The First Considerable Pamphlet on the Gold Regions - Eberstadt
With an Early Woodcut Map of the Gold Regions
A key California Gold Rush rarity, here in the first edition, the present example in the original wrappers, with text and decorative border printed in gold ink. Foster's 1848 work stands as the first significant guidebook to the gold fields. According the Foster, associations or companies were starting to form, a situation he thoroughly encouraged. Describing these "private speculations" as deserving "to be encouraged by all young men who have nerve and heart enough to break from enfeebling conventionalities of a currupt and corrupting civilization." The author goes on to predict that within one year between 10 to 15 thousand "heady Americans" would descend on the heart of California, ready to dig gold."
Foster, in his eloquent and stirring introduction, also correctly predicted that a fortune could be made by the enterprising blacksmith, wheelwright, carpenter, shoemaker, etc. This slender work is a useful anthology of some of the earliest reports of the gold discovery and features the writings of Farnham, Mason, Doniphan, Larkin, Folsom, Frémont, Colton, and articles from the June and August issues of The Californian. - Kurutz.
DeWitt and Davenport published second and third editions in 1848, which were so noted on their respective titlepages. A later edition, issued in 1849, but also styled a third edition, is sometimes found with a Colton folding map of California.
Map of the Gold Region
The untitled woodcut frontispiece map shows a significant part of California, with the Gold Region prominently labeled (noting Sutter's Fort, Nueva Helvetia, "Rio de los Americanos," Sacramento River), and depicts as far south as Los Angeles. Also noted on the map: the Sierra Nevada, Fremont's route through central California, and several towns: Santa Clara, San Jose, Monterey, Soledad, San Miguel, San Luis Obispo, La Purissima, Conception, and "Ciudad de Los Angelos."