If you liked "Fresno Growing Up," you'll love "Fresno Century"

First, the bad news: Fresno Growing Up is out of print. After three successful press runs, it’s no longer available new from Amazon or the publisher.

Now, the good news: I’ve written another book about the history of my hometown, and if you liked Fresno Growing Up, you’re going to love Fresno Century.

Fresno Growing Up, published in 2015, looked at the city’s history during time Baby Boomers were born and grew up, roughly from 1945 to 1985. Fresno Century expands on that period and examines the entire 20th century.

It’s the second book in my new Century Cities series, which is devoted to exploring and celebrating the history of midsized and smaller American cities during the 20th century.

Fresno’s not so small anymore, and there’s a lot of history to cover. I’ve revisited some of what I explored in Fresno Growing Up, but with new information on subjects like the Fresno Rockets championship softball team and the rise and fall of Fulton Mall.

There are also many entirely new topics. Did you know about the man who once delivered Fresno newspapers to Madera residents from an airplane — and ended up founding one of America’s most successful companies? Or the guy who opened a gas station at the age of 20 and built it into one of Fresno’s most successful businesses?

You’ll find out about Fresno’s iconic buildings, like the Hotel Fresno and the Helm Building, and you’ll relive Fresno State’s victories in its first bowl game way back in the 1930s and in the Freedom Bowl over mighty USC.

What basketball Hall of Famer once competed in the West Coast Relays at Ratcliffe Stadium? What was the biggest store in town before Gottschalks came along? Why did the team with the best record ever in the California League have to win its last six games just to qualify for the playoffs? You’ll find out answers to these questions and much more in Fresno Century.

This new book comes packed with more than 125 photos — both contemporary and historic — you wouldn’t have found in Fresno Growing Up. And like all books in in the Century Cities series, it’s told in chronological order, with a chapter devoted to each decade of the 20th century, and each chapter organized by year and topic.

If you want to find out when The Famous Department Store or opened its doors in Fresno or when Michael Jordan made his first appearance at Selland Arena, you’ll find it in these pages.

For those of you who missed Fresno Growing Up, this is a great chance to get your hands on an even bigger piece of Fresno history.

Fresno Century is the second book in the Century Cities series, following Roanoke Century, and it’s now available on Amazon.