A remarkable extended essay on the nature and people of 18th-century California. La Perouse was the leader of a 1786 French expedition to California, which included scientists, cartographers, doctors and artists. While his two ships lay at anchor in Monterey Bay, de la Perouse took notes on his impressions of life at Junipero Serra's Monterey mission, as well as of flora, fauna, and native traditions.  (USW366, $10.95)