GOLD MINING GENIUS: A LIFE OF GEORGE W. STARR by Gage McKinney

Four-year-old George Starr and his mother had to move into her sister’s San Francisco home when his father abandoned them and fled to New Jersey. Worse yet, when George was eleven, his mother died of TB and his aunt’s husband, owner of Grass Valley’s Empire gold mine, shot and killed himself. Thus began George’s fantastic journey from orphan to millionaire. His love affair and partnership with the lovely Libby Crocker flourished on two continents. After supervising South African mines for several years, he successfully managed the legendary Empire gold mine for cousin William Bourn, and he and Libby helped shape and define the town of Grass Valley and its people.

244 pp. 57 illus. 2 maps, paperback $23.00