Cover for LOTCHIN: San Francisco, 1846-1856: From Hamlet to City

San Francisco, 1846-1856

From Hamlet to City

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

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