Upham later wrote about his adventures in "Notes of a Voyage to California via Cape Horn", published in 1878. In the book he writes, "Descriptions of a life on the ocean wave read vary prettily on shore, but the "reality" of a sea voyage speedily dispels the romance." The book also pays close attention to the bawdy history of Sacramento, and includes lengthy appendices on California journalism and the California exhibition at the 1876 Centennial. In 1878 Upham also published "Scenes in El Dorado in the Years 1849-50".