Almaden Quicksilver

A highly authoritative account of the history of the town of New Almaden and the mining activities there by someone who spent most of his life in and around the area and personally learned from many people with deep personal knowledge of the area history. The book is highly detailed and well organized, with many historic photos and drawings. Although published in 1992, the book was written in 1972 when the mine was technically still in operation.

Another highly authoritative account of the history of the town of New Almaden and the mining activities but with more emphasis on the people. As it states on the title page, it is an attempt to re-capture the life and times in New Almaden and was dedicated to the families who lived there. It is well illustrated with photos of the people and their settlements and is full of details of the lives of the workers and their families.

A highly detailed technical publication by the U.S. Geological Survey covering the district's scientific and geological history. I have no idea how it is possible to obtain the incredible detail contained in the book -- it would seem to be the work of many thousands of man hours of highly skilled scientific research. I believe the original publication came with 11 maps in a jacket pocket that seem to be impossible to get today. Do not buy the re-printed version, try to get an original copy, even though it may be yellow and beaten up. The reprints have tiny print and illustrations.

This is a specialist book giving a comprehensive history of the complex land claims and legal battles involving the mine — widely considered one of the most significant cases in California legal and corporate history. It covers the dispute in great detail and describes its broader role in shaping California history.

A collection of sketches with accompanying text detailing the mine's operations and the lives of its residents. Rather superficial but has a wide scope, from mining opperations to daily life.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Stegner is already considered a classic. The story explores the frustration and disappointment of Susan, the wife of a mining engineer and surveyor, on her travels around mining camps, with a large part of the story taking place in the early days of New Almaden. As such, it gives a unique description of what daily life in the town must have been like. Stegner has been criticized for using too closely papers and letters he got to read from Mary Foote, which inspired and informed the story but that he never adequately acknowledged. Nevertheless, it is considered one of the finest historical novels ever written concerning real life in the old west and is on many lists of the top 100 American novels. I enjoyed the prose but found the dialogue stale.