# Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

18 Hacker News commenters recommended Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 11 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as the classic, readable history of how water development shaped the American West, especially California. No critic complaints appear in the quotes.

## Why people recommend it

- Readable and entertaining despite dry subject (3 comments): "It's not boring despite the what the subject matter might suggest." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48762895)) "the extremely interesting and readable book Cadillac Desert" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49118977)) "by far the most entertaining and readable book on water" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46754995))
- Definitive classic on western water (3 comments): "The definitive book on the subject is" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47172869)) "the classic on that topic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46359589)) "is on the bookshelf of every educated person in the western United States" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49965611))
- Excellent book, well worth reading (4 comments): "if anyone wants to marvel or horrify at the US' water development history, Cadillac Desert is an excellent read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49962647)) "an excellent book with an outstanding audiobook too" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49338821)) "Yes, it's an outstanding book, well worth reading" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48763804))
- Strong focus on California water (3 comments): "Just a quick plug for Cadillac Desert . People don't realize how fragile the urban areas of Coastal California are." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47460031)) "which is about western water in general, but which focuses a lot on California" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46698983)) "I think the best intro to LA is Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49603109))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dawn-of-everything.md): 23 recommend
- [The Box by Marc Levinson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/box.md): 16 recommend
- [Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sapiens.md): 13 recommend
- [Chip War by Chris Miller](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chip-war.md): 13 recommend
- [Showstopper! by G. Pascal Zachary](https://hackerapproved.com/p/showstopper.md): 12 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140178244?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780140178241) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner", https://hackerapproved.com/p/cadillac-desert/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).