FIRST EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD BOOK, 1893

ALLEN, William Wallace and AVERY, Richard Benjamin. California Gold Book. First Nugget. Its Discovery and Discoverers and Some of the Results Proceeding Therefrom. San Francisco and Chicago: Donohue & Henneberry, 1893. Octavo, original gilt-stamped red cloth. $650.

First edition of this history of the California Gold Rush and the ensuing economic and social growth of California, with several illustrations of contemporary California life and landscapes, in original cloth.

This book begins by establishing, through documentation and first-person reporting, the authenticity of the so-called “Wimmer Nugget,” the first piece of gold to be discovered by a non-Native American in California. From there, Allen and Avery approach California more broadly, reporting on its potential as a mining state, a site for expansion of the railroads, and as a good choice for all types of business ventures. This work serves as both a strong endorsement of California as a future American commercial center and as a valuable history of California up to the turn of the 20th century. Kurutz 9. Cowan II:7. Wheat, 3.

A very nearly fine copy.