San Francisco, You're History!: A Chronicle of the Politicians, Proselytizers, Paramours, and Performers Who Helped Create California's Wildest City [Paperback]

J. Kingston Pierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1995

From the legendary to the obscure, San Francisco, You're History! is filled with the interesting tales behind San Francisco's affairs, episodes, incidents, tragedies, and triumphs from the 1840s to the 1960s.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Seattle-based freelance writer Pierce presents a fascinating view of a variety of colorful people and events that have molded that unique environment that is San Francisco. He chronicles historical highlights along with a focus on current issues. Pierce touches on the gold rush, earthquakes, and fires and gives compelling accounts of the lives of politicians, millionaires, criminals, and eccentrics. Sprinkled liberally throughout are sidebars that enhance the text or can be read independently. Of limited interest despite many entertaining portions, this books is of value for the tourists and residents of this great city.?Jo-Anne Mary Benson, Osgoode, Ontario
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 297 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157061007X
• ISBN-13: 978-1570610073
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,988,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SF history comes alive with humor and engaging anecdotes, August 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: San Francisco, You're History!: A Chronicle of the Politicians, Proselytizers, Paramours, and Performers Who Helped Create California's Wildest City (Paperback)

It is a shame that Mr. Pierce is not a high school history teacher, as he is endowed with the infrequently encountered ability to make history come alive with humor, vitality and engaging anecdotes. Whether you are a fifth generation San Franciscan, or someone who lives ten thousand miles away (and never liked history in school) and has no intention to ever visit the City-by-the-Bay, SAN FRANCISCO, YOU'RE HISTORY! remains a book that you will find irresistible, unusual, and sometimes incredible. Pierce has crafted free-standing chapters, each one a unique and riveting story about San Francisco's charlatans (some you'll come to adore, such as Emperor Norton, the self proclaimed Emperor of North America and Protector of Mexico. When he died, more than 30,000 San Franciscans attended his funeral), con men and women, hustlers, robber barons, literati (Twain, Beirce and Bret Harte), eccentrics and more. This is one of those books that makes for great bedtime reading. Each chapter is easily read in a single sitting-- just pick one at random, or a chapter heading that seems to match your present mood. Pierce's spirited-style makes this book just as amusing to reread a second or third time. Pierce is a scholar who has employed extensive research time interviewing historians and sifting through the dark, cob webbed recesses of San Francisco's historical archives. He has deftly metamorphosed his raw material into cleverly written stories, leaving one laughing and smiling, while simultaneously discovering a great deal about the historic characters who helped forge and craft San Francisco into the world-class city that it is today.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How history should be written., December 8, 1997

By 

Dennis Hough ([e-mail]) (Minot, North Dakota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: San Francisco, You're History!: A Chronicle of the Politicians, Proselytizers, Paramours, and Performers Who Helped Create California's Wildest City (Paperback)

I wish Mr. Pierce had been around when my school history text books were being purchased. He demonstrates, in his wonderful history of a unique city, that history is not about dates and place names. It's about people. And, as evidenced by this book, San Francisco has always attracted the most colorful kind. Now most people know that San Francisco is a great place. But this book will tell even long-time residents things they never knew about their fair city. For instance, I didn't know that part of the city was built on boats, or that the Emperor of the United States lived there. This book is a great read but it's also dangerous to those of us who live a significant distance from the City By The Bay. I'm already planning my next trip. Until then, I'll continue to enjoy this book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy to digest morsels of SF trivia, May 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: San Francisco, You're History!: A Chronicle of the Politicians, Proselytizers, Paramours, and Performers Who Helped Create California's Wildest City (Paperback)

This book's format would be perfect as bedtime reading, that is, if you wanted to tell your children stories about the shady characters that helped shape San Francisco. I was disappointed that the stories (each of which only takes about 5-10 minutes to read) seem to only graze the surface of each person/event, but overall the book is a good introduction to the city and its colorful past.