Now back in print with a new introduction by the author, this is the
classic study of America's most admired instant city, from its days as
a sleepy Mexican village, through the Gold Rush and into its establishment
as a major international port. Roger Lotchin examines the urbanizing influences
in San Francisco and compares these to other urban centers, doing so against
a colorful backdrop of opium dens and other sinful institutions.
This "almost shamefully readable book" will be of "dramatic
interest to anyone concerned with American history, American cities, or--more
fundamentally--the American character." -- The New Republic
"Comprehensive and absorbing. . . . Roger Lotchin's prose style
is brilliant, his research staggering, and his conclusions thought-provoking.
This is urban history at its best." -- Kenneth T. Jackson, Columbia
University