California and the Fictions of Capital

Book excerpt: In part a tour of California as a virtual laboratory for refining the circulation of capital, and in part an investigation of how the state's literati, with rare exception, reconceived economy in the name of class, gender, and racial privilege, this study will appeal to all students and scholars of California's—And The American West's—economic, environmental, and cultural past. Author note:George L. Hendersonis Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota.