An old favorite has returned to the shelves of the Historical Society bookstore. First published in 1956, in Dear Mad'm author Stella Walthall Patterson tells how at age 80 she decided to live a whole new life. Leaving her comfortable San Francisco home, she moved up to a cabin on an old mining claim in the Siskiyou Mountains near Happy Camp.

       From the first moment that one is pulled into the story, we can see why this book is so enduring. The writing is so vivid and evocative that life on the Siskiyous of a century ago becomes immediately alive. One can intimately feel the struggles of a woman, after a long city-bound life, determined to find freedom in a new world.

       This is a biographical tale, but like an engrossing novel it weaves into it an evolving plot, character development, and historical settings. Without breaking the flow, it gives information about gold claims and placer mining as well as the perils of mountain roads, high water events, cougars, rattlesnakes and oppressive isolation -- all colored with unexpected companionship and a radiant humor.

       The year that the author and main character planned to try this new spin on her 80 years of life became filled with growing attachments and awareness of the animals, plants, sounds, smells and sights of her new mountain world. And through the evocative writing, much of this is brought to us. The lighthearted drawings scattered through the book add a fun touch.

       Definitely, the return of this book to our shelves is a welcome event -- and a pleasure worth indulging in.