Gold Mountain, Big City: An Expanded Exploration

Join CHSA and Jim Schein in exploring the book, Gold Mountain, Big City. Jim Schein will take guests through the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown using Ken Cathcart’s illustrated map of the neighborhood. The book provides an opportunity to experience the history of Chinatown through a new, immersive lens. This colorful and playful time capsule of San Francisco’s Chinatown contains the unique businesses, culture, and people encountered by illustrator Ken Cathcart between 1939 and 1955. Each quadrant of Cathcart’s map-which doubles as a guide for explorers of the book-is supplemented by never-before-seen black-and-white photographs and meticulous research. Gold Mountain, Big City drops the reader into a world of curious characters, revealing a glimpse of the immigration story so universal to American in both its celebratory aspects and its darkness.

The presentation will last from 1pm-2:30pm. Following his book talk, audience members will be able to ask questions about the book and Jim’s research until 3pm. Advanced questions can be submitted to info@chsa.org.

Click here to register for the program and learn how to access the online event.

Jim Schein is a near life-long (but not native) San Franciscan. He is married to Marti Schein and together they own and operate Schein and Schein Old Maps Store. The store is located in the heart of San Francisco’s North Beach District, contains thousands of authentic antique maps and prints. Jim is also a historian and has collected many historical artifacts, including the Cathcart map that led to the creation of his recent Cameron Books publication. The imagery used to create the book, as well as other historical photos, are available online for viewing by the public at scheinandschein.com.

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