James M. Hotchkiss, Jr. has published a great history of the Hotchkiss family entitled A Pair of Kings and a Joker.

The book should be of interest to all who live on the land called Hotchkiss Tract, which is also known as Reclamation District 799. The area includes those living on Dutch Slough Road and Sandmound Boulevard, and surrounding areas.

James M. Hotchkiss, Jr. is the grandson of W.J. Hotchkiss, the man the tract was named for. The 224-page A Pair of Kings and a Joker contains many pictures of Hotchkiss family members and tells an intimate tale of the growth of the family and its heritage.

As Hotchkiss, Jr. writes, Laugh out loud at the incredible neurotic behavior of W.J.'s nincompoop son, Marius. Then rejoice as all the family's greatness recurs in Marius' son, Miller.

The book tells of the triumphs of W.J. Hotchkiss in his business empire of farming, canning and lumber. The book's readers will become believers that the Golden Gate Bridge might never have been built without the efforts of W.J. Hotchkiss, the founder and leader of the Bridging the Golden Gate Association.

To order the book, go to the Web site http://www.lulu.com and click on the title of the book. In the near future, the book will also be available at Amazon.com.

Contributed by historian Robert Gromm