It's back, bigger and better, with new stories & illustrations! First published in 1984, the book recounts the delightful story of two stray dogs who roamed the streets of San Francisco in the early 1860s, as reported in newspapers of the period. In a new introduction, Barker compares these contemporary accounts with the myths that have evolved around Bummer and Lazarus. Herb Caen called the original a wonderful addition to the shelf of Sanfriscana.

Seventy-two colorful stories about the men and women, the places and events that have contributed to San Francisco's flamboyant history are included in this one-volume edition of Samuel Dickson's three popular books, San Francisco Is Your Home, San Francisco Kaleidoscope, and The Streets of San Francisco.

Caroline Fremont Jones revels in her return to San Francisco, where a new city rises from the ruins of the 1906 earthquake. Even more rewarding is her business partnership and rekindled love with ex-spymaster Michael Archer Kossoff. But their private investigation agency is barely off the ground when Fremont's new friend, lovely but quirky Frances McFadden, becomes their first client--and it's a most troubling case. The adventurous but skeptical Fremont, lured by Frances to a séance, sees her companion fall into a disturbing trance. Despite the opposition of her powerful, controlling husband, Frances is determined to develop her budding psychic ability. Soon she confides to Fremont that a restless spirit from San Francisco's legendary past has entrusted her with a mission. But when one of the city's female mediums is murdered, and then another, Fremont's reservations turn to dread. Who has killed these women who wield their own power in the metaphysical world, and why? As Fremont's investigation takes her into the murky depths of spiritualism, she places not only herself, but also her dearest friends in mortal danger.

The question of whether dogs should be allowed off the leash in public places has become a major political issue in cities and suburbs across the United States. In the last two decades, "leash-law disputes" have burst upon the political scene and have been debated with an intensity usually reserved for such hot-button issues as abortion and gun rights. This book investigates what has changed in American community life, social mores, and the relationship between humans and dogs to provoke such passionate responses. At its heart, the book details and evaluates the handling of three leash-law disputes, all of which were exceedingly divisive and emotionally intense. Two of the cases took place in San Francisco, a city with a reputation as one of the most dog-friendly in the United States until 2001-2002, when officials curtailed off-leash walking. The other case study occurred in 1998 in Avon--a wealthy suburb of Hartford, Connecticut, --when town officials unilaterally imposed a leash law at a popular off-leash park. This book is not only a revealing study of Americans' conflicted attitudes toward animals and the difficult balance between individual rights and the public good in our communities. It is also a useful source of information for both dog owners and local government officials who are faced with leash-law disagreements.