Ronald James's brilliant new account of the Comstock's long and eventful history--the first comprehensive study of the subject in over a century--examines every aspect of Comstock and Virginia City and employs information gleaned from hundreds of written sources, interviews, archeological research, computer analysis, folklore, gender studies, physical geography, and architectural and art history, as well as over fifty rare photographs, many of them previously unpublished. James's lively, thoughtful text brings the Comstock to life again in all its complexity and boom-and-bust excitement. This pathbreaking book offers a wealth of new information and insight into the history of one of the Old West's most storied areas.