You Bright and Risen Angels (1987)
The Rainbow Stories (1989)
The Ice-Shirt (1990)
Whores for Gloria (1991)
Thirteen Stories and Thirteen Epitaphs (1991)
An Afghanistan Picture Show (1992)
Fathers and Crows (1992)
Butterfly Stories (1993)
The Rifles (1994)
The Atlas (1996)
The Royal Family (2000)
Argall (2001)
Rising Up and Rising Down:
Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom, and Urgent Means (2003)
Europe Central (2005)
Uncentering the Earth:
Copernicus and the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (2006)
Poor People (2007)
Riding Toward Everywhere (2008)

VIKING

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First published in 2009 by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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“Cartography” by Antonio Deltoro, translated by Christian Viveros-Faune, and “Arcana IV: The Emperor” by Veronica Volkow, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden, both from
Reversible Monuments: Contemporary Mexican Poetry,
edited by Monica de la Torre and Michael Weigers. Copyright © 2002 by Copper Canyon Press. Reprinted with permission of Copper Canyon Press.
www.coppercanyonpress.org
.

Poem by Nezahualcoyotl in
Native Mesoamerican Spirituality: Ancient Myths, Discourses, Stories, Doctrines, Hymns, Poems from the Aztecs, Yucatec, Quiche-Maya and Other Sacred Traditions,
edited by Miguel Leon-Portilla. Copyright © 1980 by Paulist Press, Inc. , Mahwah, New Jersey.
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“Portami il girasole” by Eugenio Montale, translated by Chris Glomski. Used by permission of Chris Glomski.

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Vollmann, William T.
Imperial / by William T. Vollmann.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.

eISBN : 978-1-101-10448-4

1. Mexicans—California—Imperial County—History. 2. Mexicans—California—Imperial County—Social conditions. 3. Immigrants—
California—Imperial County—History. 4. Immigrants—California—Imperial County—Social conditions. 5. Migrant agricultural labor
ers—California—Imperial County—History. 6. Migrant agricultural laborers—California—Imperial County—Social conditions.
7. Imperial County (Calif.)—Social conditions. I. Title.
F868.I2V65 2008
304.8’7949907208624—dc22 2008029532

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As long as a farmer has an abundance of water, he almost invariably yields to the temptation to use it freely, even though he gets no increased returns as a result.

—Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1909