author
Helen Elliott Bandini
1854–1911
Best remembered for writing lively, accessible California history, this Pasadena author also took an active part in civic and arts life. Her work helped bring the state's past to general readers in the early 1900s.
1 Audiobook
History of California
by Helen Elliott Bandini
About the author
Born in Indianapolis in June 1854, she moved to California in 1874, when her father was involved with the Indiana Colony that helped found Pasadena. She later married Arturo Bandini in 1883 and spent much of her life in Southern California.
She wrote primarily about California history and is credited with two books. The best known is History of California (1908), a general history written in a clear, readable style for broad audiences rather than specialists.
Beyond her books, she was noted as a newspaper and magazine writer and as someone active in civic and arts matters. She died in Pasadena on June 10, 1911.