Imperial
By: William T. Vollmann
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 1168
ISBN-13: 9780143118404
Subjects: Social conditions; Mexicans; Immigrants; Migrant agricultural laborers; History
Description: For generations of migrant workers, Imperial County--the California desert region where the U.S. borders Mexico--has held the promise of paradise and the reality of hell.
Notes: Originally published: New York : Viking, 2009.

Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Maps; title: The entity called Imperial; title: Persons and places in Imperial; title: Rivers and canals in Imperial; title: My new river cruises; title: pt. One: Introductions. 1. The gardens of Paradise (1999); title: 2. Delineations (2000); title: 3. The water of life (2001); title: 4. Subdelineations: lovescapes (2001); title: 5. The widemouthed pipe (2002) [Warning of impending aridity]; title: 6. Then and now (1844-2002); title: 7. The other side of the ditch (1519-2005); title: 8. Sign of slow growth sends stocks lower (2002); title: 9. Water is here (1849-2002); title: 10. Preface (2002-2003); title: 11. Subdelineations: bookscapes (1850-2003); title: 12. The gardens of Paradise (2007); title: pt. Two: Outlines. 13. When bread was light (1768-1848); title: 14. Los Angeles ((1780); title: 15. Los Angeles (1781); title: 16. Tía Juana (1825); title: 17. Tecate (1830); title: 18. Los Angeles (1845); title: 19. West of the river (1803); title: 20. Drawing the line (1803-1848); title: 21. Ranch size (1800-1850); title: 22. Mexico (1821-1911); title: 23. The line itself (1844-1911); title: Los Angeles (1850); title: 25. Lost mines (1849-2005); title: 26. White eyelashes (1853-1926); title: 27. Colonel Couts's homestead (1839-ca. 1915); title: 28. The Indians do all the hard work (1769-1906); title: 29. The Inland Empire (1860-1882); title: 30. Subdelineations: waterscapes (1850-1900); title: 31. Their needs are easily satisfied (1871-1906); title: 32. Los Angeles (1875); title: 33. The second line (1893); title: 34. The direct gaze of the confident man (1900); title: 35. Advertisement of sale (2002); title: 36. Imperial towns (1877-1910); title: 37. The Boomers (1880-1912); title: 38. Continued from page AI (2003); title: 39. Los Angeles (1900); title: 40. The Imperial idea (1901-2004); title: 41. Wilber Clark's homestead (1901-2005); title: 42. Mexicali (1904-1905); title: 43. The sweet young night (2002); title: 44. Imperial's center (1904-1907); title: 45. The third line (1907); title: 46. Subdelineations: paintscapes (1903-1970); title: 47. Imperial reprise (1781-1920); title: pt. Three: Revisions. 48. Futures (1883-2007); title: 49. Harry Chandler's homestead (1898-1938); title: 50. Pratically self-supporting in three years (1865-2004); title: 51. The Ejidos (1903-2005); title: 52. Imperial reprise (1901-2006); title: pt. Four: Footnotes. 53. What I wish I knew about Meloland (1907-1998); title: 54. San Diego (1769-1925); title: 55. In memoriam, Imperial Hazel Deed (1905-2002); title: 56. Stolid of face and languid (1901-2003); title: 57. The days of Lupe Vásquez (2003); title: 58. "Lupe is luckier" : the days of José López from Jalisco (2003); title: 59. Imperial reprise (1905-2003); title: pt. Five: Elaborations. 60. The line itself (1895-1926); title: 61. the first Coyote (1895-1926); title: 62. The first Hobo (1901); title: 63. Twenty thousand in 1920 (1906-1922); title: 64. Coachella waits (1912-1917); title: 65. City of Imperial (1925); title: 66. Their needs are even more easily satisfied (1893-1927); title: 67. Negroes and Mexicans for cotton (1901-1930); title: 68. Mexicans getting ugly (1911-1926); title: 69. The next step (ca. 1925); title: 70. El Centro (1925); title: 71. Mexicali (1925); title: 72. Volstead (1919-1933); title: 73. The Chinese tunnels (1849-2003); title: 74. Indio (1925); title: 75. The Inland Empire (1925); title: 76. Los Angeles (1925); title: 77. Tamerlane's Warriors gallop into the Square ( 1924-2003); title: 78. Subdelineations: waterscapes (1901-1925); title: 79. The Mexican user is a customer, not an owner (1904-1918); title: 80. Market prices (1925); title: 81. San Diego (1925); title: 82. The long death of Albert Henry Larson (1903-1926); title: 83. Subdelineations: scrollscapes (1611-2004); title: 84. Imperial reprise (1901-1929); title: pt. Six: Subplots. 85. Almost as efficiently as washing machines (1891-1936); title: 86. Subdelineations: lettucescapes (1922-1975); title: 87. The nights of Lupe Vásquez (2003); title: 88. Imperial reprise (1891-2003); title: pt. Seven: Contradictions. 89. Credit will be restored (1929-1939); title: 90. Market prices (1919-1931); title: 91. In a still more advantageous position (1928-1942); title: 92. There is even evidence of a small fruit orchard (1931-2005); title: 93. Coachella's share (1918-1948); title: 94. Subdelineations: waterscapes (1925-1950); title: 95. The line itself (1927-1950); title: 96. Different from anything I'd ever know (1933-1950); title: 97. Farm size (1910-1944); title: 98. The line itself: Japanese addendum (1941-1945); title: 99. Broad and sinister motives (1928-1946); title: 100. Butter cream bread (ca. 1936); title: 101. Coachella (1936-1950); title: 102. Have you ever seen a flax field in bloom? (1940s); title: 103. The days of Carmen Carillo and Susana Caudillo (2003); title: 104. Imperial reprise (1754-1940); title: pt. Eight: Reservations. 