The Diary of a FortyNiner Chauncey L Canfield 9781144900579 Books
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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
The Diary of a FortyNiner Chauncey L Canfield 9781144900579 Books
I wasn't quite clear as to whether this was a real diary or whether the author used the device of a 'real diary' to write this story. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading the book. My great-great grandfather was among the men who were struck by gold fever and came to California from Indiana and spent 2 years in Gold Country. As I read the book, I wondered which one of the many gold hunters was like him. Did he come and go from one gold strike or another? Did he stay in one place? Did he mine for gold at all? I will never know the answer, but this book gave me insights into the lives of the thousands of men who came to search for gold. I would recommend this book.Product details
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Tags : The Diary of a Forty-Niner [Chauncey L. Canfield] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages,Chauncey L. Canfield,The Diary of a Forty-Niner,Nabu Press,1144900573,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY General,Biography Autobiography,Biography: general,General
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The Diary of a FortyNiner Chauncey L Canfield 9781144900579 Books Reviews
No plot. No formula. Just really, really cool "life of a miner" stuff. I blew through this so fast. I picked it up for a bit of research on a project I'm working on, and, just BAM, cover to cover.
One word of warning, it's a scanned-in book. Some of the footnotes from the original suddenly appear in the middle of pages. So if you are going along and all of a sudden you hit something totally nonsensical and out of context, you just hit a footnote. Some of the footnotes are pretty long (as anyone familiar with annotated books will know), so if you just skim to the end of the footnote, the book takes off again. While kind of irritating at first, once I figured it out, I was fine with it. Frankly, I consider a book like this a little treasure, a rare nugget that most have never heard about. Pure joy to read.
What a wonderful gift this miner has left for us, recounting his days in the California gold fields. He was very literate and wrote beautifully about his experiences--good and bad, as well as informational and personal. It reads like a novel and I'm sorry that it didn't continue past his time in the gold fields. I really would have loved to have read parts of this diary to the fourth grade classes I taught in past years when teaching about the California Gold Rush. You really do feel that you are there with him. And thank you, Mr. Canfield, for taking the time to decipher the diary and putting it in book form for others to read and enjoy.
This is a beautifully written book, taken from the diary of a prospector and miner, about the California gold rush and the people who took part in the hunt for that yellow metal gold. It describes the human relationships from mistreatment of non-Europeans (Indians, Mexicans, and Chinese) to the close bonds formed by people working together for a common cause. It explains the need to be wary of strangers and the need to respond to those lacking the tools and knowledge to survive in this rough and tumble world. When do you take the belongings from a body found along the trail or in he river and keep them? How do you decide how much money to send home? How do you invest the money you keep? What do you do for entertainment? How do you form a community when everyone is a stranger and most are ready to move on chasing the rumored next big strike?
I was looking for a quick read on the history of the west from someone who lived it. I ended up getting a lot more. This book is a great read for anyone interested in the old west, life in the 1800's, and life in general. The description of this book doesn't do it justice. My review won't either, because this simple looking book is full of complexity. First person history is always a great check and balance against the reality that over time revisionism takes hold. What starts out appearing to be a simple diary is in reality a great snapshot into life in the 1800's. While the general theme of the diary is the pursuit of gold in California what unfolds is a true representation of the vast differences in morals, language, and ideas between now and then. Reading this book now it is hard to imagine the San Fransisco of the time. We think of the people who headed west in the 1800's as tremendous visionaries who threw caution to the wind in pursuit of a dream only few could comprehend. This book turns that image on its ear. One quick example, although there are many more. The author was reluctant to invest in premium real estate in Frisco that today only the CEO's of the top Silicon Valley could dream of buying. This book also lays to waste the idea that the miners were savages in pursuit of wealth. The book traces the origins and daily life of what in reality was a highly civilized community of miners with a few exceptions. The author of the diary found gold, comfort, a wife, and more gold in a very well structured community built by intelligent men earning a living prospecting for gold.
Having lived in California for 23 years, moving from and back to Connecticut, I found this book especially interesting. It was written 166 years ago. It is a first hand description of the mining experience by a young man who traveled West from Connecticut to make his fortune mining for gold. The book is well written and interesting about the life of this young man who at first was lonely and then as times goes buy, makes a good friend, makes a lot of money, works hard, he discovers that he does not want to return home. I felt the same way. He talks about going to the wild city of San Francisco from time to time - a place in my heart, ala Tony Bennett, that will be forever.
I am a history buff with a special affection for reality stuff. I prefer materials from a first person perspective rather than through someone else's eyes and mind. As such, this book was very interesting (take care, it was transcribed verbatim from a written document) and shown light upon many things that had never occurred to me about the time and situation for gold rush miners. Relationships, the economy, the environment, etc. The author of the diary was a very up beat individual with a positive outlook about life and his place in the universe. He laments the absence of the family that raised him and the loss of a potential wife. It also describes a "bromance" between the author and his cabin mate that was more akin to a relationship between brothers, the cabin mate being the big brother. Anyone who enjoys period accurate histories, should enjoy this story.
I wasn't quite clear as to whether this was a real diary or whether the author used the device of a 'real diary' to write this story. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading the book. My great-great grandfather was among the men who were struck by gold fever and came to California from Indiana and spent 2 years in Gold Country. As I read the book, I wondered which one of the many gold hunters was like him. Did he come and go from one gold strike or another? Did he stay in one place? Did he mine for gold at all? I will never know the answer, but this book gave me insights into the lives of the thousands of men who came to search for gold. I would recommend this book.
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