Considered by many to be the foremost historian on the California Gold Rush, J. S. Holliday writes with authority and style. This is his second book on the subject of the Gold Rush, and he approaches it from a wide perspective, covering the 1830's through the 1890's to reveal the Rush's monumental impact on the formation of California. This is an oversize volume, packed with more than 200 illustrations and archival photographs.  (USW190, $38.95)