The Inside Man [Hardcover]

Salvador A. Ramirez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2010

The Inside Man is the culmination of more than seventeen years of groundbreaking, meticulous, and exhaustive research into the life of the least known of the Big Five who built the western end of the first transcontinental railroad. Drawn from original sources most of which have hitherto been inaccessible or ignored by previous chronicles-thousands of pages of handwritten letters, telegrams, accounts from scores of newspapers archived around the country, including both biographical and historical works-are brought to bear in this monumental account. More than the biography of one individual, this masterful account weaves within the narrative the many forces and competing issues faced by Mark Hopkins and his associates as well as the culture and mores of late nineteenth century California, and their very personal struggles and conflicts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mr. Ramirez, a U. S. Navy veteran, received his Bachelor of Art and Master of Art degrees in History, with minors in Spanish, and teaching credential from California State University Long Beach, and his Counseling Credential from the University of California, Los Angeles. He taught for nine years and served as a guidance counselor at the secondary level in the Los Angeles Unified School District before appointment as Principal of an experimental parent-initiated K-12 alternative school in the San Fernando Valley where he successfully guided its formative first four years. After moving to North San Diego county Mr. Ramirez was chosen to lead San Dieguito High School in Encinitas during a time when it faced unprecedented growth in student enrollment. Under his leadership, the school gained consecutive six-year accreditations and recognition as a California Distinguished School. Sparked by lectures on the Southern Pacific Railroad during his graduate studies Mr. Ramirez published, in 1982, The Octopus Speaks: The Colton Letters, which brought to light correspondence long thought to be lost between Collis Huntington and David Colton. These letters were considered crucial evidence in a much publicized 1880s trial that drew nationwide attention because they purported to describe how Congressman were bribed, and exposed for the first time details of the inner workings of the Southern Pacific. This was followed three years later by the publication of From New York to San Francisco Via Cape Horn in 1849-The Gold Rush Voyage of the Ship 'Pacific' - An Eyewitness Account, which was a reconstruction of the daily activities, rigors, and conflict experienced by Mark Hopkins and his contemporary Argonauts on their 194 day voyage to gold rush California. The Inside Man continues his groundbreaking research narrating the first complete biography of Mark Hopkins, the least known of the railroad's founders and, in the process debunks the many fabrications by latter day fortune seekers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1382 pages
• Publisher: The Tentacled Press; First edition (January 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615283152
• ISBN-13: 978-0615283159
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,116,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Big Mistake, December 18, 2010

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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Inside Man (Hardcover)

This purchase was a big mistake, because of Amazon's deceptive listing describing the work misleadingly. It's a fine book actually, but it is a TWO-VOLUME work, both of which are essential to using the book. Amazon only sent me volume one, without indicating that this is what I was buying, and they don't have volume two. I had to return it, which was a giant hassle, and I still haven't received notice of the deposit of their promised refund. BEWARE OF ON-LINE SHOPPING...IT'S FULL OF TRAPS.