Spent cartridges. The pieces of an original Tabasco Pepper Sauce bottle. Shards of a ceramic pot, stained red. For archaeologists each of the thousands of artifacts uncovered at a site tells a story. For noted Comstock authority Ronald M. James, it is a story resulting from decades of research and excavation at one of the largest National Historic Landmarks in America, the Nevada town that, with the discovery of the Comstock Lode, became a boomtown microcosm of the American West. Drawing on the work of hundreds of volunteers, students, and professional archaeologists, Virginia City: Secrets of a Western Past shows how every detail-from unearthed artifacts to reports of local saloons to plans for the cemetery to surviving nineteenth-century buildings-adds to our view of Virginia City when it was one of the richest places on earth. James recreates this unlikely epitome of frontier industry and cosmopolitan living, the thriving hub of corporate executives, middle-class families, miners, prostitutes, and barkeepers-and more foreign-born residents per capita than anywhere else in the country-in a spot that had begun its life a few years earlier as the mining camp of several lucky guys. An excavation of the history of Virginia City, a window on the heyday of the American frontier, James's book is also an enlightening look at how archaeology brings the story of the past to life.

By considering the folklore of Cornwall in a Northern European context, this book casts light on a treasury of often-ignored traditions. Folklore studies internationally have long considered Celtic material, but scholars have tended to overlook Cornwall's collections. The Folklore of Cornwall fills this gap, placing neglected stories on a par with those from other regions where Celtic languages have deep roots. The Folklore of Cornwall demonstrates that Cornwall has a distinct body of oral tradition, even when examining legends and folktales that also appear elsewhere. The way in which Cornish droll tellers achieved this unique pattern is remarkable; with the publication of this book, it becomes possible for folklorists to look to the peninsula beyond the River Tamar for insight. A very readable text with popular appeal, this book serves as an introduction to folklore studies for the novice while also offering an alternative means to consider Cornish studies for advanced scholars. The comparative analysis combined with an innovative method of The Folklore of Cornwall is not to be found in other treatments of the subject.

This is the eighteenth volume in the acclaimed paperback series...the only county series that can legitimately claim to represent the past and present of a nation. "Cornish Studies" has consistently - and successfully - sought to investigate and understand the complex nature of Cornish identity, as well as to discuss its implications for society and governance in contemporary Cornwall. The article which provides the cover illustration is a fascinating account of the rise and importance of swimming matches in Victorian Cornwall. These demonstrated both the beneficial aspects of the sport, and the importance of swimming prowess in life-saving around the Cornish coast - an important consideration for the developing tourist trade - the latter providing a significant antidote to the simultaneous construction of maritime Cornwall by a range of English writers as a dangerous region inhabited by wreckers, smugglers and pirates. This latest and diverse collection also includes articles on mining in both nineteenth century and contemporary Cornwall, an exploration of identity using material gathered through individual interviews, an assessment of research into Cornish folklore, discussion of the modern growth of alternative 'Celtic spiritualities' in Cornwall, and a fresh perspective on the Middle Cornish language of medieval Cornish drama. Cover Illustration: Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890, it shows the start of a race from the 1896 swimming matches in St Ives.

The twentieth volume in the acclaimed paperback series . . . the only county series that can legitimately claim to represent the past and present of a nation. Cornish Studies has consistently - and successfully - sought to investigate and understand the complex nature of Cornish identity, as well as to discuss its implications for society and governance in contemporary Cornwall. Publication of Cornish Studies: Twenty marks two decades of this internationally acclaimed paperback series The volume discusses Cornish medieval and early modern studies, examines the efforts of Cornish language revivalists past and present, and considers the relation between Cornish folk tradition and Cornish identity, as well as evaluating Cornish literature in Cornwall and Australia, investigating the distinctive features of Cornish politics in the first half of the twentieth century, analysing the separation of wives and husbands during Cornwall's 'Great Emigration, and reviewing Cornish mine accidents. "For the past twenty years, Cornish Studies has stood at the very heart of the ongoing scholarly conversation over what it means - and what is has meant - to be Cornish. Interdisciplinary and internationalist in its approach, the series adopts a wide variety of perspectives in order to set the people of Cornwall - and the wider Cornish diaspora - in a truly global context". Mark Stoyle, Professor of History, University of Southampton

Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West opens the door to understanding how legends and traditions emerged during the first decades following the "Rush to Washoe," which transformed the region beginning in 1859. During this Wild West period, there was widespread celebration of deceit, manifesting in tall tales, burlesque lies, practical jokes, and journalistic hoaxes. Humor was central to these endeavors and practitioners easily found themselves scorned if they failed to be adequately funny. This ethos became central to the way folklore emerged during the formative years of the Nevada territory and state. The tens of thousands of people who came to the West, attracted by gold and silver mining, brought distinct cultural legacies. The interaction of diverse perspectives, even while new stories and traditions coalesced or simply appeared, was a complex process. Author Ronald M. James addresses how the fluidity of the region affected new expressions of folklore as they took root. Mark Twain, often a go-to source for collections of early tall tales of this region, cannot be overlooked, but his interaction with local traditions was specific and narrow. More importantly, William Wright—publishing as Dan De Quille—arose as a key collector of legends, a counterpart of early European folklorists. With a bedrock understanding of what unfolded in the nineteenth century, it is possible to consider.

