Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating History
Review: Age of Gold is an amazing overview of the California Gold Rush. Brands takes individual characters who experienced the Rush firsthand and maps out the rapid birth of California through their experiences. This is a quick and educational read, I recommend it to every historian. 5 out of 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written history of the Gold Rush
Review: Being a native Californian, the Gold Rush has interested me for quite a while, but outside of information picked up in school, I never really read much about it. A year or so back I finally read a book on the period that was disorganized, overly political and just generally not well-written. It did not exactly make me long to read another book on the subject, but then I saw Age of Gold by H.W. Brands. Having read his well-written book on Benjamin Franklin, I approached this book with guarded enthusiasm and was very pleased with what I got.Brands's history includes all the pivotal characters of the era: Sutter, Marshall, Fremont, Stanford and a host of lesser names. After the discovery of gold, the people poured into California, an area generally isolated from the rest of the world. For East Coasters, the only ways to get there were three perilous routes: over the land with the dangers of desert and mountain; by boat and the Panama isthmus, with its disease; or the Cape route, extremely long and with the risky Straits of Magellan. Those who made it found that easy wealth was not all that easy after all: prospecting was not that simple, there were too many others also seeking the gold and high costs bit deeply into what earnings that people could make. The myth of the grizzled lone prospector was mostly just that: a myth. In the end, most of the prospecting was done in cooperative efforts, and gold mining became just another job, akin to farming, except the people were reaping minerals instead of crops. The impact of the Gold Rush, however, was incredible, as the huge population shift made California qualify for statehood earlier than expected; normally, newly acquired territories grew slowly and took a while to become a state. California's early qualification created new conflicts between North and South that led to the Compromise of 1850, a stopgap measure that postponed the Civil War for a decade. In addition, with the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, the United States was truly a coast-to-coast country. Brands is a good writer, both entertating and educational and this is definitely a great read for anyone interested in this period of the American history.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written history of the Gold Rush
Review: Being a native Californian, the Gold Rush has interested me for quite a while, but outside of information picked up in school, I never really read much about it. A year or so back I finally read a book on the period that was disorganized, overly political and just generally not well-written. It did not exactly make me long to read another book on the subject, but then I saw Age of Gold by H.W. Brands. Having read his well-written book on Benjamin Franklin, I approached this book with guarded enthusiasm and was very pleased with what I got. Brands's history includes all the pivotal characters of the era: Sutter, Marshall, Fremont, Stanford and a host of lesser names. After the discovery of gold, the people poured into California, an area generally isolated from the rest of the world. For East Coasters, the only ways to get there were three perilous routes: over the land with the dangers of desert and mountain; by boat and the Panama isthmus, with its disease; or the Cape route, extremely long and with the risky Straits of Magellan. Those who made it found that easy wealth was not all that easy after all: prospecting was not that simple, there were too many others also seeking the gold and high costs bit deeply into what earnings that people could make. The myth of the grizzled lone prospector was mostly just that: a myth. In the end, most of the prospecting was done in cooperative efforts, and gold mining became just another job, akin to farming, except the people were reaping minerals instead of crops. The impact of the Gold Rush, however, was incredible, as the huge population shift made California qualify for statehood earlier than expected; normally, newly acquired territories grew slowly and took a while to become a state. California's early qualification created new conflicts between North and South that led to the Compromise of 1850, a stopgap measure that postponed the Civil War for a decade. In addition, with the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, the United States was truly a coast-to-coast country. Brands is a good writer, both entertating and educational and this is definitely a great read for anyone interested in this period of the American history.
Rating:
Summary: A bullion of a book
Review: Dr. Brands' "Age of Gold" is a fascinating, insightful and alluring read of the 1849 California gold rush and how this gluttonous thirst for quick wealth ignited rippling effects on the futurity of our country politically, economically, technologically, sociologically, etc.
They came from all over the world: Europe, South America, Australia, Asia and overland from east of the Mississippi. Through journals and diaries of these wealth seekers, Brands takes the reader from their places of origin to their final destination. Exceptional portrayals of the hardships, misfortunes and fortitude these pioneers endured: crossing the oceans, trudging through the Panama Isthmus, overland across the United States, etc.
With the population explosion in northern California, we read of the wild and unpredictable life in early San Francisco, Sacramento and the mining camps.
Brands then follows up on how California establishes itself with a state Constitution, which among other things opens up the whole issue of slavery and the ramifications thereof.
The gold rush influenced so much history, not only of California itself, but the entire United States.
Excellent read and extremely well researched, couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome and Fantastic, I Enjoyed Reading This!
