Cadillac Desert
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisnerby Marc Reisner
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 51 history books by recommenders
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.
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.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 18
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 11 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 18 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 11 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Readable and entertaining despite dry subject
“It's not boring despite the what the subject matter might suggest.”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “German Button Maker Searched Rivers of American Midwest for Valuable Shells” “the extremely interesting and readable book Cadillac Desert”
Comment from 31 Jul 2026 in “A California aquifer may have crossed the point of no return” “by far the most entertaining and readable book on water”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “UN Declares That the World Has Entered an Era of 'Global Water Bankruptcy'” Definitive classic on western water
“The definitive book on the subject is”
Comment from 26 Feb 2026 in “Banned in California” “the classic on that topic”
Comment from 22 Dec 2025 in “Feds demand compromise on Colorado River while states flounder” “is on the bookshelf of every educated person in the western United States”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage” Excellent book, well worth reading
“if anyone wants to marvel or horrify at the US' water development history, Cadillac Desert is an excellent read”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Improper redaction reveals Google Data Center water and electricity usage” “an excellent book with an outstanding audiobook too”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “Nation's Largest Reservoirs Are Drying Up, Threatening Life in the Southwest” “Yes, it's an outstanding book, well worth reading”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “German Button Maker Searched Rivers of American Midwest for Valuable Shells” - Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “German Button Maker Searched Rivers of American Midwest for Valuable Shells”
Strong focus on California water
“Just a quick plug for Cadillac Desert . People don't realize how fragile the urban areas of Coastal California are.”
Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “The Los Angeles Aqueduct Is Wild” “which is about western water in general, but which focuses a lot on California”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “California is free of drought for the first time in 25 years” “I think the best intro to LA is Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner”
Comment from 7 Sep 2026 in “Watch Los Angeles get built, one building at a time (1880–2026)”
Other history books people recommend
The four most recommended other history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dawn of Everythingby David Graeber and David Wengrow | 23 | 5 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Cadillac Desertby Marc ReisnerThis page | 18 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Boxby Marc Levinson | 16 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Sapiensby Yuval Noah Harari | 13 | 9 | 59% | 8 | — | — |
| Chip Warby Chris Miller | 13 | 1 | 93% | 7 | — | Approved |
What people said
22 of the 23 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“is on the bookshelf of every educated person in the western United States”
“if anyone wants to marvel or horrify at the US' water development history, Cadillac Desert is an excellent read”
“I think the best intro to LA is Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner”
“an excellent book with an outstanding audiobook too”
“the extremely interesting and readable book Cadillac Desert”
“A recent perspective on this excellent book by Ryan Cooper is also very good”
“Yes, it's an outstanding book, well worth reading”
“Excellent book, seconded.”
“It's not boring despite the what the subject matter might suggest.”
“You really should give Cadillac Desert a read.”
“A somewhat longer answer: "Cadillac Desert". Marc Reisner. 1986.”
“"Cadillac Desert" is a short and relevant read here”
“Just a quick plug for Cadillac Desert . People don't realize how fragile the urban areas of Coastal California are.”
“Dam good book on the shifty maneuvering that resulted in the Owens Valley Diversion”
“If anyone wants a deep dive on this subject”
“The definitive book on the subject is”
“by far the most entertaining and readable book on water”
“Cadillac Desert is the usual recommendation on how f'd water deals are in the West”
“which is about western water in general, but which focuses a lot on California”
“the extremely interesting book about water, cadillac desert”
“the classic on that topic”
“Salton sea features heavily, and you'll learn the whole American West is on as fragile a water setup”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.