Illustrated History of the University of California 1868 to 1895

Illustrated History of the University of California 1868 to 1895 by William Carey Jones. 413 page, large, oversized book in good condition, some white marks on the lower part of the front cover as seen. Internal contents in excellent condition. Although titled an illustrated history, about 90% of the book is text and there are black and white photographic images, which was a new thing in 1895, thus the name of the book.

A really interesting history of the University of California. Today we would call it the University of California, Berkeley, but at the time this was the only U.C. school. Includes two chapters of the antecedents to the University and the College Precursor. Has an interesting chapter on the history of the city of Berkeley with old images of a small town with dirt roads and small wooden structures, also has pictures of the president's house and houses of other professors. Other chapters talk about the growth of the school and its expansion.

The chapters about the academic colleges are fascinating. The College of Letters focused on studies of Greek and Latin and required 3 credits in Military Science. There are nice images of the chemistry laboratories and one showing a lecture hall filled with male students wearing suits and female students wearing formal attire and hats. A description the College of Mines is in the book for "Students who wish to become mining or metallurgical engineers," appropriate for a school so near the California Gold Rush. Another picture shows an outdoor class in Practical Astronomy and Geodesy.

The appendix lists all the graduates of the University by class.

A spectacular book about Cal Berkeley!