“Gold, Grit, Guns offers perhaps the single best account of the experiences of miners on the Lower Fraser.” — BC Studies
“Gold, Grit, Guns is a surgical social analysis of the Fraser Gold Rush, combining a literary deep dive into the personalities of its participants with a detailed exploration of the political crises it engendered.” – The BC Review
Alexander Globe auctioned off the anonymous miner’s diary. Find out more about the diary that inspired him in this article in Vancouver Sun.
“Eureka. Alexander Globe has hit a literary jackpot . . . the diaries in Gold, Grit, Guns are foundational.” — Alan Twigg, author of Out of Hiding
Only four extensive miners’ journals are known to have survived from 1858. Quoting generously from the diaries, Alexander Globe focuses on the miners’ actual words providing an engaging authenticity and bringing the miners’ distinctive voices, personalities and experiences back to life. History comes alive as these personal testimonies reveal the adventures and dreams of glory that these courageous men sought, the hardships they endured, and the fortunes won and lost.
By focusing on ordinary miners, this remarkable book captures the transformative events that led to the creation of British Columbia. For example, Slocumb’s diary is distinctive for his many literary quotations, capturing his psychological state at any given moment, like the musical score in a film. In contrast, Beam’s diary focuses outwardly on work, providing the most detailed record of 1858 mining practices that has surfaced.
Gold, Grit, Guns is the first detailed study of 1858 mining practices, miners’ costs and the grim reality of how mining culture compromised First Nations life. The book is richly researched with rarely seen illustrations of life on the Fraser in 1858 and maps of the area.
