Hubert Bancroft Runs a History Factory
In 1868, a San Francisco book dealer named Hubert Howe Bancroft (1832-1918) set out to write the history of the Pacific slope,[1] from Alaska to the Isthmus of Panama. It was a project on a heroic scale.
Bancroft did not write all the books himself, even though he was the only author listed. In fact, he didn’t even wrote most of them. He shaped a master narrative, then set up a team of some 600 writers, researchers, and historians to work with and for him. He assembled a collection of more than 60,000 volumes related to the subjects. He bought private collections of primary sources, When buying collections proved impossible, he hired copyists to work in archives in California, Mexico, and Spain. He also hired bright young men to travel through the west, taking down hundreds of oral histories[2], what he called “dictations,” from surviving pioneers of the American West. (To my surprise, some of these dictations were taken from Native Americans.)
Bancroft made a fortune with his “history factory[3],“ and earned a reputation for unscrupulous practices in the process. The books were sold by subscription. Many subscribers were surprised to learn that they had committed to buying thirty-nine volumes. (Leland Stanford, in particular, protested loudly . He had ordered forty sets, under the impression that the series would run to five or six volumes. Ooops!)
Thanks to Bancroft, our knowledge of the history of the American West is greater than it might otherwise be. He collected material at a time when few were interested in doing so, before the people who were capable of giving first hand accounts of America’s westward expansion were gone. In 1905, the University of California at Berkeley bought his collected sources for $250,000[4] for what is now the, ahem, Bancroft Library.
[1] I looked it up so you didn’t have to: the Pacific slope is the technical name for the geographic region in the Americans that are west of the continental divide. I love words with this type of specificity.
[2] Bancroft was ahead of his time. Oral history as a technique for preserving individual stories for academic use, as opposed to oral tradition, is generally considered to be a creation of the early twentieth century.
[3] Something that is hard for this modern writer of popular history to imagine.
[4] Roughly 9.5 million dollars today.
Bumbling My Way into Another Year of History Nerdery
Back in 2015, I started the year with a post sharing what I expected to think about in the coming year. I have no idea what inspired it, but I’ve opened each year since then with a similar post. I’ve always found it a useful way to get my thoughts in order, the writing equivalent of clearing off my desk.[1] I hope at least some of you find it interesting.
When I asked myself what I am planing to work on in 2026, I had to admit that I am not really sure.
The one thing I’m positive about is that I will continue to devote time, energy and enthusiasm to talking about The Dragon From Chicago. I already have speaking gigs, virtual and in real life, lined up well into the coming year. And I’m hoping for more.[2] It’s an important story to tell.
Beyond that, I’m finishing a pared-down proposal for what I hope will be my next book.[3] The more I work on it, the more I want to write the story. If my editor says yes, I have already identified many books to read and many rabbit holes to go down. If she says no, I’ll be flailing around without direction waiting for another story to grab me by the throat. Either way, I will have stories to share with you.
Here’s to a New Year filled with health, happiness, and history nerdery for us all!
[1] In fact, the first task for me in 2026 is going to be literally clearing off a desk. I have a second desk that sits back to back with my main desk. The idea was to have a horizontal surface I could use when I need to spread out. It has become a dumping ground for the things I’m not sure what to do with. I am determined to reclaim it as a work surface on January 1.
[2] And speaking of speaking, if you belong to a group that needs speakers, send me an email and we’ll try to work it out. Zoom has made things possible that were not possible before. If you want to know where I’ll be or find links to podcasts I’ve been on, my newsletter is the most reliable place to check . I’m always a little behind on bringing the events pages on this blog and my website up-to-date.
[3] I had hoped to have it ready to turn in to my agent at the start of the year. As I write this, it is clear that is not going to happen. But I will finish soon. Really.
Lighting a (Metaphorical) Candle Against the Darkness
Shortly after Thanksgiving the song “We Need a little Christmas Now”[1] began to run through my head on constant repeat. It was, quite frankly, annoying.
I don’t know about you, but we felt a little subdued going into the holiday season[2] this year, for reasons external and internal. I did not need Angela Lansbury being exuberant in my head.
We pared down our Christmas decorations to the things that matter to us most: a row of angels on the mantel, lighted stars in the windows, front and back, and a tree that smells wonderful. After a week of trying to get up the oomph to open the box of tree ornaments, My Own True Love declared the tree looked elegant with just lights. I agreed, then dug out the angel that goes on the top so our simple tree looked intentional rather than unfinished.
What we couldn’t pare down were the holiday events we were committed to.Since we couldn’t cancel, we leaned in. To our surprise, we have felt a little better with every gathering. Apparently we did “need a little Christmas right this very minute.”
I hope you, too, have a merry/jolly/happy/blessed time as you celebrate the victory of light over the darkness in the tradition of your choice.
(Just a reminder: If you want to watch the video, click on the post title to take you to your browser.)
PS As I have for the last few years, I’m giving myself a holiday from blogging through the end of the year. I’ll be back in January with some historical stories you probably haven’t heard and some books you might enjoy.
[1] From the musical Mame.
[2] To be honest, I always start the holidays with a bit of Scrooge in my heart.