{"product_id":"black-fire-the-true-story-of-the-original-tom-sawyer-and-of-the-mysterious-fires-that-baptized-gold-rush-era-san-francisco-9780307720573","title":"Black Fire: The True Story of the Original Tom Sawyer--And of the Mysterious Fires That Baptized Gold Rush-Era San Francisco","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first biography of the little-known real-life Tom Sawyer, told through a harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt for a serial arsonist who terrorized mid-nineteenth century San Francisco.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen San Francisco \u003ci\u003eDaily Morning Call \u003c\/i\u003ereporter Mark Twain met Tom Sawyer in 1863, he was seeking a subject for his first novel. He learned that Sawyer was a volunteer firefighter, local hero, and a former \"Torch Boy,\" racing ahead of hand-drawn fire engines at night carrying torches to light the way. When a mysterious serial arsonist known as \"The Lightkeeper\" was in the process of burning San Francisco to the ground, Sawyer played a key role in stopping him, helping to contain what is now considered the most disastrous and costly series of fires ever experienced by an American metropolis. By chronicling how Sawyer took it upon himself to investigate, expose, and stop the arsonist, \u003ci\u003eBlack Fire\u003c\/i\u003e details Sawyer's remarkable life and illustrates why Twain would later feel compelled to name his iconic character after him when writing \u003ci\u003eThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA vivid portrayal of the gritty, corrupt, and violent world of the Gold Rush\u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003eera West, \u003ci\u003eBlack Fire\u003c\/i\u003e is the most vibrant and thorough account of Sawyer's relationship with Mark Twain, and of the devastating fires that baptized San Francisco.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Crown Publishing Group (NY)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/29\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780307720573\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.06h x 5.21w x 0.79d","brand":"Robert Graysmith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45418898718901,"sku":"9780307720573","price":12.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_ab85278d-8ab2-4f2d-b7d9-37c2094c0c67.jpg?v=1748390250","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/black-fire-the-true-story-of-the-original-tom-sawyer-and-of-the-mysterious-fires-that-baptized-gold-rush-era-san-francisco-9780307720573","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}