The Mysteries and Miseries of San Francisco - Showing up all the various characters and notabilities, (both in high and low life) that have figured in San Franciso since its settlement

The Mysteries and Miseries of San Francisco by an anonymous Californian opens with a bunch of Americans drinking at a diner together in the historical town. The anonymous author pays careful and boisterous homage to the strange and bustling city. Excerpt: "San Francisco, on the marge of the sea, with towering hills behind her, lay basking in the sun like a serpent by the side of a rock. The dwellings of the more fortunate classes loomed pleasantly on the side of the large round hills in the distance, and might with the aid of a little fancy…"