Michele Zack, the historian whose “Altadena: Between Wilderness and City” has been called the definitive chronicle of the unincorporated foothill town, will appear in conversation with novelist Michelle Huneven at Vroman’s Bookstore on Monday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
The event, co-sponsored by the Altadena Historical Society, marks the release of a commemorative hardcover edition.
The enhanced edition features historical photographs and illustrations, many reproduced for the first time in the original printing, along with a mention of the Eaton Fire.
In a December ABC7 interview, Zack described Altadena as “a racially and socioeconomically diverse enclave filled with artists, musicians, scientists, and long-time residents — ‘a whole universe’ within the community.”
That sense of place, Zack argued in the same interview, isn’t merely academic. “The stronger sense of place you have, the more connected you feel, the richer your life is,” she said.
The book’s title captures the geographic and cultural tension that has defined Altadena: perched at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, the community exists between development and preservation, between suburban sprawl and wilderness protection.
Journalist Timothy Rutt, writing in 2012 when Zack was named Altadena Chamber Citizen of the Year, called “Altadena: Between Wilderness and City” “the definitive history of the town.”
Vroman’s has operated as an independent bookstore in Pasadena since the 1890s.
Vroman’s & the Altadena Historical Society Present: Michele Zack in conversation with Michelle Huneven, discussing & signing Altadena: Between Wilderness & City will run on Monday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 449-5320 or visit https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-16/michele-zack. Ticket price: $100.
