"An important contribution to our understanding of the Bay Area and its history.... An indispensable guide to this vital region."

"Here at last in a single volume is the interwoven story of the San Francisco Bay region.... Authoritative, readable, compact, the first wide-angle portrait of a vast and vigorous urban substate"

No reason this should not be republished. An anecdotal history of the times. Makes one's head swim with stories of the street, the happenings and the love. Born too late, but feel like I've been there.

"The Haight-Ashbury: A History" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy."

Add this gem to your art book collection. As a screen printer, I have been increasingly seduced by the "winter palette". This wonderful volume compiles the best of the Impressionists as they, too, came to appreciate and explore the unique light, the effects of the weather, the shapes of hibernating nature, the muted hues, and the brooding melancholy of Effets de Neige.

i saw this show in san francisco, and, as an artist, i was moved to silent reverie. the works are astonishing! whoever asssembled them deserves the thanks of anyone who has known the cold, stark beauty of winter and kept its memory in their souls. the artists who captured these moments in time are unmatched in contemporary painting. simply, i thank god for their lives and work. as one who still believes in the power of beauty upon the human spirit, i walked away from this show elevated and in awe. most particularly, i was enveloped by the works of gustave caillebotte --- so little known in america; so wondrous in the realization of his vision and his time. this show is serene. and this book comes close to reflecting its essence.

One of the best journals of the early gold rush that includes a series of letters written by Doble before and during the Civil War. Poor spelling, no punctuation as Doble recorded his day-to-day experiences as a miner. His descriptions of life and times, of bonanza and borrasca, of the wagon trains arriving, and especially his description of his cabin, are classic. I have lived in Volcano, and spent many hours searching out the places described. After reading of his anguish over the death of his good friend, I went to the cemetery and found the tombstone placed there by him.

Living history as many of the places described in the book remain, but written from a perspective long lost.

My father and I got excited when we ran across this book documenting the exploits of John Doble in the gold country of Pine Grove, California.

Doble's Journal documents his search for gold specifically in the Pine Grove, Jackson areas. One could take this journal and retrace Doble's steps to find the best areas to prospect.

I definitly would add this one to my prospecting reference library.

The real estate and financial speculation (i.e. high tech/dot com bubble) that has taken place under a corrupt mayor (a development attorney for Catellus, the successor to the railways) here in San Francisco might be a future chapter in this book. This is a fascinating read. I've even taken an SF history class with an Alioto (family of a former mayor, Joseph A.), and I still learned a lot. Hilarious, informative, reads like fiction, based on fact. Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer, Newsom, Brown, Burton, Warren Hinckle, Ted Fang... These are their predecessors. The newspaper publishers, reporters, prostitutes and corrupt politicians. Read about all of them. You won't be able to put it down!

Old San Francisco at its best. Interesting stories about fascinating people. And best of all, because it contains twenty separate stories, you can pick it up any time and read for twenty minutes or so without losing the context.

Nicest format, best layout, best and last one I'll ever have to buy. The yearly updates really keep me up to speed. Thank you CT.

I'm never buying another book. Finally a book that I don't have to read a story to make a drink. The layout is logical & easy to follow with quantity & liquor in the order to be added, followed by how the drink is prepared ( blended, chilled, layered, etc.) followed by the kind of glass and ice and garnish. No time consuming BS to read through. It's got pictures of all the types of glasses so you don't have to guess, & a table of terminology so I didn't have to wonder what something meant. Has a cross reference by alcohol so I can show it to people who aren't sure of what it is they want i.e. "It had some Bailey's in it and was in a short glass and was kind of light brown... You know?" And all the coffee drinks are separated and the shooters are marked so they are easy to find. It even has a separate blank section with it's own index page for my own stuff and the house specialties of every place I've worked, and they update it every year so I don't have to buy another one. Great chart shows how to make my own layered drinks too. It even stays open to the page your reading until you close it. Best bar book I've ever had, HIGHLY recomend it.

A review from Wild West Magazine, June 2000:

The two largest movements of vigilantism in the American West occurred in 1851 and 1856 San Francisco during the California Gold Rush, and right in the middle of both of them--but not on the vigilantes' side--was one Charles P. ("Dutch Charley") Duane. In '51, the Committee of Vigilance banished Dutch Charley from San Francisco, saying he would face a penalty of death if he returned. Seems he had been involved in at least seven brawls, including the beating and shooting of a French actor named Amedee Fayolle. But the vigilantes disbanded that fall, and Duane was soon back in town and making trouble again. During the next several years, he was involved in at least half a dozen violent incidents. When the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance formed in 1856, it targeted Dutch Charley and once again warned him to leave and never to return under penalty of death.

