San Francisco, 1846-1856: FROM HAMLET TO CITY [Paperback]

Roger W. Lotchin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0252066316 | ISBN-13: 978-0252066313 | Publication Date: April 1, 1997

Now back in print with a new introduction by the author, this is the classic study of America's most admired instant city, from its days as a sleepy Mexican village, through the Gold Rush and into its establishment as a major international port. Roger Lotchin examines the urbanizing influences in San Francisco and compares these to other urban centers, doing so against a diverse backdrop of vigilantes, opium dens, and other unforgettable institutions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252066316
• ISBN-13: 978-0252066313
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,288,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Another Student of Dr. Lotchin, April 1, 2001

By 

Mark Schueler (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: San Francisco, 1846-1856: FROM HAMLET TO CITY (Paperback)

I am also a student of Dr. Lotchin's, though a current one, taking his class on the history of the American West. What does this have to do with the book? Nothing, except that it is one of the texts we are reading. I found Dr. Lotchin's book to be informative at best, and cluttered, poorly written/edited, and uninteresting at worst. While the history of San Francisco and its rapid growth are astonishing and fascinating, Lotchin's rendering of the city's life from 1848-1856 is something short of spectacular. Most of the problems I have found with the text--including copious grammatical errors which create hard to read passages--could have been remedied with a better editor.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history of a great city, September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: San Francisco, 1846-1856: FROM HAMLET TO CITY (Paperback)

I was once a student of Roger Lotchin's; I took his classes on the history of the American West and the history of American Urbanization, and in one of those classes we read this book. It was good and I'm not saying that to get a good grade (this was several years ago). In truth, I just thought it was amazing how the town sprang up and in so short a time really did become a major city with a culture all its own. Thank you, Dr. Lotchin for teaching us to question things (because you didn't hesitate to question us ;-) )