The California Book Awards are annual literary awards given to California writers and publishers since 1931. The event is sponsored by the Commonwealth Club of California. The California Book Awards are funded by an endowment from Dr. Martha Heasley Cox, late professor of American Literature at San Jose State University. Medals (gold and silver) and cash prizes are currently awarded in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, First Work of Fiction, Californiana (nonfiction relating to California), Juvenile Literature (up to age 10), Young Adult Literature (age 11–16), and Notable Contribution to Publishing. More than 400 books are submitted per year. The winning books are selected by an independent jury.
Winners
Californiana +California Book Award for Californiana winners Year Title Author Result 1955Silver1956Men of the Western Waters: A Second Look at the First AmericansSilver1957San Francisco BaySilver1958Montgomery and the PortsmouthSilver1959Silver1961Ishi in Two Worlds: A Biography of the Last Wild Indian in North AmericaSilver1962Journey into Darkness: Cabeza de Vaca's Expedition Across North America, 1528-36Silver1963South From San Francisco - San Mateo County, CASilver1964Sarah and the SenatorSilver1966Chancy and the Grand RascalSilver1967Fool's Gold: The Decline and Fall of Captain John Sutter of CaliforniaSilver1968Everyman's EdenSilver1969Silver1970Silver1971Silver1972Monterey: The Presence of the PastSilver1973Chile, Peru & the California Gold Rush of 1849Silver1974Gold1975Nothing Seemed ImpossibleGold1978Silver1981World Rushed in: The California Gold RushGold1982Winemaking in CaliforniaGold1983Klamath KnotSilver1984Gold1985Art in San Francisco Bay Area, 1945-1980Gold1986Gold1987Bitter Melon: Stories from the Last Rural Chinese Town in America (Locke, California)Gold1988Julia Morgan, ArchitectGold1989Denial of Disaster: The Untold Story and Photographs of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906Gold1990Bay Area Figurative Art 1950-65Gold1991Farming on the Edge: Saving Family Farms in Marin County, CaliforniaGoldTradition and Innovation: A Basket History of the Indians of the Yosemite-Mono Lake AreaYosemite AssociationSilver1992Josiah Royce: From Grass Valley to HarvardGold1993, Gerald Haslam, and Stephen JohnsonSilver1994 and Robert McDonaldGold1996Storm Over MonoGold1997Silver1998Harvest Son: Planting Roots in American SoilSilver1999Rush for Riches: Gold Fever and the Making of CaliforniaSilver2000Silver2001Capturing Light: Masterpieces of California Photography, 1850-2000Silver2002Writing Los Angeles: A Literary AnthologySilver2003 and Mark AraxSilver2004Beasts of Field: California Migrant Farm Workers 1865-1913Silver2005Silver2006Silver2007Reinventing Los AngelesRobert GottliebSilver2008Gold2009Wherever There's A Fight and Stan YogiGold2010Gold2011Chuckwalla Land: The Riddle of California's DesertGold2012Sunshine Was Never EnoughGold2013Chief: The Quest for Justice in CaliforniaGold2014San Francisco's Jewel CityGold2015California's Wild EdgeGold2016Gold2017Gold2018Gold2019Gold2021California ExposuresGold2022Everything NowGold2023Gold2024California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing CoastlineGold2025Gold
Contribution to Publishing +California Book Award for Contribution to Publishing winners Year Title Recipient Result 1971Textile Art in the ChurchSilver1983Mountains of the Middle Kingdom: Exploring the High Peaks of China and TibetSilver1984Silver1984Celebrating ItalySilver1985John O'shea, 1876-1956Silver1986Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic LandscapeSilver1987Dryland: Desert of North AmericaSilver1990O CaliforniaSilver1992NapoleonSilver1993Silver1994Two Eagles/Dos Aguiles and Peter SteinhartSilver1997Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in NatureSilver2000California Calls YouSilver2001Splendide Californie! Selections by French Artists of California History 1786-1900, Book Club of CaliforniaSilver2002High Sierra of CaliforniaSilver2003Rising Up and Rising DownSilver2006Children's Book PressChildren's Book PressSilver2007Impressions of the EastSilver2008Asian American Art: A History, 1850-1970Stanford University PressGold2009Stanford University PressGold2010Autobiography of Mark Twain Volume 1University of California Press Berkeley and Los AngelesGold2011Ten Years that Shook the City: San Francisco 1968-1978City Lights PublishersGold2012Valley of Shadows and DreamsGold2013Scrape the Willow Until it SingsGold2014Gold2015Collected Letters of Robinson Jeffers, Stanford University PressGold2016Ecosystems of CaliforniaMooney and Zavalet, Yale University PressGold2017Gold2018Carleton WatkinsGold2019Jim Marshall: Show Me the PictureGold2021Gold2022Gold2023Gold2024KAOS Theory: The Afrokosmic Ark of Ben CaldwellGold2025Terminal Island: Lost Communities on America's Edge and Naomi Hirahara, Angel City PressGold
