Early recollections of the mines

James H. Carson (d. 1853) wrote this volume, supposed to be the first book printed in Stockton, not long before his death. Early recollections of the mines (1852) first appeared as a supplement to the San Joaquín Republican in 1852 and was published shortly afterward as a bound pamphlet. The version published here was reprinted in the Magazine of history, 1931. Carson offers a lively narrative of early California history before turning to brief anecdotes of miners' lives in 1848 and 1849 and a glowing promotional description of the Tulare Valley.