Gold Rush: A Literary Exploration

By California Council for the Humanities

The news of gold in California beckoned people from every continent on earth. This astonishing and instant migration would leave its mark forever on California and, indeed, the entire world. Taking a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0930588991
• ISBN13: 9780930588991
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Heyday Books
• Length: 477 Pages
• Weight: 1.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

California considered

150 years later, we in California are still struggling to understand the legacies of the Gold Rush. How much of California's present "character" can be traced to the tumultous 1850s? GOLD RUSH: A LITERARY EXPLORATION attempts to answer this question from two directions: first, by examining the diaries, letters, and journals of the 49ers who actually participated in the rush, and second, though the generations of later writers who have re-interpreted the Gold Rush again and again. The book's many short selections and splendid illustrations provide many access points; though sometimes old, the accounts are never dull. At turns humorous, chilling, and thought-provoking, GOLD RUSH is a compelling read for any Californian interested in the state's roots.

Reveals the grit, glory, and pain that made California.

Growing up in California you are taught that the future is always gold . "Gold Rush: A Literary Exploration," edited by Michael Kowalewski, pulls back the curtains on perhaps the most important event in the Golden State's history to reveal a place filled with dreams, nightmares, courage and cowardness. A place that became America's future. Published by Heyday Books and the California Council for the Humanities, "Gold Rush" is 500 pages of short selections (1-8 pages) that lend insight to the California and American character. Writing includes: poems from Robert Frost, Gary Snyder and Wendy Rose; journal entries from William T. Sherman and John Muir; and essays from Thoureau, Dame Shirley, and Emerson. On the eave of California's 150 anniversary of the discovery of gold (January 24, 1848), this book is a great read for anyone curious about how California shaped America.