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Gold Rush: A Literary Exploration

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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.

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.