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Title: The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H. W. Brands ISBN: 0-385-50216-8 Publisher: Doubleday Books Pub. Date: 20 August, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.58 (19 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Wins the Gold
Comment: H.W. Brands shows again why he is one of America's foremost historians with his compellingly readable account of the 1849 California Gold Rush and the early history of the state. Brands digs down through the myths about the Gold Rush and unearths the fascinating stories of the people (immigrants and Americans alike) who caught America's first big burst of gold fever. Among the key players were William T. Sherman (later the famous Civil War General), explorer John C. Fremont (later the first Presidential nominee of the Republican Party), and Leland Stanford (founder of the University that bears his last name). They all come together at what was truly one of American history's major crossroads.
Brands does not limit himself to just recounting the adventures in the gold fields. He focusses on the larger political, social and even military effects of the gold rush. The chapters recounting the lengthy, perilous journeys by land and sea that the gold miners took to get to Califorinia are particularly compelling. Brands also discusses at length the growth of San Francisco into a major city and the establishment of California's state government. Additionally, he devotes time examining the U.S. congresional Compromise of 1850, which allowed California to be admitted as a state only after a bitter and acrimonious sectional feud over slavery.
Brands is an excellent writer with that rare ability among historians to make his historicals accounts read like fiction. His book is well-researched and the author has a flair for capturing the essence of the historical figures involved. He also argues strenuously that the gold rush's effects on American politics as a whole, including pushing the country toward Civil War, should not be underestimated.
Overall, an outstanding work of history that can be enjoyed by serious students and casual readers alike.
Rating: 5
Summary: Marvelous narrative history of early California
Comment: In my opinion, Historian H.W. Brands has outdone himself with this book. The age of Gold is more than just a story about gold - it is a story about early California.
It is easy to say that the history of California starts with the Gold Rush of the 1840's. It would also be easy to say that it starts hundreds of years before that, but Brands focuses on how the gold rush in California really impacted the whole nation.
Brands has written this book in the narrative style, which helps the reader to understand the personal motivations and feelings of each person involved in the book. It is a thrill to read how John Sutter feels when Gold is discovered on his property, and it is equally heartbreaking to read about the failure of some who traveled from foreign lands to make their fortunes.
I believe that the most important pieces presented in the book are how the Gold Rush impacted the United States as a whole, including the theory that it helped build up sentiment that led to the onset of the Civil War. The political struggles faced by some of the players in 1840's and 1850's California, such as John Fremont (and his wife Jessee) are explained in great detail and add much imagery and understanding to the importance that the discovery of this precious yellow metal in the bear republic really meant.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for an understanding of how Gold was discovered in California, but it should appeal to a much wider audience than such a select group of individuals. It should also appeal to anyone with an interest in 19th century America, or the early West, including the building of the transcontinental railroad, which had roots in California and the east.
I am looking forward to Brands' next book with great anticipation.
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating History
Comment: Age of Gold is an amazing overview of the California Gold Rush. Brands takes individual characters who experienced the Rush firsthand and maps out the rapid birth of California through their experiences. This is a quick and educational read, I recommend it to every historian. 5 out of 5 stars.
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Title: The Reckless Decade: America in the 1890s by H. W. Brands ISBN: 0226071162 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: Pathfinder: John Charles Fr¿mont and the Course of American Empire by Tom Chaffin ISBN: 0809075571 Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub. Date: 04 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: The World Rushed in: The California Gold Rush Experience by J. S. Holliday, Howard R. Lamar, William Swain ISBN: 080613464X Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Wagons West: The Epic Story of America's Overland Trails (Images of America) by Frank McLynn ISBN: 0802117317 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: 10 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $32.50 |
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Title: Rush for Riches: Gold Fever and the Making of California by J. S. Holliday ISBN: 0520214021 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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