A critically acclaimed, best-selling history of California centering on the untold story of America's biggest farmer who controls hundreds of thousands of acres and billions of dollars of water rights in the heart of the state. J.G. Boswell is the biggest farmer in America. Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman of the Los Angeles Times have teased from this notoriously reclusive business titan the fascinating tale of how his family transplanted themselves from plantation Georgia to gain control of the center of California, converting lush wetlands into vast cotton fields. Critically acclaimed and a Times bestseller, the paperback edition of The King of California is ripe for discovery by a whole new audience eager to learn of one of the great untold stories of the American West. Hailed by Joan Didion for its "masterful reporting, invigorating narrative, a deep understanding of California and how it works-this is a flat-out wonderful book about growing cotton and making a fortune in the San Joaquin."