Once again I went to California, unsure where to hike.
There are too many choices. Too many good guidebooks. Here’s the one I ended up buying:
One of the authors is Tom Stienstra, sometimes called “the other Tom” in relation to Tom Mangan of Two Heel Drive. (Mangan reviews hikes on the San Jose Mercury News. Stienstra does the same for the San Francisco Chronicle. Both are Bay Area papers.)
Turns out Stienstra is the “best-selling hiking guidebook author in America”. It says so on his book, so it must be true.
AND Stienstra’s in the stars with John Muir:
Tom Stienstra inducted into California Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2003
I don’t want to downplay the co-Author’s contribution:
Ann Marie Brown has lived in and explored the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. A hiker extraordinaire, she has logged more than 10,000 miles exclusively on California trails. …
Anyhoo, if you are looking for the best overview of hikes in California, this is it. They’ve divided California into 16 hiking zones.
I wanted to hike the “Southern Deserts”. For that region “best hikes†are recommended including:
Tahquitz Canyon
Ryan Mountain Trail
Mastodon Peak
Lost Palms Oasis
I did 3 of these. All excellent
This guidebook has the guts to recommend “best hikes” in categories including:
Best Beach and Coastal Walks
Best Butt-kickers
Best Desert Hikes
Best Hikes with a View
Best for Kids
Best Summit Hikes
Best for Wildlife
… and many more
The best overview of California: California Hiking (Moon Handbooks)
besthike.com 
i have an old addition of Tom & Ann Marie book, do you think it’s worth getting the new edition under Moon Handbook? I have it under Foghorn Books.
I doubt there are huge changes in newer editions.
That book is just a “starting point” for deciding where to hike in any given region of California.
It is not specific enough in details to warrant upgrading.