{"product_id":"age-of-gold-h-w-brands-california-gold-rush-folio-society-2015-1st-vgc","title":"The Age of Gold","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H. W. Brands. Introduced by Kevin Starr. Bound in black cloth title embossed in gilt on cover and spine. Frontispiece and 24 pages of colour and black \u0026amp; white plates. Map endpapers printed gold on black. Gold page tops. Black slipcase. 584pp. 24.5x16.9cm.\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n  On 24 January 1848, the carpenter James Marshall noticed some sparkling flecks in a dry riverbed at Coloma, California. Having discovered, to his excited disbelief, that the shining nuggets were malleable, but not breakable, he approached his colleagues and uttered four words which would go down in history: ‘I have found it'.\n \u003c\/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n \u003c\/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n  Marshall's discovery of gold at Coloma on the American River, writes the distinguished historian H. W. Brands, was ‘one of those rare moments that divide human existence into before and after'. It triggered ‘the most astonishing mass movement of peoples since the Crusades', as fortune-seekers from all over the world flocked to California; their journey ‘was the epic of the age, a saga of world history, an adventure on the largest scale'. The new state's population boomed from 15,000 in 1848 to 250,000 four years later, while the Gold Rush inspired a new American dream: the ‘dream of instant wealth, won by audacity and good luck'.\n \u003c\/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n \u003c\/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n  The Age of Gold, writes the eminent historian Kevin Starr in his introduction, is ‘a sophisticated and rollicking book asking us to take another look at this pivotal event in the creation of American society, character, and personality.' This edition features numerous contemporary photographs, many of them rarely seen.\n \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n Please look closely at the photos as they are part of the description. Will wrap and pack very carefully. Will post worldwide.\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n Any questions please ask. In the unlikely event you do encounter a problem, please do message me first to resolve it, and I will do my best to help.\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n All the books are stored in our smoke-free, climate-controlled shop in Surbiton, London.\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n","brand":"Folio Vault","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54985993716051,"sku":"21073","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1085\/2951\/6883\/files\/10_70d147cd-6e11-4e85-a2ef-da20095d93d6.jpg?v=1789764998","url":"https:\/\/thefoliovault.com\/products\/age-of-gold-h-w-brands-california-gold-rush-folio-society-2015-1st-vgc","provider":"Folio Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}