Looking out over the deserted landscape today it is hard to imagine that during the Civil War this remote corner of western Nevada was home to over five thousand people living in a thousand buildings made mostly of brick. This book describes a promising young city at the peak of prosperity and includes 37 photographs, 9 maps, numerous historic newspaper advertisements, and detailed descriptions of Aurora's buildings, businesses, organizations, schools, government, mines, and newspapers. It also includes a list of residents from 1861-1864, a list of newspaper articles about Aurora from 1860 to 1864, and an account of the July 4, 1864, Grand Celebration.

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor. America’s Silver State takes the gold in the WPA Guide to Nevada. Originally published in 1940, the guide features the newly built Hoover Dam (then called the Boulder Dam), the Great Basin, the many caves in the eastern part of the state, the state’s several ghost towns, and an engaging essay of one of Nevada’s more important industries—“Mining and Mining Jargon.”

A detailed look at Nevada's printing history from 1858-1880. This scholarly reference includes proclamations, pamphlets, menus, government publications, church programs, and other printed artifacts. Both volumes are for Nevada historians, bibliographers, book collectors, and people who are interested in the printed records produced in Nevada toward the end of the 19th century.