First Fiction / First Work The California Book Award for First Fiction was first presented in 1977. In 1995, it was presented as the California Book Award for First Work. +California Book Award for First Fiction winners Year Title Author Result 1977Gold1978Silver1979Years of the FrenchGold1982Story for a Black NightSilver1983Silver1984Tapping the SourceSilver1986Small Business: A NovelSilver1987Imagining ArgentinaSilverUnremembered Country PoemsSilver1992CantoraSilver1993TuscaloosaSilver1995Jackson Street and other Soldier StoriesGoldReckless DriverSilver1996Sacred DustSilver1997CircumnavigationSilver1998HungerSilver1999Oxygen ManGoldSilverCrookedSilver2000SilverRope Burns: Stories from the CornerSilver2001Edgewater AngelsSilver2002SilverSilver2003Drinking Coffee ElsewhereSilver2004Every Night is Ladies' NightSilver2005Silver2006Artificial LightSilver2007Sons and Other Flammable ObjectsSilver2008Telex From CubaGoldSilver2009Gold2010Gold2011Turn of MindGold2012GoldMasha'allah and Other StoriesSilver2013Gold2014Waiting for the ElectricityGoldSilver2015Gold2016Dog YearsGold2017Goodbye, VitaminGold2018There ThereGoldFruit of the Drunken TreeSilver2019Home RemediesGoldLast of Her NameSilver2021How Much of These is GodGold2022SkinshipGoldCity of a Thousand GatesSilver2023NightcrawlingGoldSilver2024All-Night PharmacyGold2025Your Presence is MandatoryGold
Fiction +California Book Award for Fiction winners Year Title Author Result 1941When the Living StriveSilver1942SilverSilver1943Wide is the GateSilver1944Captain RetreadSilver1945High BonnetSilver1946Gold1947Blood BrotherGold1948Sky and ForestGoldSilver1949GoldSilverEpicurus, My MasterSilver1950Bridal JourneyGoldAbout Mrs. LeslieSilver1951Sandra and the Right PrinceGoldNo VacancySilverTracy's TigerSilver1952Time’s TravelerSilverWapiti the ElpSilverWinds of MourningGold1953GoldFahrenheit 451Silver1954GoldBeyond the Hungry CountrySilverEpics of EverestSilver1955SilverSilver1956SilverSpook the MustangSilver1957GoldSilverSilverKnock and Wait a WhileSilver1958WarlockGoldSilver1959Flight from AshiyaGoldSilver1960SilverSilver1961Mila 18GoldSilver1962SilverHeart of the Wild: Animal Stories of the California Redwood CoastSilver1963Silver1964SilverArmageddonSilverGathering of ZionSilver1965Silver1966SilverAll the Little HeroesSilver1967GoldAll the Little Live ThingsSilver1968AirportSilver1970Crimson Ramblers of the World, FarewellSilver1971Gold1973SilverYours and MineSilver1974SilverSilverAgainst the LawSilverLove Out of SeasonSilver1975Silver1976SilverSilverSmall MomentsSilver1977HaywireSilver1980Impossible Appetites: Nine StoriesSilver1981Family: Novel in Form of a MemoirSilver1982Infinite Passion of Expectation: 25 StoriesSilver1983Silver1984Stones for IbarraSilver1985FaceSilverGreasy Lake & Other StoriesSilverReasons to LiveSilver1986Birds LandingSilver1987World's EndSilver1989Silver1990Even NowSilverLimbo RiverSilver1991Mariette in EcstasySilverSarah CanarySilver1992When Nietzsche WeptGoldRed SquareSilver1994SilverSilver1995Naming the SpiritsSilver1996Women in Their BedsGoldFlights in the HeavenliesSilver1997GoldCreek Walk and Other StoriesSilver1998Goodnight, NebraskaSilverLost LakeSilver1999Leaving PicoSilver2000GoldSilver2001Highwire MoonGoldHaussman, or The DistinctionSilver2002Gold2003Evidence of Things UnseenGoldOld SchoolSilverParasites Like UsSilver2004GoldGracelandSilverHappy BabySilver2005Europe CentralGoldNice Big American BabySilverSnow Flower and the Secret FanSilver2006Wizard of the CrowGoldTalk, TalkSilver2007GoldSilver2008Gold2009GoldBoth Ways is the Only Way I Want itSilver2010I HotelGoldModel HomeSilver2011GoldLove and Shame and LoveGold2012Gold2013We Are All Completely Beside OurselvesGold2014GoldOrfeoSilver2015GoldElevation: 6,040Silver2016MoonglowGoldSilver2017GoldSo Much BlueSilver2018GoldWinter Kept Us WarmSilver2019Your House Will PayGold2021GoldInterior ChinatownSilver2022GoldSilver2023HeartbrokeGold2024BlackoutsGold2025JamesGoldCreation LakeSilver
General Literature +California Book Award for General Literature Year Title Author Result 1932BarabbasSilver1932Nur MahalSilver1934Lord’s AnointedSilver1935Laughter Out of the GroundSilver1936In Dubious BattleSilver1937Silver1937Pity the TyrantSilver1938East of the GiantsSilver1939Silver1939Silver1939Bright HeritageSilver1939Death Loses a Pair of Wings: the Epic of William Gorgas and the Conquest of Yellow FeverSilver1940Wild Geese CallingSilver1941Anybody’s Gold: The Story of California Mining TownsSilver1942I Remember ChristineSilver1943TrioSilver1944One Day at Beetle RockSilver1945Silver1946Western World: A Study of the Forces Shaping our TimeSilver1947Silver1948Woman with a Sword: A Novel based on the Life of Ana Elle CarrollSilver
Juvenile and Young Adult