Clothbound, 336 pages, 6 x 9,
52 illustrations, appendix, chronology,
bibliography, index.
ISBN: 978-1-879367-06-7
$25.95
San Francisco in 1849
by Rand Richards
San Francisco, 1849. It was a time and place like no other in American history. As word of the discovery of gold in California spread, people from all over the world descended on San Francisco—ground zero for the avalanche of humanity and goods pouring into the fabled El Dorado.
There have been many books on the Gold Rush, but Mud, Blood, and Gold is the first to focus solely on San Francisco as it was at the peak of the gold frenzy. With a 'you are there' immediacy, author Rand Richards vividly brings to life what San Francisco was like during the landmark year of 1849. Based on eyewitness accounts and previously overlooked official records, Richards chronicles the explosive growth of a wide-open town rife with violence, gambling, and prostitution, all of it fueled by unbridled greed.
“It is one of the best books I
have ever read on California history. It is a terrific read . . . .”
—Gary F. Kurutz, Principal Librarian, Special Collections, California State Library,
and author of The California Gold Rush: A Descriptive Bibliography of Books and
Pamphlets Covering the Years 1848–1853.
