Bret Harte

Francis Bret Harte (1839-1902) was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California. Born in Albany, New York, he moved to California in 1854, later working there in a number of positions, including miner, teacher, messenger, and journalist.

His first literary efforts, including poetry and prose, appeared in The Californian, an early literary journal edited by Charles Henry Webb. In 1868 he became editor of The Overland Monthly, another new literary magazine, but this one more in tune with the pioneering spirit of excitement in California. His story, "The Luck of Roaring Camp," appeared in the magazine's second edition, propelling Harte to nationwide fame. Determined to pursue his literary career, he traveled back East, to New York and eventually to Boston, where he continued writing poems, sketches, and stories capturing the excitement of his earlier years in California.

As an established literary figure, he was appointed to the position of United States Consul in the town of Crefeld[?], Germany in 1878 and Glasgow in 1880. In 1885 he settled in London. During the thirty years he spent in Europe, he never abandoned writing, and produced a prodigious output of stories that still maintained the freshness of his earlier work. He died in England in 1902.

External Links

e-texts of some of Bret Harte's works:

• The Argonauts Of North Liberty (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=180)
• By Shore And Sedge (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=312)
• Clarence (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=389)
• Complete Poetical Works (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=416)
• Condensed Novels (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=419)
• The Convalescence Of Jack Hamlin (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=432)
• Cressy (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=452)
• The Crusade Of The Excelsior (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=468)
• Drift From Two Shores (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=556)
• From Sand Hill To Pine (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=732)
• In A Hollow Of The Hills (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=974)
• In The Carquinez Woods (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=981)
• Maruja (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1286)
• A Millionaire Of Rough-and-Ready (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1340)
• Muck-A-Muck (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1393)
• On The Frontier (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1506)
• Openings In The Old Trail (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1523)
• A Phyllis Of The Sierras (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1708)
• The Pupil Of Chestnut Ridge (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1887)
• The Queen Of The Pirate Isle (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1903)
• A Sappho Of Green Springs (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2063)
• A Secret Of Telegraph Hill (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2107)
• Selected Stories of Bret Harte (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2133)
• Stories In Light And Shadow (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2267)
• The Story Of A Mine (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2283)
• Susy, a story of the Plains (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2122)
• Tales Of The Argonauts (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2207)
• Tales Of Trail And Town (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2220)
• Thankful Blossom (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2311)
• The Three Partners (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2348)
• The Twins Of Table Mountain (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=2303)
• Under The Redwoods (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1559)
• A Waif of the Plains (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1695)
• A Ward of the Golden Gate (http://www.abacci.com/books/book.asp?bookID=1710)