As a native upstate New York farmer who has traveled along most of the major westward trails, albeit via car or railroad, I completely understood Swain's descriptions of praise or denigration of the land he passed through. Many of the rushers had nothing to return east to. He had a farm, a family and a life to return to that did not require any wealth. Unlike many others, his decision to return home from California was easier. Swain himself, who was apparently better read and prepared for the trip than many, believed he would be home much sooner than he was. These young, eager, adventurers truly believed they would easily find their fortunes and soon be back home. This book describes the rush mentality of the 49ers extremely well. The reader feels the fear of cholera and the aches at the end of the day. The ease with which this book flows and the personal feelings expressed by William and Sabrina Swain make this book hard to put down. Nor does Holliday attempt to explain feelings or jump to conclusions.

Holliday's interpretations and prose keep the story flowing, but do not add extraneous information. It is an accurate approach to what being a 49er meant to those who chased the elephant. Holliday's approach to telling the 49ers tale was a seamless stitching together of William Swain's journal and letters home with other facts and general information surrounding the rush. 'The World Rushed In' is a gold rush history must read.

The World Rushed In by J.S. Holliday