[v]-xxiv, [25]-172 pp. Ad pages not retained when rebound. (12mo), later half calf and boards. First Edition.

An officer in the New York Volunteers, Buffum headed for the hills following the discovery of gold, and observed the Gold Rush from its beginnings. Besides the details of mining, Buffum "recounted every facet of life including the tremendous non-mining potential of California and the formation of government" - Kurutz, who also quotes Bancroft as calling the book "one of the most important contributions to the history of California." Cowan p.83; Graff 472; Howes B943; Kurutz 97a; Wheat Books 28.