California Reading discussion

I'm starting chapter eleven of this book. The author has researched dozens if not hundreds of gold rush diaries. He chose the diary of William Swain of Buffalo, NY to be the main story of this book. He managed to also get letters both to and from William Swain during his gold rush adventure. The letters were to/from his wife and brother.

Each chapter starts with a few pages of history written by JS Holliday, the author/editor. The main part of each chapter contains the diary entries and letters written by William Swain. These are supplemented by other diary entries Holliday found that add to our understanding of where Swain is and what's happening there. The final part of the chapter consists of letters from his brother and wife.

Chapters one through nine were about Swain's travel experience from New York to California. The part about California starts in chapter ten and lasts only three chapters!

I've been reading this slowly and enjoy it every time I pick it up. I normally read four to ten pages at a time, so this has taken me months, but there's no need to hurry.

This sounds like an interesting book. I enjoy reading about the gold rush & history in general. If you get a chance pick up Gold Rush Queen: The extraordinary life of Nellie Cashman. Although the book doesn’t take place solely in California, it’s quite the read. Extraordinary says it all.

Thanks for the book recommendation Cheryl . . . I'll definitely be looking for her book.