Peter Blodgett's Land Of Golden Dreams: California In The Gold Rush Decade, 1848-1858 is a superbly written, splendidly illustrated, authoritative history that begins with a description of Mexican California society before the discover of gold. Blodgett then describes the great western migration of 1849 launched with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill; the cultural and political transformation of California with the sudden and huge influxes of people; and the enduring legacies that the gold rush decade had upon the people and the land. Highly recommended reading for students of the American west in general, and the California Gold Rush in particular, Land Of Golden Dreams is enhanced with a checklist of the three-gallery Huntington Library Press exhibition upon which this book was developed, and a "user friendly" index.