San Quentin: The Evolution of a Californian State Prison

Bonnie L. Petry; James H. Wilkins

ISBN 10: 0893704369 / ISBN 13: 9780893704360

Published by Borgo Press, 2005

Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.7. Seller Inventory # G0893704369I5N00

Synopsis:

The coming of statehood to California in 1850 forced the authorities to face one immediately pressing issue: what to do with the many convicts who were pouring forth from the local county courtrooms in the wake of the great Gold Rush of 1848-49. Lawlessness was everywhere rampant, and something had to be done immediately. The answer was found in establishing the first state prison at Quentin Point in Marin County, soon to be called San Quentin. Librarians Bonnie Petry and Michael Burgess have here gathered together several key documents dealing with the earliest years of the prison, including James Harold Wilkins' seminal work, "The Evolution of a State Prison," together with a list of early convict names, a bibliography of "San Quentiniana" (publications by the convicts themselves) by Herman K. Spector, and a new annotated bibliography of nonfiction resources about the prison compiled by Ms. Petry. Complete with Introduction and Index.

About the Author: MICHAEL BURGESS is Head of Technical Services & Collection Development, John M. Pfau Library, California State University, San Bernardino.

Bibliographic Details

Title: San Quentin: The Evolution of a Californian ...
Publisher: Borgo Press
Publication Date: 2005
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fair
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket