San Francisco's Potrero Hill

"San Francisco's Potrero Hill" is one of a series of books giving an exactly 128-page photographic history of a specific neighborhood of the city. After reading eight of these books, I have to say the Potrero Hill edition has the tightest writing, the most detailed captions, and the widest scope of the lot. The book tackles the geological origins of the hill and how the native tribes, the settlement at Mission Dolores, and growing San Francisco made economic and other use of the hill. We see foraging, cattle grazing, beer-making, and ship-building. We see panoramic views, Victorian houses, schools (including the start of the Lick-Wilmerding School), early hospitals, and housing projects. There are economics, sociology, and local politics. The pictures are varied by content, provider, and date. For its size, this book is tough to beat for its topic. As a resident elsewhere in the city, I might have liked a bit more on the rise of San Francisco General Hospital (including the public emergency room and famous AIDS ward) and a bit more on the pale water tower very visible on the crest from the west, on the local parks, and on the impact of highways. All books in the series have to be selective and oriented toward the past; so this criticism is directed more at the publishers than at the authors, who did fine. Highly recommended.