105. A definitive interpretation of the Blythe Intaglios (ca. 13,000 B.C.-2006); title: 106. The Island (2003-2006); title: pt. Nine: Climaxes. 107. The largest irrigated district in the world (1950); title: 108. There was always food on the table (1950s); title: 109. Coachella (1950); title: 110. Riverside (1950); title: 111. Market prices (1950); title: 112. Crop reports (1946-1957); title: 113. Cantaloupe anxieties (1958); title: 114. The Braceros (1942-1965); title: 115. Operation Wetback (1954-1955); title: 116. Mexicali (1950); title: 117. Subdelineations: cottonscapes (1796-2007); title: 118. San Luis Río de Colorado (ca. 1968); title: 119. Certified seed (1959); title: 120. Subdelineations: ocean parkscapes (1966-1993); title: 121. Los Angeles (1950); title: 122. San Diego (1920-1960); title: 123. Tijuana (1966-2065); title: 124. Tecate (1950); title: 125. Holtville (1905-1964); title: 126. What a cold starry night used to be like (1949-1989); title: 127. Imperial reprise (ca. 1950-2066); title: pt. Ten: Dissolutions. 128. Probably the weather (2002-2003); title: 129. From ten gals down to three (1914-2004); title: 130. You can't produce things the way you use to (2003-2004); title: 131. The Aztecs are back (2004); title: 132. The line itself (1950-2006); title: 133. Farm size (1950-2006); title: 134. We now worry about the sale of the fruit cocktail in Europe (1948-2003); title: 135. The water farmers (1951-2003); title: 136. Coachella (1975); title: 137. The Imperial idea (1950-2000); title: 138. It seems like the money is being taken by somebody (2003); title: 139. Chávez's grapes (1962-2006); title: 140. Subdelineations: waterscapes (1950-1975); title: 141. Wellton-Mohawk (1961); title: 142. Subdelineations: poisonscapes (1888-2003); title: 143. The Salton Sea (1944-1986); title: 144. Market prices (1975); title: 145. San Diego (1975); title: 146. Mexicali (1975); title: 147. "The language seems to belong so to this country" (ca. 1960-2003); title: 148. Los Angeles (1975); title: 149. El Centro (1975); title: 150. The Inland Empire (1875-2004); title: 151. Subdelineations: orangescapes (or, "It could be called Ambrosia I suppose") (1873-2005); title: 152. Calilche (1975-2005); title: 153. Imperial reprise (1754-2004); title: pt. Eleven: Postcripts. 154. The prohibited ballads (1913-2005); title: 155. The Maquiladoras (2004); title: 156. Subdelineations: waterscapes (1975-2005); title: 157. As precious as this (2003); title: 158. One acre-foot (1903-2003); title: 159. Operation Gatekeeper (1994); title: 160. The Farm Water Quality Management Plan (2003); title: 161. Privatizing the Ejidos (1992-2006); title: 162. Assets forfeiture (2003); title: 163. We should have had a better negotiating position (2002-2003); title: 164. You might as well get out of the way (2006); title: 165. Water is here (a view from Arizona) (1985-2007); title: 166. Water is here (a view from Imperial) (2003); title: 167. Rain (2005-2006); title: 168. Probate (1901-2003); title: 169. Such a good life (2006); title: 170. Still a great farming county (2004); title: 171. Imperial reprise (1975-2005); title: pt. Twelve: Definitions. 172. If Mexico were Italy (2004); title: 173. Where does Los Angeles end? (1834-2005); title: 174. Mexicans and Americans (1901-2007); title: pt. Thirteen: Inscriptions. 175. Still a mystery (2003); title: 176. The line itself (2003-2006); title: 177. Subdelineations: Marsscapes (2004); title: 178. Rancho Roa (2004-2005); title: 179. Brock Farms (2004); title: 180. Salvation Mountain (1996-2005); title: 181. Signal Mountain (2003); title: 182. Between the lines (2003-2005); title: 183. Subdelineations: moneyscapes (1989-2005); title: 184. Subdelineations: moneyscapes (2003-2006); title: 185. Present and future successes (2003); title: 186. Market prices (2000); title: 187. Imperial Beach (2005); title: 188. San Diego (2003-2006); title: 189. Tijuana (2003-2005); title: 190. Tecate (2003-2006); title: 191. Campo (2005); title: 192. Mexicali (2003); title: 193. Ejido Netzahualcóyotl (2004); title: 194. San Luis Río Colorado (2006); title: 195. Blythe (2005); title: 196. The Inland Empire (2003-2004); title: 197. Coachella (2003-2004); title: 198. Indio (2003-2004); title: 199. Duroville (2003-2006); title: 200. Salton City (2006); title: 201. Holtville (2003); title: 202. Calexico (2003); title: 203. El Centro (2002); title: 204. Yellow Cab dispatching prices, City of Imperial (2003); title: 205. Los Angeles (2002-2005); title: 206. Holtville (1914); title: 207. Imperial reprise (1901-2004); title: 208. The conquest of arid America (1905).