The author and a fellow novelist — both of whom lost homes in the Eaton Fire — will discuss the new commemorative edition Monday at Vroman’s

The award-winning history of Altadena, out of print and in high demand since the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of the homes and personal libraries that once held it, is back. 

Author Michele Zack will discuss and sign a new commemorative hardcover edition of “Altadena: Between Wilderness & City” at 7 p.m. Monday, February 16, at Vroman’s Bookstore. 

Zack will be joined in conversation by Altadena-born novelist Michelle Huneven, a friend since their first day of ninth grade at John Muir High School. The two have been neighbors in west Altadena for more than two decades. Both lost their homes in the January 2025 Eaton Fire — as did many of the residents whose stories fill the book’s pages. 

The event is co-presented by Vroman’s and the Altadena Historical Society, which commissioned Zack to write the book

more than 20 years ago. The original edition appeared in 2004 and sold out. After the fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena, copies became scarce and sought-after. The historical society reprinted the book in a 2025 hardcover edition that adds enhanced photographs, an updated author’s note, and images of Altadena after the fire, according to the Vroman’s event listing. 

When the book was first published, the late Kevin Starr, then the California State Librarian and a prominent historian, called it “urban history at its best,” according to the event listing. The book topped Vroman’s best-seller list in the history category, the listing states. 

Zack, a journalist and historian, received the Donald H. Pflueger Local History Award from the Historical Society of Southern California in 2006 for the book, and the American Association for State and Local History recognized it with an Award of Excellence in 2005. 

“I want everyone to learn about our rich history and there’s a lot more to write,” Zack said in a January 2026 NBC Los Angeles interview, noting that she and her husband are rebuilding the Altadena home they built more than 40 years ago. 

Huneven, who teaches creative writing at UCLA, is the author of six novels, many set in and around Altadena. Her most recent, “Bug Hollow,” published in June 2025, follows an Altadena family across five decades. After the fire destroyed her home and the rental property she owned next door, Huneven changed the novel’s dedication page to read simply,”To Altadena,” according to a UCLA Newsroom report.

“Altadena is in my DNA and it’s always been,” Huneven said in a 2025 interview with the Los Angeles Times. 

Vroman’s Bookstore is at 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For information, call 626-449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com. 

“I just love the fact that history is never over,” Zack once said. “It’s never finished.”