The fifteenth volume in this acclaimed paperback series has been redesigned and includes articles on the Cornish language and early modern Cornwall, Cornish migration and settlement in Victoria (Australia) and Nevada (America), Cornish politics and economics, the poet John Betjeman, and popular music in contemporary Cornwall.

By considering the folklore of Cornwall in a Northern European context, this book casts light on a treasury of often-ignored traditions. Folklore studies internationally have long considered Celtic material, but scholars have tended to overlook Cornwall's collections. The Folklore of Cornwall fills this gap, placing neglected stories on a par with those from other regions where Celtic languages have deep roots. The Folklore of Cornwall demonstrates that Cornwall has a distinct body of oral tradition, even when examining legends and folktales that also appear elsewhere. The way in which Cornish droll tellers achieved this unique pattern is remarkable; with the publication of this book, it becomes possible for folklorists to look to the peninsula beyond the River Tamar for insight. A very readable text with popular appeal, this book serves as an introduction to folklore studies for the novice while also offering an alternative means to consider Cornish studies for advanced scholars. The comparative analysis combined with an innovative method of The Folklore of Cornwall is not to be found in other treatments of the subject.

When brothers Ethan and Hosea Grosh left Pennsylvania in 1849, they joined throngs of men from all over the world intent on finding a fortune in the California Gold Rush. Their search for wealth took them from San Francisco into the gold country and then over the Sierra into Nevada's Gold Canyon, where they placer-mined for gold and discovered a deposit of silver. The letters they sent back to their family offer vivid commentaries on the turbulent western frontier, the diverse society of the Gold Rush camps, and the heartbreaking labor and frustration of mining. Their lively descriptions of Gold Canyon provide one of the earliest accounts of life in what would soon become the fabulously wealthy Comstock Mining District.
The Groshes' letters are rich in color and important historical details. Generously annotated and with an introduction that provides a context for the brothers' career and the setting in which they tried to make their fortune, these documents powerfully depict the often harsh realities of Gold Rush life and society.

Brothers Ethan and Hosea Grosh left Pennsylvania in 1849, joining young men from all over the world intent on making a fortune in the Cali fornia Gold Rush. Their search for wealth took them across Mexico, by land and sea to San Francisco, to gold country in the Sierra foothills, and finally into Nevada's Gold Canyon, where they discovered a deposit of silver near the fabulous Comstock Lode. Never before published, the Grosh brothers' letters are among the most historically significant documents of the Gold Rush era. The letters-disintegrating, scorched by fire, and nearly illegible-were preserved as evidence to be used in family lawsuits in which shares of the brothers' wealth were contested. The Nevada Historical Society purchased them in 2007 after ten years of negotiation with the Grosh family. With their publication, the true story of the Grosh brothers is finally told in their own words. Greatly enhanced by the annotations and introductions of editors Ronald James and Robert Stewart, the letters constitute an essential contribution to Gold Rush history, separating harsh reality from romantic myth. In the end, these letters are the real treasure: fascinating, insightful, and poignant.

Founded in 1859, Virginia City quickly became world famous for its extraordinary prosperity. Over the next two decades, the mines of "the Richest City on Earth" yielded millions in gold and silver. The newly wealthy built mansions and churches, opera houses and schools, with furniture, fashions, and entertainment imported from Europe and the Far East. Here young Samuel Clemens, reporting for the "Territorial Enterprise" in 1863, first called himself Mark Twain. At its height Virginia City was a magnet for immigrants and the world leader in technological innovations in mining.
The city's story did not end when the Comstock Lode played out. Beginning in the 1930s, bohemian artists, literati, and tourists were intrigued by this remnant of the Old West. The leader of Manhattan's cafe society, Lucius Beebe, moved here and relaunched the "Territorial Enterprise" in 1950. Television's most popular western from 1959 to 1973, "Bonanza," located its fictional Ponderosa Ranch nearby. In the summer of 1965, a handful of Bay Area musicians, including Big Brother and the Holding Company, performed at the Red Dog Saloon and launched psychedelic rock, part of the inspiration for a defining decade of youth culture. Today it is both a National Historic Landmark District and a living community. Visitors come to enjoy its saloons and restaurants, admire its architecture, and learn from its museums and exhibits. "A Short History of Virginia City" will enhance their experience and will also be enjoyed by anyone interested in the history of Nevada, mining, and the Old West.
- Includes an illustrated walking tour describing more than thirty buildings and sites