Behind San Quentin's Walls: The History of California’s Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900
Description:
It’s one of the most famous prisons in American history, featured in countless movies and novels. Its inmates have included such diverse characters as Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Eldridge Cleaver, Merle Haggard, and Neal Cassady. It’s the one of the oldest continually operating institutions of California state government. San Quentin State Prison is as iconic a symbol of California as the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hollywood sign, yet few people today know the prison’s origins or colorful early history.
Noted Old West historian William B. Secrest uncovers the forgotten beginnings of San Quentin in “Behind San Quentin’s Walls: The History of the Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900.” Going back to original source material of public records and contemporary newspaper accounts, Secrest tells of San Quentin’s unlikely beginnings as a real estate scheme and its essential role in taming the violent and lawless California of Gold Rush days.
“Behind San Quentin’s Walls” presents the history of San Quentin as a microcosm of the settlement of California. Planned during the wildest days of Barbary Coast anarchy and Vigilante Committee lynch law in 1850s San Francisco, the state prison at San Quentin was the new state’s first attempt to impose the rule of law on a violent frontier society. Featuring numerous citations from contemporary accounts, plus period photos, illustrations, newspaper clippings, and maps, Secrest chronicles the political calculations that created San Quentin; the outsize egos of the men who built it; the mismanagement and frequent escapes that marred San Quentin’s early years; and the notorious ruffians and cutthroats who were housed there.
Filled with exciting true stories of gunfights, brawls, prison riots, daring escapes, and intrepid manhunts, “Behind San Quentin’s Walls” is also a rip-roaring Wild West tale of how men and women with immense talent for both good and evil tamed a new state and each other. “Behind San Quentin’s Walls” is a bold mix of serious history and lively writing that no fan of Western history should miss.
Best prices to buy, sell, or rent ISBN 9781610352215
Frequently Asked Questions about Behind San Quentin's Walls: The History of California’s Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900
The price for the book starts from $6.47 on Amazon and is available from 17 sellers at the moment.
If you’re interested in selling back the Behind San Quentin's Walls: The History of California’s Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900 book, you can always look up BookScouter for the best deal. BookScouter checks 30+ buyback vendors with a single search and gives you actual information on buyback pricing instantly.
As for the Behind San Quentin's Walls: The History of California’s Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900 book, the best buyback offer comes from and is $ for the book in good condition.
The Behind San Quentin's Walls: The History of California’s Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900 book is in very low demand now as the rank for the book is 1,754,590 at the moment. A rank of 1,000,000 means the last copy sold approximately a month ago.
The highest price to sell back the Behind San Quentin's Walls: The History of California’s Legendary Prison and Its Inmates, 1851-1900 book within the last three months was on December 21 and it was $0.52.