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American West
"Of all books written about the Gold Rush and the Forty-Niners, Eldorado is one of the most compelling narratives....A California version of the Federalist Papers."—The San Francisco Chronicle |
Eldorado Adventures in the Path of Empire Bayard Taylor Bayard Taylor was among the thousands of young men who spilled into California in the tumultuous year 1849. He arrived not with pick and shovel but with pen and paper, dispatched by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune to report on the madness, exuberance, and upheaval of the California gold rush. Traveling throughout the state, Taylor witnessed the explosive growth of San Francisco and the instantaneous creation of Sierra townships. He traversed the nearly deserted lands of the Spanish missions and attended the constitutional convention that set the boundaries and forged the laws for the new state. With wit, intelligence, curiosity, and engaging humor, Taylor chronicled the birth of modern California. He had found "the richest material in the world to work upon," and his account—combining the skills of a gifted author with the freshness and immediacy of a reporter in the field—is widely regarded as a classic of western literature. Now newly introduced by James D. Houston, with annotations by Robert Senkewicz, this cornerstone of California literature is once again available to a wide audience. Roger Kahn (Boys of Summer), himself once a journalist with the New York Herald Tribune, provides an afterword. For modern readers, Eldorado remains one of the most valuable—and readable—contemporary accounts of the California gold rush. Eldorado is a publication of the California Legacy project, a collaboration between Santa Clara University and Heyday Books, dedicated to the rich and diverse cultural and literary heritage of California. |
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"With his keen eye and penchant for details, Taylor bestowed upon these tumultuous and anarchistic times an almost cinematic quality. Writing as he traveled, he managed to combine a sense of the poetic with straightforward historical documentation, underpinned with a wry sense of humor.… Widely regarded as a classic of western literature, Taylor's lively chronicle of the birth of modern California has lost nothing in terms of its initial freshness and vitality in the interim."—Rain Taxi Review of Books "Of all books written about the Gold Rush and the Forty-Niners, Eldorado is one of the most compelling narratives....A California version of the Federalist Papers."—The San Francisco Chronicle "Few writers at the time possessed the narrative skill to write with insight and depth in detail of what was seen. When the man’s notes and scribbles are reinforced with empathy and compassion, you have the classic of classics.…With wit, intelligence, curiosity and engaging humanity, Taylor chronicled the birth of our state unlike any writer. He found 'the richest material in the world to work upon,' and his account, combining the skills of a gifted writer with the immediacy of something who really is involved, is going to hold you captive to the last word."—Dia "This perceptive newspaperman helped to form many of the perceptions that have shaped our contemporary state...combining the skills of a gifted reporter with the immediacy of someone who really is involved."—Palo Alto Daily News "Eldorado has survived as a stunning 'you are there' account of one of the most important events in history, the society it spawned and the birth of the budding metropolis of San Francisco"—Tri-Valley Herald "Writing as he moved, [Taylor] captured the feel and panorama of a volatile time and wrote a book that can still hold us a century and a half later."—James D. Houston, foreword to Eldorado "The most accomplished travel writer of his era."—Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California, in Americans and the California Dream, 1850-1915 |
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Bayard Taylor (1825-1878) grew up a Pennsylvania farm boy whose ambitions leaned to literature. He wrote poetry and fiction, as well as non-fiction. Besides many articles and letters, he produced nine volumes of travel writing after the appearance of Eldorado, books which recorded his travels throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Taylor died in Germany while serving as the United States Minister to that country. |
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© Heyday Books, 2003 |