Now back in print with a new introduction by the author, this is the         classic study of America's most admired instant city, from its days as         a sleepy Mexican village, through the Gold Rush and into its establishment         as a major international port. Roger Lotchin examines the urbanizing influences         in San Francisco and compares these to other urban centers, doing so against         a colorful backdrop of opium dens and other sinful institutions.       This "almost shamefully readable book" will be of "dramatic         interest to anyone concerned with American history, American cities, or--more         fundamentally--the American character." -- The New Republic       "Comprehensive and absorbing. . . . Roger Lotchin's prose style         is brilliant, his research staggering, and his conclusions thought-provoking.         This is urban history at its best." -- Kenneth T. Jackson, Columbia         University