Francisco Palou's Life and Apostolic Labors of the Venerable Father Junípero Serra

Though Palou's "Life and Apostolic Labors of the Venerable Father Fray Junipero Serra" is the first work dealing with the history of Alta California; and though it was originally published in the City of Mexico in 1787, it has never yet been translated for English readers. My own devotion and veneration for Padre Serra are well-enough known to render their redeclaration unnecessary, yet I am constrained to affirm that there are few lives that so stir my heart in devotion to God and earnest endeavors to work for the uplift of my needy fellows as does this recital of the simple, unselfish and self-sacrificing life of Junipero Serra. God needs thousands more of such men; struggling mankind needs them; California needs them; the world needs them. They are sadly rare. - Introduction to the English translation.