The Shirley Letters From the California Mines, 1851-1852 | San Francisco Public Library

A Novel

by Allende, Isabel

Book - 2000

An orphan raised in Valparaiso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, vivacious young Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during...Show more An orphan raised in Valparaiso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, vivacious young Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Entering a rough-and-tumble world of new arrivals driven mad by gold fever, Eliza moves in a society of single men and prostitutes with the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi'en. Show less

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The Age of Gold

The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream

by Brands, H. W.

Book - 2002

H.W. Brands tells his epic story from multiple perspectives: of adventurers John and Jessie Fremont, entrepreneur Leland Stanford, and the wry observer Samuel Clemens—side by side with prospectors, soldiers, and scoundrels. H.W. Brands tells his epic story from multiple perspectives: of adventurers John and Jessie Fremont, entrepreneur Leland Stanford, and the wry observer Samuel Clemens—side by side with prospectors, soldiers, and scoundrels. Show less

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Women of the Gold Rush

"The New Penelope" and Other Stories

by Victor, Frances Fuller

Book - 1998

Prefaced by a brief biography, these five compelling short stories suggest a range of women's roles during the time of westward expansion. The heroines live by their wits and a triumphant will to survive. Prefaced by a brief biography, these five compelling short stories suggest a range of women's roles during the time of westward expansion. The heroines live by their wits and a triumphant will to survive. Show less

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They Saw the Elephant

Women in the California Gold Rush

by Levy, Jo Ann

Book - 1992

Most western myths generally depict an exclusively male gold rush. Levy’s book debunks that myth. Here, a variety of women travel, work, and write their way across the pages of western migrants. Most western myths generally depict an exclusively male gold rush. Levy’s book debunks that myth. Here, a variety of women travel, work, and write their way across the pages of western migrants. Show less

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The Whip

A Novel

by Kondazian, Karen

Book - 2012

The Whip is inspired by the true story of a woman, Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst lived most of her extraordinary life as a man. Charley became a...Show more The Whip is inspired by the true story of a woman, Charlotte "Charley" Parkhurst lived most of her extraordinary life as a man. Charley became a renowned stagecoach driver, killed a famous outlaw, had a secret love affair, and lived with a housekeeper who, unaware of her true sex, fell in love with her. Charley was the first woman to vote in America (as a man). Her grave lies in Watsonville, California. Show less

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Frontier Grit

The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women

by Monson, Marianne

Book - 2016

Stories of twelve women who "heard the call" to settle the west including Clara Brown, who was reunited with her daughter six decades after bein...Show more Stories of twelve women who "heard the call" to settle the west including Clara Brown, who was reunited with her daughter six decades after being sold into slavery; "Charley" Parkhurst, the most celebrated stagecoach driver in the West; Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, the first Mexican-American novelist; Donaldina Cameron, the most loved and feared woman in Chinatown. Show less

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Frog Music

A Novel

by Donoghue, Emma

Book - 2014

“Clothes make the man, it's said, but don't tell that to Jenny Bonnet, the cross-dressing, frog -catching, gun-toting anti-heroine of this genre-defying n...Show more “Clothes make the man, it's said, but don't tell that to Jenny Bonnet, the cross-dressing, frog -catching, gun-toting anti-heroine of this genre-defying new novel, set in late 1800s San Francisco….a rollicking, fast-paced novel based on a true story,” Library Journal Show less

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The Luminaries

A Novel

by Catton, Eleanor

Audiobook CD - 2013

A bold neo-Victorian murder mystery set in a remote gold-mining frontier town in 19th-century New Zealand. In 1866, a weary Englishman lands in a gold-min...Show more A bold neo-Victorian murder mystery set in a remote gold-mining frontier town in 19th-century New Zealand. In 1866, a weary Englishman lands in a gold-mining frontier town on the coast of New Zealand to make his fortune. He stumbles across a tense gathering of 12 local men who are investigating the links between three crimes that occurred on a single day, events in which each man finds himself implicated in some way. Show less

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The Sisters Brothers

by deWitt, Patrick

Book - 2011

Set against the backdrop of the great California Gold Rush, this darkly comic novel follows the misadventures of the fabled Sisters brothers, two hired gu...Show more Set against the backdrop of the great California Gold Rush, this darkly comic novel follows the misadventures of the fabled Sisters brothers, two hired guns, who, under the order of the mysterious Commodore, try to kill Hermann Kermit Warm, a man who gives them a run for their money. Show less

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The Call of the Wild

by London, Jack

Book - 1963

The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch Shepherd, that was kidnapped and shipped off to Alaska to work on the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck the dog quickly learns how to survive in the wild and also learns the call of the wolf. The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch Shepherd, that was kidnapped and shipped off to Alaska to work on the Klondike Gold Rush. Buck the dog quickly learns how to survive in the wild and also learns the call of the wolf. Show less

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