Historic Walks in San Francisco will take you back in time as you follow 18 self-guided walks down city streets. Besides vivid stories about the sites and buildings along the way and anecdotes about the colorful characters associated with them, you will read tales about such well-known figures as Jack London, Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant, the Emperor Norton, Lenny Bruce, and Janis Joplin, all of whom plated roles in San Francisco"s vibrant history. The author also has unearthed such lesser-known gems of the past as: Television was invented in San Francisco in 1927 by a Mormon farm boy. Bull-versus-bear fights were held in the Mission District. Cartoonist Rube Goldberg owned a brothel in Chinatown. A peculiar artifact was found in an 1879 time capsule and what is in the time capsule that will be opened in 2079. Illustrated with easy-to-follow maps and dozens of historic photographs, many of them rarely seen, the book covers more than 400 locations in its 18 walks, each lasting two hours or less. Brimming with insight and the odd fact, laced with humor and drama, Historic Walks in San Francisco sheds new light on the history of one of America"s most renowned cities.