Writing a book is both a solitary and communal experience. Space does not permit me to acknowledge either the diversity or extent of the debts I have incurred to relatives, friends, and colleagues. I wish briefly, however, to express my gratitude to those whose contributions to this book were especially important.
Two people have been closely involved with this study from its inception as a doctoral dissertation in the late 1970s to the completion of the book manuscript. My greatest debt is to my friend Jeffrey Stine, who devoted countless hours to editing and critiquing my work. He combined rigorous criticism with sustained moral support and encouragement in a manner which few friends could have done. Carl Harris, my dissertation supervisor, also read the manuscript at various stages and gave me valuable advice. The following scholars have given generously of their time to comment on all or parts of my manuscript: JoAnn Argersinger, David Brody, Elliot Brownlee, David Brundage, Robert Cherny, Patricia Cohen, Joseph Conlin, Otis Graham, Jr., William Issel, Kerby Miller, William Robbins, and William Wrightson. My editor at Temple University Press, Janet Francendese, was a constant source of support and encouragement, while Mary Capouya graciously and efficiently supervised the production of the book in its final stages.
I have also been the beneficiary of the hospitality and assistance of many inhabitants of the Redwood Empire. Donald and Marilyn Murphy provided both, as did Noel and Ina Harris. Authors Lynwood Carranco and Frank Onstine kindly shared their knowledge of lumber and labor in the redwood lumber industry and guided me toward important sources. My special thanks to Erich Schimps and the staff of the Humboldt Room at the Humboldt State University Library. The excellent local and regional history collection greatly facilitated my work, and Erich’s efforts on my behalf were above and beyond the call of duty.
I am also grateful to the staffs of the libraries at the University of California, at Santa Barbara and Berkeley, and especially to their interlibrary loan departments. The Forest History Society showed great interest in my work from the outset, and I made considerable use of its facilities while it was still located in Santa Cruz, California. In particular, Ronald Fahl, former editor of the Journal of Forest History, provided me with invaluable archival and bibliographic information. A fellowship from the Bancroft Library at University of California, Berkeley in 1980–1981 helped support my research at a crucial stage, and librarians at the Bancroft have for many years responded courteously and efficiently to the many demands I have made on them. A grant from the American Association for State and Local History in 1985 assisted in the completion of this work.
On a more personal level, the close friendship of Dave Freedman, John Herman, and Pepita Herrandiz has been a source of stability and for many years has sustained my morale and sense of humor during difficult times. I have fond memories of my late grandmother, May Allardyce, in Devon, England. Her reading Charles Dickens to me as a child kindled whatever historical imagination and compassion that I possess. My parents unfailing love, faith in me, and support of my education is reflected in the book’s dedication to them. The book is also dedicated to my wife Lynn Helton, who has been a constant source of support from shortly after my arrival in America in 1972. She sacrificed more than I, or any author, had any right to expect. I know she will appreciate the irony of the dedication to her.