"The Shirley Letters from California Mines in 1851-52" is a collection of letters from an anonymous author who sent them from San Francisco home to the English edition of Alta California. These unique letters detail life and events in the California gold mines in 1851-1852. The author shares her impressions of searching for gold, the difficulties that arose in her parents' mining camp, and also describes the local life and customs of the mining towns. This book helps the reader to deepen his understanding of the life of settlers in the early days of the California Gold Rush and to feel the atmosphere of that time.