New and Used-Classic Baja California Books

Scroll down to see the classic books for sale, below the first two new mission books.

There are many books for sale on this page. Make sure you are ordering the book you want by clicking the button next to the book of you choice. Book #2 does include the missions of Baja California, but not in the detail of Book #1.

Book #1:

Baja California Land of Missions

by David Kier

Updated in 2021 with revised information:

Baja California Land of Missions, by David Kier.

This 5.5″ x 8.5″, 243-page work, is a detailed history of the activities by the Spanish Empire, commissioning several orders of Catholic priests, and others, attempting to colonize the peninsula of California between 1535 and 1855. All twenty-seven missions are detailed as well as the satellite visita outposts and the more obscure, little-known, associated sites.

Why the missions failed and what happened since they closed is also told. GPS waypoints for each mission and additional places of historic interest are provided. The mythical lost missions are detailed as well. Over 125 photographs, drawings and maps will visually take the reader to the missions as they were, and as they are now. A reference list of books plus detailed index will assist in further mission study or research. Email M & E Books at oldmissions@gmail.com for details. The history of our California and Baja California missions is too interesting and important to not know.

A review from Amazon.com:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that captures not just the history of a place, but its heart as well!

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017

“Nothing defines California as significantly or emotionally as the missions and history of the old El Camino Real mission trail. The mission trail, and California history, starts almost a thousand miles south of the California border in Loreto Mexico, in Baja California; indeed, the California peninsula was the only California for at least 230 years before “Baja” was added to the name in 1769. The author, David Kier, does a remarkable job of chronicling the Jesuit, Franciscan, and Dominican missionaries and the missions they founded in Baja California. “Baja California Land of Missions” is superbly written and researched, with over a hundred photos, maps, and drawings. Kier’s summary of the nearly 200 missionaries who served in Baja California between 1683 and 1855, is a unique, and incredibly useful, historical resource. Designed to fit nicely in a pocket, or console compartment – this is a “must-have” guide for any one traveling the Baja Peninsula, especially for the adventurer and explorer who takes delight in veering off the pavement, and into the wild … and into the lives and dreams of men of the past.

In one slim volume David Kier has captured, not just the history of a place, but its heart as well.”

April 2022 Special: The latest printing features many color images inside the book! Take advantage of an error by the printers and get these, at no extra cost. Here are some sample pages:

$29.95 includes tax and shipping to U.S. address
$45.95 to Canada
$49.95 to all other countries

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BOOK #2:

Old Missions of the Californias

by Max Kurillo & David Kier

Following the success of their 2012 book, The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, 1697-1834, Max Kurillo and David Kier have produced a revised and expanded edition in 2020, titled Old Missions of the Californias. All 48 of the California missions are detailed in the order of their founding and not based on a border that didn’t exist when the missions were built. Maps and photos from past and present provide a look at the missions from yesterday and today. Also Included are chapters on the founding Catholic Orders, on the mission road, El Camino Real, and a complete reference list of additional mission history sources. This comprehensive yet compact work belongs in your glovebox, backpack, and home library to enrich your travel and mission history experiences. 6″ x 9″, 156 pages