"Brilliantly written with a verve that makes for addictive reading. This is history in the grand manner, all done with drama, humor, irony, and vision. Arthur Quinn opens a window for us, and the story he reveals is enough to make us sit up late, reading compulsively."—Richard Marius, author of After the War "Fascinating."—Washington Post "Quinn performs his task in a richly straightforward way, depicting his colorful cast with a keen sense of the delicate meshing of the personal and the historical."—Kirkus "As Gwin tours mining camps and Broderick wanders through the back alleys and brothels of the city [San Francisco], readers get an unforgettable look at what daily life was like for the Forty-Niners."—San Jose Mercury News
