This two-volume set cites books, pamphlets, maps, music, directories, and other published materials (excluding materials from technical and popular magazines and newspapers) on the history of mining in the American and Canadian West. Topics covered include prospecting, mining rushes and camps, and mining finance, labor, technology, law, literature, and lore. The initial portion provides general information on mining and metalurgical technology. The subsequent regional sections are subdivided into refined historical studies, raw materials, fictional and poetic treatments, and bibliographical guides to further materials. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Elko County, in the old heart of Nevada, is rich in historic sites, many of them hitherto uncharted and some verging on disappearing. For the first time, historian Shawn Hall identifies and locates the ghost towns and old mining camps of Elko County and recounts their colorful histories. Following a guidebook format, Hall divides the county into five easily accessible regions, then lists the historic sites within each region and provides directions to reach them. He offers a brief history of each site as well as a description of its extant structures and their present condition. The result is a lively compilation of local history and mining and ranching lore that records the dramatic past of Nevada’s northeast corner, its pioneers and prospectors, its towns and mines, its outlaws, ranchers, merchants, mining concerns, and civic leaders. The book offers never-before available information about the old heart of Nevada and the people who settled there. It will be of enduring value to tourists and weekend explorers, historic preservationists, and all those interested in the history and artifacts of this region.