Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin, With a New Preface (California Studies in Critical Human Geography) First Edition

by Gray Brechin (Author)

31 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0520250086

ISBN-10: 0520250087

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First published in 1999, this celebrated history of San Francisco traces the exploitation of both local and distant regions by prominent families―the Hearsts, de Youngs, Spreckelses, and others―who gained power through mining, ranching, water and energy, transportation, real estate, weapons, and the mass media. The story uncovered by Gray Brechin is one of greed and ambition on an epic scale. Brechin arrives at a new way of understanding urban history as he traces the connections between environment, economy, and technology and discovers links that led, ultimately, to the creation of the atomic bomb and the nuclear arms race. In a new preface, Brechin considers the vulnerability of cities in the post-9/11 twenty-first century.

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Editorial Reviews

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Named a "Book of the Year" in the "Independent (UK).

From the Inside Flap

"A classic of urban history, environmental history, California history, and socially oriented architectural criticism, this work contains scholarship that is thrilling in its comprehensiveness. Never before have the inner dynamics of the regional civilization centered in San Francisco been so comprehensively integrated."―Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California, author of Americans and the California Dream

"Imperial San Francisco is a great gift of a book, the product of extraordinary research, insight, and hard work that connects a lot of dots and gives me a reinvigorated focus and curiosity [about] what California culture was and what might become of it all."―Gary Snyder

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Product details

Series: California Studies in Critical Human Geography (Book 3)
Paperback: 437 pages
Publisher: University of California Press; First edition (October 3, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0520250087
ISBN-13: 978-0520250086
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 31 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #340 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Urban
- #692 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Sociology
- #939 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > United States

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Mark McDonough

More Than Just Good Local History

June 16, 2001

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Brechin's acerbic and well-researched account of San Francisco's development and the attendant despoiliaton of its hinterlands will be amusing reading to anyone with a populist bent and an interest in San Francisco history.
But "Imperial San Francisco" is far more than good local history. It's a book that wrestles with big ideas -- the poisonous and secretive power of economic elites, the cost of technology, and the way fortunes are built not by creating wealth but by shifting costs to others (including future generations).
There are no easy answers here. This is not a book that inspires one with optimism about human nature or the human prospect. And by connecting San Francisco's rise to power with that of other imperial cities in the past (most notably Rome), Brechin makes a strong case that "t'was ever thus."
"Imperial San Francisco" is also well-written (although this isn't popular history, but the real deal). And I feel compelled to add that in this day of specialization, careerism, and caution in historical writing it's a real pleasure to read such a wide-ranging and daring book. Brechin also makes excellent use of both photos and illustrations and comes up with quotes so juicy they made me want to head for the archives and read the primary sources myself.

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C E

Can't recommend this book highly enough

March 15, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Can't recommend this book highly enough. Such crucial information for understanding the present and making better choices for tomorrow. Fantastic.

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tiberlady

What a treat

September 5, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The best writing I have encountered in a very long time.

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Cynthia Cornell

Best book for the early history of money and politics in the SF Bay Area

April 17, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Fantastic book about San Francisco and Bay Area history money and politics.

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Andreas Ramos

How SF Became So Important

December 18, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Excellent account of San Francisco (SF) from 1849 to (roughly) 1950. Shows how the Gold Rush's robber barons looted most of northern California and used vicious racism and imperialist wars to make yet more money. SF todays seems to be a bit of a backwater city, mostly for tourists, but for the first hundred years, it wanted to be as big as NYC. It played a key role in several wars, incl. a major role in WWII in the Pacific.

Prof. Brechin doesn't discuss 1950 to present. Why didn't SF become as important as NYC? Perhaps two issues: Lack of people and a lack of land. IN 1912, SF wanted to become Greater San Francisco by taking over the East Bay, from Richmond to Fremont, incl. Oakland, to build a city of four million people. But that failed (Oakland refused to be swallowed up) and SF today has only 700-800,000 inhabitants. The second issue is related: SF is only seven miles by seven miles (49 square miles) and most of the city is crowded in the east side.

Now compare SF to Singapore (280 sq. miles, 5.6m people), Hong Kong (1,000 sq. mi., 7.4m people), and Shanghai (2,500 sq.mi., 34m people). SF would be a small cosy neighborhood in Shanghai. The mega-cities of Asia (the greater Beijing mega-city has 100m people) have enough people, wealth, industry, and resources to exert their influence over the Pacific Ocean; SF simply couldn't become big enough.

In any case, it's an excellent book and highly recommended.

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Jeanne R. Sainati

I love this book!

September 4, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a long time visitor and now resident of San Francisco I loved this book! The story was very interesting about all the "scoundrels" that facilitated and profited from the development of my favorite city. It also filled in the lines on how the different industries became important to developing the city. What I loved was how everything always went back to how to increase the value of the real estate!

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John A. Brooks

Good read

May 16, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent product and excellent service.

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Carole Craig

Worth reading

October 28, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Dense and full of facts, a truly enlightening take on the building of San Francisco. It is not a pretty picture: corrupt, selfish, racist with the rich serving the rich at the expense of everyone else and the hinterland.

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Most recent customer reviews

well-researched, well-written, very useful reference

Published on January 22, 2016

Jeffrey W. Baker

This is a fine book, but "contado" is not a word and ...

This is a fine book, but "contado" is not a word and it appears in this book dozens of times.Read more

Published on January 10, 2015

Jim Anthony

Erudite, clear, well designed, impeccable in its style and reach.

I would recommend Brechin's book to any one interested in historical or political literacy. Imperial San Francisco is a one of a kind book--in a class by itself.

Published on January 2, 2014

Robert T Baird

a little of Mike Davis mixed with William Cronon

Not a comprehensive history of the city, but a very thorough description of the political and economic apparatus behind the region's development from the Gold Rush to the Cold...Read more

Published on July 13, 2012

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