"James offers a comprehensive history of the Comstock and its urban center, Virginia City, that will remain the scholarly reference of choice for a long time to come." --The Journal of American History "As important as the Comstock was, and considering the vast amount of scholarship which the district has produced, it is surprising that no comprehensive study has been written since the heyday of mining. Ronald James has now produced this welcome synthesis of the Lode. Accessible and entertaining with many helpful illustrations and graphs, this well-constructed volume should stand as the definitive history of the Comstock Lode." --New Mexico Historical Review "One of the outstanding features of this study is its interdisciplinary approach. James draws from folklore and archeology to reveal some of Virginia City's secrets lost to the written word. He makes good use of those best friends of the nineteenth century urban historian, the Sanborn maps, and census data to discuss the composition and functions of Virginia City's neighborhoods." --Annals of Wyoming: The Wyoming History Journal "This is an admirable book.

Ron James has brought together all of the existing literature on the history of Virginia City and the mines and miners of the Comstock Lode, dissected and extended it from his own research, and produced what must now be regarded as the definitive volume on the history of the district which briefly made Nevada the mining capital of the world." --Mining History Journal.