and crafts they created, books and poems, photos, and lore. Some of the Dunites even published a short-lived nationally distributed magazine, created in the Dunes, with contributions by photographers Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and other artists and philosophers who interacted with the Dunites and went on to greater fame. One of the most illustrious and flamboyant Dunites was astrologer, writer and socialite Gavin Arthur, grandson of United States President Chester Arthur. Also documented in this history are interactions between the Dunites and Indian guru Meher Baba and avant-garde musician John Cage, and others. This book contains photographs and illustrations of and by the Dunites. Another great feature of this book is the charming maps drawn by Hammond, showing the exact locations of most of the Dunites' living quarters in the Dunes, the Dunite cabins having long since disappeared.
title: The Dunites
titlecomplete: The Dunites
genres: History
ratings_count: 26
publisher: South County Historical Society (Arroyo Grande, Calif.)