The Golden State by Michael Hiltzik
Written by Pultizer Prize-winning Californian Michael Hiltzik, this is the definitive, essential work on the Golden States history and legacy.
'Michael Hiltzik’s Golden State is a monumental history of California brimming with fierce national implications for todayWith astonishing detail and elegant prose, Hiltzik masterfully delineates Spain's brutal conquest of Indigenous peoples in the early sixteenth century; the 1848 Gold Rush; the railroad revolution; the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and so much more. His accounts of Hollywood, Big Agriculture, and Silicon Valley innovation are superb. Hiltzik makes a compelling case that California is the heartbeat of our nation.' -- Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Silent Spring Revolution
'No other state than California has a history so large, so colorful, so full of hope, misery, and the unexpected. It is almost America in microcosm, and Michael Hiltzik tells its tale beautifully.' -- Adam Hochschild, New York Times bestselling author of American Midnight
'Michael Hiltzik's Golden State: The Making of California turns the lens on the powerful global and national figures and personalities—familiar and hitherto unknown—that built the Golden State. Hiltzik moves crisply across borders, territories, and states to reveal California as a space where demanding visions were contested but often realized, through conflicting visions of power, water, land, people, and profit. Forceful personalities—from Junipero Serra to Walt Disney to Richard Nixon to Cesar Chavez—crossed cultural and political borders to build a state of their own, a place that sat upon a volcano of utopian social dreams and apocalyptic political tremors.' -- Jean Pfaelzer, author of California: A Slave State
'Engrossing… [Hiltzik is] an able narrator, with an eye for telling detail.' -- New York Times on Iron Empires
'An accomplished journalist with a knack for storytelling, Mr Hiltzik delves into dense financial details to present an engaging read about the beginnings of America Inc.' -- The Economist on Iron Empires
'Hiltzik examines the rise and fall of the American railroad industry in this colorful, wide-ranging account… Hiltzik writes with verve, providing meaningful insights into the shocking inequalities of the Gilded Age. Business history buffs will be enthralled by this character-driven account.' -- Publishers Weekly on Iron Empires
'What Hiltzik does so well here though is get behind the mystical allure of the “golden state”, its gold rushes and silicon valleys, and talk as much about geology, geography and politics.' -- The Observer Online, February 2025
'No other state than California has a history so large, so colorful, so full of hope, misery, and the unexpected. It is almost America in microcosm, and Michael Hiltzik tells its tale beautifully.' -- Adam Hochschild, New York Times bestselling author of American Midnight
'Michael Hiltzik's Golden State: The Making of California turns the lens on the powerful global and national figures and personalities—familiar and hitherto unknown—that built the Golden State. Hiltzik moves crisply across borders, territories, and states to reveal California as a space where demanding visions were contested but often realized, through conflicting visions of power, water, land, people, and profit. Forceful personalities—from Junipero Serra to Walt Disney to Richard Nixon to Cesar Chavez—crossed cultural and political borders to build a state of their own, a place that sat upon a volcano of utopian social dreams and apocalyptic political tremors.' -- Jean Pfaelzer, author of California: A Slave State
'Engrossing… [Hiltzik is] an able narrator, with an eye for telling detail.' -- New York Times on Iron Empires
'An accomplished journalist with a knack for storytelling, Mr Hiltzik delves into dense financial details to present an engaging read about the beginnings of America Inc.' -- The Economist on Iron Empires
'Hiltzik examines the rise and fall of the American railroad industry in this colorful, wide-ranging account… Hiltzik writes with verve, providing meaningful insights into the shocking inequalities of the Gilded Age. Business history buffs will be enthralled by this character-driven account.' -- Publishers Weekly on Iron Empires
'What Hiltzik does so well here though is get behind the mystical allure of the “golden state”, its gold rushes and silicon valleys, and talk as much about geology, geography and politics.' -- The Observer Online, February 2025
Michael Hiltzik is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author who has covered business, technology, and public policy for the Los Angeles Times for three decades. He currently serves as the Times’s business columnist and hosts its business blog, The Economy Hub. Hiltzik received the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for articles exposing corruption in the entertainment industry. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two children.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781398109025 |
| ISBN 10 | 1398109029 |
| Title | The Golden State |
| Author | Michael Hiltzik |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Amberley Publishing |
| Year published | 2025-02-15 |
| Number of pages | 464 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |