From Mud-Flat Cove to Gold to Statehood: California 1840-1850

by Irving Stone

A sesquicentennial selection from the classic Men to Match My Mountains.

Documenting the people, events, and milestones that forged the nation's most populous state, this dynamic examination provides a full history of California's founding. From the stories of great men such as John Sutter, John Bidwell, Samuel Brannan, Thomas O. Larkin, the Revered Walter Colton, and John Charles Fremont to the terrible tragedy of the Donner Party and the rapid gold fever that transformed a sleepy trickle of immigration into the torrent of the Gold Rush, this record follows the Mexicans, Californios, and Americans as they vied for control of the territory destined to become the Union's 31st state.

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

In 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head research librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works.

Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.

Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, were Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. It seems probable that Vincent's letters to and from his own brother Theo provided a foundation for Adversary in the House. Stone additionally did much of his research "in the field". For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.

From Wikipedia