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<p> A harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt for a serial arsonist who terrorized mid-nineteenth century San Francisco. - San Francisco Chronicle <br> Graysmith has amassed an impressive amount of historical detail....A well-researched work about community and fire. - Cleveland Plain Dealer <br> The journalist delved deep into archival material to find the connection between Mark Twain and a heroic San Francisco firefighter named Tom Sawyer, who became the model for one of Twain's most beloved characters. - Sacramento Bee <br> Fascinating. -San Jose Mercury News <br> A sizzling tale...[Graysmith] uncovers Mark Twain's friendship with the real-life Sawyer -- a colorful figure in the city's early firefighting culture -- and paints a detailed portrait of San Francisco, circa 1849-1866. It's jam-packed with notable residents whose long-ago importance lingers in the city's street names (Broderick, Brannan) -- plus mustachioed hooligans and The Lightkeeper, an arsonist as mysterious as he was destructive. - San Francisco Bay Guardian <br> Graysmith has amassed an impressive amount of historical detail...a well-researched book. - Cleveland.com <br> Political corruption, daring heroics and a harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt the a serial arsonist fill the pages of this captivating book. - Meredith Johnson, Fox51 Today <br> Mark Twain fanatics and firefighter-history buffs alike will flock to the tale of the real-life Tom Sawyer's adventures fighting fires in the Gold Rush-era city, depicted in remarkable detail by Graysmith... Black Fire captures the spirit of rugged adventure so beloved in Twain's work and so characteristic of the undaunted city built--time and time again--on the hopes of fortune-hunters. - Booklist <br> Rich...lively and chock-full of eye-opening tidbits - Kirkus Reviews <br> Packing a whirlwind of events around dizzying details of boggy, impassable streets chokedB

A harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt for a serial arsonist who terrorized mid-nineteenth century San Francisco. <b>--<i>San Francisco Chronicle </b> Graysmith has amassed an impressive amount of historical detail....A well-researched work about community and fire. <b>--<i>Cleveland Plain Dealer </b> The journalist delved deep into archival material to find the connection between Mark Twain and a heroic San Francisco firefighter named Tom Sawyer, who became the model for one of Twain's most beloved characters. <b>--<i>Sacramento Bee </b> Fascinating. <b>--<i>San Jose Mercury News </b> A sizzling tale...[Graysmith] uncovers Mark Twain's friendship with the real-life Sawyer -- a colorful figure in the city's early firefighting culture -- and paints a detailed portrait of San Francisco, circa 1849-1866. It's jam-packed with notable residents whose long-ago importance lingers in the city's street names (Broderick, Brannan) -- plus mustachioed hooligans and The Lightkeeper, an arsonist as mysterious as he was destructive. <b><i> <b>--</b>San Francisco Bay Guardian</b> Mark Twain fanatics and firefighter-history buffs alike will flock to the tale of the real-life Tom Sawyer's adventures fighting fires in the Gold Rush-era city, depicted in remarkable detail by Graysmith...<i>Black Fire</i> captures the spirit of rugged adventure so beloved in Twain's work and so characteristic of the undaunted city built--time and time again--on the hopes of fortune-hunters. <b>--<i>Booklist </b> Rich...lively and chock-full of eye-opening tidbits <b><i> <b>--</b>Kirkus Reviews </b> Packing a whirlwind of events around dizzying details of boggy, impassable streets choked with decaying refuse, characters of all manner of disrepute, throughout a booming city haphazardly constructed of highly flammable material, Graysmith (who also drew the book's illustrations) inserts a teenage Tom Sawyer, newly migrated from the east, into one of the most tumultuous periods in San Francisco's storied history... the book truly shines. <b>--Publishers Weekly</b></p>

A harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt for a serial arsonist who terrorized mid-nineteenth century San Francisco. - San Francisco Chronicle Graysmith has amassed an impressive amount of historical detail....A well-researched work about community and fire. - Cleveland Plain Dealer The journalist delved deep into archival material to find the connection between Mark Twain and a heroic San Francisco firefighter named Tom Sawyer, who became the model for one of Twain's most beloved characters. - Sacramento Bee Fascinating. -San Jose Mercury News A sizzling tale...[Graysmith] uncovers Mark Twain's friendship with the real-life Sawyer -- a colorful figure in the city's early firefighting culture -- and paints a detailed portrait of San Francisco, circa 1849-1866. It's jam-packed with notable residents whose long-ago importance lingers in the city's street names (Broderick, Brannan) -- plus mustachioed hooligans and The Lightkeeper, an arsonist as mysterious as he was destructive. - San Francisco Bay Guardian Mark Twain fanatics and firefighter-history buffs alike will flock to the tale of the real-life Tom Sawyer's adventures fighting fires in the Gold Rush-era city, depicted in remarkable detail by Graysmith... Black Fire captures the spirit of rugged adventure so beloved in Twain's work and so characteristic of the undaunted city built--time and time again--on the hopes of fortune-hunters. - Booklist Rich...lively and chock-full of eye-opening tidbits - Kirkus Reviews Packing a whirlwind of events around dizzying details of boggy, impassable streets choked with decaying refuse, characters of all manner of disrepute, throughout a booming city haphazardly constructed of highly flammable material, Graysmith (who also drew the book's illustrations) inserts a teenage Tom Sawyer, newly migrated from the east, into one of the most tumultuous periods in San Francisco's storied h

<p> A harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt for a serial arsonist who terrorized mid-nineteenth century San Francisco. - San Francisco Chronicle <br> Graysmith has amassed an impressive amount of historical detail....A well-researched work about community and fire. - Cleveland Plain Dealer <br> The journalist delved deep into archival material to find the connection between Mark Twain and a heroic San Francisco firefighter named Tom Sawyer, who became the model for one of Twain's most beloved characters. - Sacramento Bee <br> Fascinating. -San Jose Mercury News <br> A sizzling tale...[Graysmith] uncovers Mark Twain's friendship with the real-life Sawyer -- a colorful figure in the city's early firefighting culture -- and paints a detailed portrait of San Francisco, circa 1849-1866. It's jam-packed with notable residents whose long-ago importance lingers in the city's street names (Broderick, Brannan) -- plus mustachioed hooligans and The Lightkeeper, an arsonist as mysterious as he was destructive. - San Francisco Bay Guardian<br> <br> Mark Twain fanatics and firefighter-history buffs alike will flock to the tale of the real-life Tom Sawyer's adventures fighting fires in the Gold Rush-era city, depicted in remarkable detail by Graysmith... Black Fire captures the spirit of rugged adventure so beloved in Twain's work and so characteristic of the undaunted city built--time and time again--on the hopes of fortune-hunters. - Booklist <br> Rich...lively and chock-full of eye-opening tidbits - Kirkus Reviews <br> Packing a whirlwind of events around dizzying details of boggy, impassable streets choked with decaying refuse, characters of all manner of disrepute, throughout a booming city haphazardly constructed of highly flammable material, Graysmith (who also drew the book's illustrations) inserts a teenage Tom Sawyer, newly migrated from the east, into one of the most tumultuous periods in San Francisco's storied h

Author Information

ROBERT GRAYSMITH is the New York Times bestselling author of Zodiac and eight other books. The major motion pictures Zodiac and Auto Focus are based on his books.  A San Francisco Chronicle political cartoonist and artist for fifteen years, he lives in San Francisco.

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