There were two sides to Dutch Charley, though. He was also a fearless fireman. He played a courageous role in saving much of the St. Francis Hotel from a fiery fate in October 1853 and, less than two months after that, was elected chief engineer of the fire department. When the heat died down after his 1856 banishment from San Francisco, Duane quietly returned to town early in 1860 and, within weeks, was honored during a fire department meeting. Dutch Charley would stay put, become involved in politics again (he had once been a chief henchman for the politically powerful David C. Broderick), and outlast most of his drinking buddies.

John Boessenecker does justice to Dutch Charley's colorful story in 50 pages, which constitutes the "Introduction." It has to be one of the longest and best introductions you'll find in a Western history book and serves as more than a warm up for Duane's own memoirs, originally published in the San Francisco Examiner in 1881 and now published for the first time in book form. Duane's 100-page account, as Boessenecker describes it, "provides a firsthand viewpoint of one of the most outspoken opponents of vigilance in San Francisco." Highpoints include getting Duane's take on a double hanging by the vigilantes on May 22, 1856, and on his own capture soon afterward for refusing to "go and bow down to the Vigilance Committee." Boessenecker also provides detailed explanatory notes that help complete this fascinating look at one man's violent life and one boom city's most violent era.

Louis Hart

This book has really expanded my cooking. I've always been afraid to do any ethnic cooking, in large part because I was afraid of exotic ingredients and never enjoyed dumbed down recipies that leave out those ingredients. This book gives useful background info on the cooking of many regions (Japan, China, Middle East, South America), then gives great descriptions of the ingredients that it calls for. I live in San Francisco, and it's been great fun using the guide to ethnic food stores and tracking down things like galangal and lemongrass.

Ingredients aside, most of the recipies are straightforward, and I've had great success with them. The ingredient lists on many recipies are intimidating, but usually preparation is quick (measuring them into a food processor, etc.).

It's been very satisfying to cook many of my favorite restaurant foods. Hot and sour soup one night. Chicken curry another. I also learned about great dishes I never heard of before. My favorite section is Southeast Asia. The peanut sauces are killer.

The menu suggestions have been very useful, as well, because I really don't know what dishes to combine for a dinner party.

I use the book whenever I'm in a cooking rut and want to try something new.

My only quibble with this book is that the plot verges on something out of Ludlum or (yikes!) Sheldon. But the narrative is wonderful -- smooth and well-paced -- and the characters are interesting and well-drawn. In a field crowded with wooden and poorly-edited clunkers, this was a refreshing find. I hope Mr. Mathes gets noticed by the paperback majors soon -- he deserves it.

This book was incredible. I've read it three times, and every time I get caught up in the story and the characters. My mother read the book, and also loved it. Emma is so well created that I start to feel like I'm living her story, and experiencing what she experiences. I definitely recommend this to everyone!

i read this book in one sitting and couldn't turn the pages fast enough! emma as heroine is alive, spunky and full of zest--her inquisitiveness makes the story happen...a clever title which ties the entire story together!

I'm a beginner to bread baking and for whatever reason, decided to try sourdough. This book has been perfect for me as a beginner. The first part of the book, clearly outlines the chemistry involved in bread baking and getting a starter going. It then details the various steps in making the "primary batter" as well as bread baking, even outlining how to knead dough for french bread. This is such a great reference for anyone at a beginner level and the recipes are easy to follow and produce a great end result (although some may be a bit odd; Cranberry Sourdough Bread wasn't quite up to par). I highly recommend this book if you're trying to learn about sourdough baking.

You must get this cookbook. Great recipes. Tasty recipes.

Just looking at the cover makes me smile.

I love this book and I use a couple of the recipes all the time. I especially like his method of using batter "A" and batter "B". It's wonderful because I never waste any of my starter in order to feed it. The batter bread is my favorite. With my particular starter strain, the bread comes out about the same consistency as a regular dough bread. It's delicious. The recipes are amazingly easy and delicious.

I highly recommend this book to people who are learning about sourdough. It's the only book you'll ever need.