• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

How the Big Sur Inn came to be

Just in time for holiday gift-giving, Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy (Gibbs Smith Publisher, $29.95) by Anita Alan will be treasured by anyone with ties to Big Sur.

A longtime Big Sur resident who now lives in Pacific Grove, Alan knows the coastal community intimately and does full justice to the story behind the famed inn and its owner.

An evocative mix of poetry, recipes, history and stories, Alan’s narrative traces the Big Sur Inn’s and Helmuth Deetjen’s past, beginning with the innkeeper’s journey from his native Norway to California. Illustrated with inviting color and vintage photos, the book details the establishment of the family enterprise and how its development was intertwined with the history of the Big Sur community.

Don’t be surprised if this book sells out rather quickly. Once local readers discover “Big Sur Inn,” there’s a good chance it will disappear rapidly from bookstore shelves.

Bob Walch has reviewed books for The Herald for more than 30 years. His column appears on the fourth Sunday of each month.