Michael Cahill gave us The Gifts of the Jews; and How the Irish Saved Civilization. Now another author adds to this canon. John O'Hagan gives us When the Basques Ruled California, an insightful, entertaining look at another time when a small, marginalized group of people had a disproportionate influence on history. From 1784 until 1834, virtually all of the positions of power in Californiamilitary, political and ecclesiasticalwere held by Basques. In those fifty years, these men put a unique stamp on how the territory was defined, how it was run, and its role in the formation and growth of what would become the most powerful country in the world.