Review: First of all, I'm not a historian or a great lover of non-fiction in the least. I actually picked this book off a list my AP US History teacher gave us as choices for a required reading with no prior knowledge of it save the fact that the Gold Rush sounded infinitely more interesting than the last book I chose to read for the class, Life at 1760. I LOVE THIS BOOK! Brands really tells this history in such a way that you can FEEL the race for the gold. He uses the most insignificant persons and stories, yes, but its in such a way that he uses an individual to demonstrate the general. He also tells many accounts simultaniously to keep the racing atmosphere going, but somehow manages not to confuse the reader (which is saying something since I get names and figures confused very easily!) If you're just looking for something to glean information from this book probably isn't the best bet, but if you have a required reading, want to learn more about the gold rush, or are a fan of even historical fiction, I would really recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Moving West
Review: H. W. Brands did a terrific job with this book. Whether or not you are a history lover or just like good stories, you will enjoy this book. It tells of the hardships of what many people faced as they moved westward for the 1848 gold rush. Realizing that most of them would not become rich and would lead a poor lonely life after the "rush" was over, it is amazing to hear how many people actually did try and attempt to go out into the hills of California and the western states and look for gold. Whether it was by boat around the world, or by horse and/or foot, people of the 1800's were determined to encounter gold, even if it was just dust. This event started the history of California, and played a big role in this country. Today, we do not realize the hardships that people faced during this time period, especially on their trips west, such as disease, and the time period it would take a man. It costed more than just money. Many people (mostly men) had to choose between being with their family or going for the wealth and greed. It is almost terrifying to hear the personal accounts of what happened during this time period. I rarely read, but I found this book very appealing to me. This is a great portrayal of the Gold Rush.
Rating:
Summary: Moving West
Review: H. W. Brands did a terrific job with this book. Whether or not you are a history lover or just like good stories, you will enjoy this book. It tells of the hardships of what many people faced as they moved westward for the 1848 gold rush. Realizing that most of them would not become rich and would lead a poor lonely life after the "rush" was over, it is amazing to hear how many people actually did try and attempt to go out into the hills of California and the western states and look for gold. Whether it was by boat around the world, or by horse and/or foot, people of the 1800's were determined to encounter gold, even if it was just dust. This event started the history of California, and played a big role in this country. Today, we do not realize the hardships that people faced during this time period, especially on their trips west, such as disease, and the time period it would take a man. It costed more than just money. Many people (mostly men) had to choose between being with their family or going for the wealth and greed. It is almost terrifying to hear the personal accounts of what happened during this time period. I rarely read, but I found this book very appealing to me. This is a great portrayal of the Gold Rush.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, engrossing,rarely told story
Review: H.W. brands has done it again. His Franklin was brilliant in humanizing a mythic American figure. Age of Gold reads like a novel. This story of the 1848 California gold rush is beautifully told. Brands has a way of maximizing the human element of his story. His portrayal of the mania of gold fever is mesmerizing. Today we have little appreciation of the difficulty faced in just getting to California, let alone the crude conditions faced by those who survived the trip. Brands weaves in the political overtones of how California's position on slavery contributed to the Civil War. He also gives us the story of the development of San Francisco, our most cosmoplitan city today but then a lawless backwater. Read Mr. Brands book and then discover his book on Franklin.
Rating:
Summary: Wins the Gold
Review: H.W. Brands shows again why he is one of America's foremost historians with his compellingly readable account of the 1849 California Gold Rush and the early history of the state. Brands digs down through the myths about the Gold Rush and unearths the fascinating stories of the people (immigrants and Americans alike) who caught America's first big burst of gold fever. Among the key players were William T. Sherman (later the famous Civil War General), explorer John C. Fremont (later the first Presidential nominee of the Republican Party), and Leland Stanford (founder of the University that bears his last name). They all come together at what was truly one of American history's major crossroads. Brands does not limit himself to just recounting the adventures in the gold fields. He focusses on the larger political, social and even military effects of the gold rush. The chapters recounting the lengthy, perilous journeys by land and sea that the gold miners took to get to Califorinia are particularly compelling. Brands also discusses at length the growth of San Francisco into a major city and the establishment of California's state government. Additionally, he devotes time examining the U.S. congresional Compromise of 1850, which allowed California to be admitted as a state only after a bitter and acrimonious sectional feud over slavery. Brands is an excellent writer with that rare ability among historians to make his historicals accounts read like fiction. His book is well-researched and the author has a flair for capturing the essence of the historical figures involved. He also argues strenuously that the gold rush's effects on American politics as a whole, including pushing the country toward Civil War, should not be underestimated. Overall, an outstanding work of history that can be enjoyed by serious students and casual readers alike.
Rating:
Summary: Solid gold reading
Review: I am not going to go into a lot of detail. But just want to recommend this book to anyone interested in early California history and the gold rush. Entertaining stories that read much like a novel highlight the various elements of the event. Very enjoyable way to take in a lot of history.
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