Phœnixiana
Subtitle: or, Sketches and burlesques.
Edition: New ed.
Publisher: D. Appleton and company
Published: 1903
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 332
Subjects: Humorous stories, American -- California; California -- Humor
Genres: Humor.
Other titles: Sketches and burlesques.
Description: George Horatio Derby (1823-1861) of Massachusetts graduated from West Point in 1846 and served in the Army Topographical Engineers at Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo before being sent to California in 1856. He remained there for seven years, leading three exploring expeditions and winning a place as one of the state's first humorists with pieces published in the San Diego Herald and republished around the nation. Phoenixiana (1903) reprints a book originally published in 1855. It contains Derby's pieces as "Professor John Phoenixiana" and "Squibob," poking fun at such topics as military surveyors and explorers; contemporary travel accounts of the Mission Dolores, Benecia, Sonoma, San Francisco, and San Diego; literary societies and women's clubs; astronomy; and Army life.
Notes: Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
No known restrictions on publication.